to get a CDL, and be hire-able? I want to put this out there to get a second opinion from you guys before i fully commit. And i know there are others in my situation that can use some advice. Here is my goal, go to a company sponsored school and then drive for them for a while for experience. I dont have money for a private cdl school, dont want to go to a community college, can't borrow any money, and a horrible credit score, so i wont pass a private cdl schools' credit checks for financing. I'm just a normal guy with a normal life. I do enjoy driving. What are your guys' thoughts? Is there a better way for someone in my situation? It has been driving me nuts for a while just thinking about selling my soul to a company sponsored school, but i think this is the only way for me to get my foot in the door.
You're not selling your soul to a company; as soon as the debt is paid through payroll deduction, you are free to leave for another company if you wish. Be a company driver after training, not a lease operator. Sometimes, we do what we have to do for our own particular situation. Perhaps some drivers on here will fill you in on company schools where no money up front is required.
Are you tough? You want to drive, you have no money and crap for credit. You know what you have to do. Can you go through the mill and turn out to be a real trucker? See, you say that you enjoy driving. Holding a steering wheel is the easy part...can you truck? Before I started racing sports cars, I used to think that race car drivers had an easy job. Built my car and put her on the road course. Do you know how much mental concentration it takes to run consistent fast laps? Fun yes....omg it's fun. But you really put yourself through a workout. Truckers do something very similar. Not TRUCK DRIVER, T.R.U.C.K.E.R. Like the racer, the trucker makes consistent runs, managing time, reading traffic, monitoring everything around, consistent miles, safe miles day in and day out, year in and year out. It takes a certain toughness to deal. Lose concentration and someone dies. People on the outside looking in think they know, but they don't. "Oh, it's an easy job, anyone can do it"...these are the same idiots who put their cars in a ditch and can't read road signs while driving yet they think that they can do what we do. They have the same mentality when they decide to go to truck driving school to be a truck driver. After the sunshine injection in the arse by the recruiter wears off, you see this ugly, fat guy shoving comfort food in his face in between bouts of weeping and crying. Want to be a trucker? Do what you have to do to get into a rig and use it for a stepping stone to get the rig that you want. See, the goal isn't to drive for a bottom feeder, the goal is to truck. So, don't worry about how you start, just start.
Driving is not a pic-nick ....hard work no matter what level you are at or where you go. Triple six nailed it....Don't take alot of gray matter to become a trucker....BUT to become a professional driver, it takes a strong drive to succeed and the will to do it right...if you don't then sooner or later some one will either die or be terribly injured because of your inability to do either one of the above......
You indicated that you have a poor credit rating. Usually this indicates some difficulties with money management. What are you earning now? What will happen when that figure drops? Most starter companies pay a meager amount during the training period (somewhere 300-500/week gross during training). Don't forget, out of that money has to come living expenses while you are on the road. While there are ways to live cheap on the road, it still costs money. Once you actually get through training, most mega carrier starter companies pay a lower amount than at a non training company. If you manage to get 2500 miles a week you should consider yourself lucky. Don't fool yourself into thinking you are always going to hit that magical 3000 mile per week mark. you need to base your expectations on a more realistic number. To be safe you should figure around 2200 miles per week. If you are paid .30cpm and get 2200 miles per week that means 660/week gross. Of course you need to pay living expenses, taxes, and whatever is left can be used to support your family. Speaking of your family,is it ok that you will not see them for 3-6 weeks at a time? While most people say that they can do it, many many new drivers find this to be the most difficult part of the transition to trucking. Even if you had to work 2 part time jobs (or 1 FT and 1 PT) to earn the same 660/week you would see your family far more often. While you may not be "selling your soul" to the training company, if you are acting from a point of desperation, then you are 80% of the way towards failure to begin with. I am unsure why you will not look at the community college option, but if you have already closed your mind to that route and the training company is your only option, then I would absolutely look at a different career choice altogether. Trucking seems to be the only industry where it is expected that a prospective employer is going to provide all the necessary skills and training required to work in the business. You will be much happier and have a much higher chance of success if you take responsibility for educating yourself, which will allow the greatest potential reward for your skills. Most of the mega training companies are bringing in anywhere from dozens to hundreds of new "trainees" each and every week. Why is that? Could it be because the success rate is so low and the working conditions so poor that they need that much "fresh meat" to keep the wheels greased and the freight moving? While there are some success stories, even at these crappy training companies, I have too much respect for myself, and my time and skills are to valuable to place myself in a position where the odds are so stacked against me.
i was sponsered by the unemployment office there are several goverment programs available for funding to keep uou out of sponsered schools good luck to you
If this is what you truely wanna do and this is the only option you have then I say go for it.But do your homework on the company before commiting.Because remember,that company will own you for a yr.
