I want to become a trucker but I'm confused about schooling.

There are lots of company's that will take you if you have a class A, swift, roehl, werner, prime, ect. If you have a friend that will let you use his truck to get it I say go for it. Once you get a job and they send you out with a trainer they will teach everything you need to know.

 

i dont believe the above answer is correct most all the larger companies want to see that you have gone thru an accredited course for insurance purposes
most want to see 160 hour course

you are correct most cdl schools only teach you to get a license
community colleges offer lower cost better programs usually
perhaps if you tell us your location we can point you in a better direction

 

Good questions and answers. I just finished the first of two quarters at a community college CDL school. The training, so far, has been o.k. but it's way over-weighted with class room hours versus behind the wheel hours.

This quarter I spend about 100 hours in class and labs [ labs were preparing for the pre-trip test ]. I spent about 20 hours behind the wheel, all on the range: alley dock, 45 degree, off set, stop line, right turn. Did really well on the test which is required to move onto the road.

Per the school's schedule, there are only 40 hours of road time in the next ten weeks. There will be another 80 of class room. So, I'll have at least 180 hours of class and only about 60 hours of driving time. For me, that's a little out of balance on the academic side. It might feel different for you. Ask the different truck driving schools that you might be considering.

It seems that community colleges need to do that to keep their academic credentials. So, ask some good questions about how much time in the driver's seat. The class stuff is important but, for me, 4 hours/week for ten weeks of an instructor reading from the FMCVR'S while the students followed along and highlighted was not the best use of time. A lot that was covered and was on the tests was things that applied only to companies.

On the issue of doing it on your own, you very well may be able to but, if you don't, your only options is to pay for another 3rd party test. In my state that's $160/test. I couldn't have done it without having some schooling behind me. I drove a straight truck for years [ 10 spd but synchronized ]. The point is, I was nowhere near ready to past the pre-trip test, the maneuvering test, and the road test. Not about to say that you can't but it gets pretty expensive if you mess up even two.

For me, the schooling is definitely worth the $$ and the time. I am just not sure that a company [ like Roehl's ] or an independent school is not just as good as a community college one. And it's quicker and cheaper.

Hope this helps. Good luck!

 

I've been checking in2 this same thing. Seems Roehl, Millis & Swift have top schools. Roehl seems 2 be the way I'm leaning.

 

WIA program will pay for your CDL school, free to you. That is, is they have funding left. Sometimes it takes awhile to get it approved through the local Dept. of Labor.

 

what you seem to be referring to in original question is a company school. ive said it before, ill say it again...my opinion,for what its worth, is its a bad idea. sure its "free", but like you said- you pay for it over time, and in that time you are an indentured servant to the company. guess it depends on how much, and how long you contract with them. but a better option imo is to find a private school that will guarantee a job with a few diff companies upon completion. this is what i found in c1 (indy.in). school cost $4k, which they would finance, plus you had to bring money for food (dinner each day not provided...breakfast and lunch part of cost). they also offered a 50% deal if you paid up front, so i scrounged the 2 grand together to save 2 grand plus interest, but if you cant you cant. company choices were pam,roehl, and usa truck. usa truck offered most pay per mile so i went with them.all 3 also paid back tuition at the rate of $100/month, so if you stayed with them for 20 (or 40) months school was free. but that was only an incentive...i could (and did) leave earlier if i found greener pastures elsewhere. i left usa truck making 32 cpm to a job that paid 39 cpm, plus better benefits. if id done company school, from what i understand, i could be held liable for entire cost of school fir "breaking the contract". so do some homework...comm college is good choice for someone who can wait that long...my school was done in 2 weeks and i was making money as a trainee in week 3.

 

Do you have a local college that offers a course? My local college works with FAFSA and a student might qualify for additional help from the school itself which brings the cost from $3300 down to about $1600 out of pocket. (I am in FL) Local workforce might kick in some as well and bring cost lower. Check any local colleges to you. But depending on your situation, can you go fulltime for 7 or 8 weeks? Also check out National Truck Driver and Heavy Equipment Training at truckschool.com. There is a thread on here about them. You do your bookwork at home then schedule a date to do your three weeks handson. They do a webinar very Teus at 6:30pm est. They also have a motel. Say they have people come from out of state. Not sure about your situation but just offering a suggestion. I am finding lots of options, just RESEARCH. Forgot to mention they are in Orange Park, FL

 

Depends on where you go to get company schooling. When I went to Central they had no upfront cost and with each paycheck they take a little out (isn't very much) and if you are a vet it's nothing each month out of your check. Central also commits "x" dollars to your school costs with each paycheck that doesn't come out of your check at all (just part of the plan)

After 12 months you are paid in full, if you leave before 12 months, then you only owe what was not paid off yet (total cost used to be around 2k for the school). Take what central paid for your school each month, plus what you paid each month and subtract from total and this what you owe when you leave. You can even make payment plans on what you owe (not due all at once)