Is this a good idea?

You want cheap? Go to a company sponsored CDL mill & expect to learn nothing!

You want quality & education? Go to a local technical institute!

 

I'm in school at California Truck Driving Academy in Santa Ana. I think you'll get alot
of DMV coaching from a school. I think it also depends on your situation too.
The quicker I get into the job search the better. I started on 11-30-2009 and got
my permit today. I'll probably have my license by the end of the month.
I can't speak about thier job placement right now, but I know that they are
connected to the industry and I'm alot better off with their recommend.
Also, I'm pretty sure the companies that they deal with are aware of the skills
I will posess at the end of my training and will have on the job training themselves.
I thought about going through one of the company schools, however I found
out about the Workforce Investment Act at the one-stop career center and
got full funding from them. (even DMV and medical costs.)
Good luck to you, whatever you decide.
BTW, We'll be going to the San Bernandino DMV for the skills test. Even though the
Fullerton DMV offers the test.

 

But schools don't create jobs . The fact is schools make it harder to get a job by constantly increasing the number of applicants vs available jobs . Every carrier out there probably has enough applications to replace every one of their drivers . I recently read carriers are complaining hlf the applicants aren't qualified . They only qualified as a source of income for CDL mills and to get a CDL which will be useless in a few months if not hired and will require paying for a refresher course . No other trade has such a condition on a license or a system like DAC that can end your career before it starts .

 

mos tof the driving schools will require you to have your permit ahead of time, if not, they generally spend the first day and a half teaching you what you need to get your permit, then send you out to get it in the afternoon. I took my original permit test in '92 and barely passed it. Due to some other circumstances I ended up not getting my license at that time. In '97 when I went again, after having read the book before starting school, and then spending the day in class, I passed with a 95%.

 

Before I went to school they told us what chapters to study in the DMV book to pass the learner permit. If you didn't have that and the physical with drug test you didn't get into the school.

WIA will pay for a Hazmat, doubles/triples/ tank testing too. Here in TN it was $82 for my finger print and background check. I turned in my receipts for all of the above today+the $30 for my class A. I didn't have to pay the $75 for my driving test as my teachers are 3rd party testers for the state.