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

timid1978...is that central refrigerated? i am looking to get into the industry and am a vet. would it be worht my time to talk to a recruiter there? also how does their training pay work? do they have a cdl program or do you have to have it before you get there.

 

ok, then i take it back. central sounds like a reasonable deal...maybe better than the deal i got thru c1. only question left from me would be how much do they pay the new grad? well, and how much taken out per week to repay school? because with c1, i still wouldve owed (or if id paid already, they wouldve kept) the cost of the school should i have washed out. so 2 grand vs 2 grand, same same. pay whats left if you leave before 12 months...pretty much same. oh, and if they are contributing each week toward school, but then you leave after 10 months, do they take back those contributions? because usa truck wouldve in 10 months paid off 1 grand, thus my cost for school woulda been 1 grand.
but honestly, 12 months is a reasonable amount of time. you need almost that much time to be completely comfortable with trucking, assuming you get decent miles, might as well be with central. ok, i got 2 equal answers now for school. central is a good deal if info given is accurate. if one is looking at a different company school, keep these figures in mind for comparison. anyone asking for 2 years, or even 18 months, is unreasonable imo. theyd better be paying REAL good for me to consider it, and id keep in mind that if they make me sit, doesnt matter how much per mile. 28cpm or 50cpm, both equal the same when your miles are at zero. and both dont pay living wage if miles are less than 2k per week. important questions are ALWAYS....
how many miles do drivers average in a week (if they say 2500, they are lying. this is a typical response but means theyre just pulling the "industry standard" out...its not a real number)
how many miles is average length of haul (less miles per run generally means less miles in a week. with each load you will mosy likely lose time sitting at shipper and receiver)
what is percentage of DROP AND HOOK (we dont care about no touch..otr trucking is most always no touch. but a drop and hook takes 15-30 minutes in and out. live load/unload takes 1-3 hours or more)

thanks timd. i will be recommending central as a viable option in the future, recommending also that they ask these questions before committing.

 

It will be very tough finding a company that will hire you if you do not go through an accredited school. This is more of an insurance thing then a company policy. If it were just that easy nobody would pay $6000 for trucking school. Everyone would just rent or borrow a truck from someone to take their test.

Go about it the correct way the first time and this will save you lots of time and money.

Company schooling, I believe, is the way to go! Not only do you not have to put any money upfront but you also aren't wagering your house or credit to do so! So what if you have to sign a contract, at the very least provided you pass your test you are guaranteed a job! This is a no brainer!

Personally I would recommend Central Refrigerated. They aren't quite a mega-carrier. They are just large enough to keep you busy yet small enough to still treat you like a human being! Your chances of success will be much greater there. Your success lies in the hands of your dispatcher and with Central it is much easier to build a personal relationship there with your dispatcher. A little "mutual back scratching" goes a long way!

 

chompi how do you feel about millis? been researching them and have not heard to much bad.

 

I don't know a whole lot about them. I don't think they are a full size mega-carrier. I would probably compare them to more about he size of Central Ref.

What's important man is how you feel about them? A company I hate and had a bad experience at you may love and have long lasting career. Keep that in mind. I will say that I would recommend staying away from the mega-carriers. Your chances of success are substantially higher at the smaller carriers. This is mainly due to your dispatcher and the amount of drivers they oversee.

A good smaller company up in your neck of the woods is Windy Hill. My cousin and a few friends drove for them and they ran very hard! Central would also be a good company too because I know for sure they have a lot of customers up by you. This will make home time a little easier.

 

chompi thanks. i have heard really good things about millis and their training. i need a company that will help me get cdl and then training after. is wiindy hill in the wisconsin area.

 

I have done some research on them. Seems they are a small outfit. But just know... Words right out of the recruiters mouth... You will be under a contract, if you leave before the contract is up, 12 months, you owe an additional $2500. Those are some of the things you need to be asking about. One of the good things about Millis is no forced dispatch to NYC. If you choose to go in, you will be paid extra. They are NOT a coast to coast company tho. Nothing West of the Mississippi. Another one to consider close to you is Roehl!! A little more out of pocket to start, but a top notch training program from what I've heard so far.

 

I myself is looking to get my CDL, and looking at other options than just hitting Roadmaster, or doing an 8 week course at my college. Some of the drivers I have talked to recommended me Windy Hill, Watkins and Shepards, and Millis. I do not think Windy Hill offers CDL training, but they do have a hub up in WI. I live down in Florida and Windy Hill's other hub is in S. Florida, but I have heard nothing but good things about Windy Hill. (If I can get my CDL without costing me an arm and let, or time, I will apply for them.)

I would also apply for Watkins and Shepards, but I do not live near one of there terminals, and I am in Florida. It goes for the same at Millis.

 

I'm in the final stages of Roehl's school's application process myself, and have toured their school and was impressed. Their program is three weeks, tuition is $2800 (plus a $100 registration fee, $85 road test fee, $400 for lodging if you require it, meals/transportation on your own, and a $100 WIDOT fee when they issue you your CDL). You can pay the tuition upfront, or, if you have a satisfactory credit score, you can apply for them to loan you the tuition fee. If you're approved for that, you don't have to pay on the loan as long as you drive for Roehl. At 60,000 paid solo miles (120,000 if you drive team) they forgive about 1/3 of the loan, then in 10,000 solo mile increments after that they forgive the rest until at 120,000 paid solo miles the loan is forgiven in full. If you leave Roehl before 120,000 paid solo miles, you have 30 days to pay off any remaining loan balance.

It's a very nice alternative option if your credit is in good shape, because the loan is forgiven rather than having payments on it deducted from each paycheck.

 

Just sent in my app in2 Swift, Roehl and Knight. I guess we will see which floats to the top!! Of course, after reading a post on what happened to a Swift trainee in Cali, I'm a bit nervous.....