It's hard to have sympathy.

I swear, I read threads like this;

http://www.thetruckersreport.com/tr...ndustry-as-a-whole.298048/page-4#post-4847540

...and it is hard to have sympathy. The internet has been around for quite some time now. Forums like this and search engines like google have been around for almost as long. There is a wealth of information right at your fingertip. All you have to do is look.

Can you really be surprised these days when you go to a mega carrier trucking company for your training that you get screwed? Is it any surprise to ANYONE these days that CR England, Prime, Swift, CRST, PAM, Celadon, USA Truck, Western Express and any other trucking company that runs its own school sucks?!?

I cant get over someone going to a company like Prime and thinking they are gonna out smart them....that somehow you are going to be the one guy that comes out on top over them. They are massive multi million ( if not multi BILLION) dollar companies.....you are not going to beat them, you are not going to outsmart them. The best you can hope for is that they kiss you before they rape you.

I wished there was someway I could get everyone thinking about making that mistake of going to a mega carrier for your training to read Trumps book, The Art of the Deal.

The first rule of a deal is to never put yourself in a position that you cannot walk away from the deal without getting hurt. Always put yourself in a position where the other guy needs the deal more than you do and they will stick their neck out further than you.

So to apply that in looking for a way into the trucking industry, here is what I mean. First of all, trucking companies are desperate for drivers, they need you more than you need them.

So rule one, the biggest and most critical rule!!!

1) NEVER GO SOMEWHERE THAT IS GOING TO ASK YOU TO SIGN AN EMPLOYMENT CONTRACT!!! My god people, is it possible that you think a Fortune 500 company is going to stick a contract in front of your face and somehow that contract will benefit you in some way? Seriously?

2) Get your training privately, through a private school or community college. I prefer private schools and here is why....many private schools have in house financing. Here is the biggest advantage to that. Number one, no money or at least very little money out of pocket. But here is the best part about using a school that has in house financing, you owe them money. Why is that a good thing, it puts leverage against the school to have a vested interest in your success. If you dont succeed and make great money after graduation, how can you pay them back?

It puts the burden of your success on their shoulders as much as yours.

Do your research. Visit the school. Ask to see the facilities, ask to speak with one of the instructors....not just the recruiter. Remember, the instructors are the ones you are going to be dealing with. Check out the schools facebook page. Look to see if others students get involved, leave positive reviews...see where there students are going to work.

A quick Google search just revealed several truck driving schools around the country that do in house financing.....I found one that requires no credit check.

3) Find out who regulates the school, most schools are regulated and licensed by a state agency that oversees schools in the state. Call that agency and find out if the school is in good standing. This is all public records stuff. Find out how many complaints they have on file with them. Where there is smoke there is fire.

4) Make the school work with you on applications to trucking companies up front, before you commit to anyone. Find out who they are suggesting they want to place you with. Speak to recruiters from that company and do your research on them. When I went through school, before I committed to the company I first went to work for, I went to a truck stop and waited till I saw one of their trucks. I approached the driver and asked him questions about working for them to see if what I was hearing is true.

5) Lastly, call the trucking company you decided would be right for you and ask them what school in your area they would suggest to do your training. They will tell you. They have lists of preferred providers. Ask them about the success they have had with the school you are considering.


Its simple guys. It sounds like a lot but you could do all of this stuff in an afternoon or two. Doing it this way puts you in a situation to always hold the winning hand. It puts the pressure on others to see you succeed as well.

If this sounds like too much work, then stay away from the trucking industry. If you are too lazy to invest in your success and future as a driver, you dont belong in trucking....go get a government job with the other lazy people.


If you cant find a school nearby that does their own financing, either pay for your school yourself or try to get a government grant like WIOA to help you pay for it.

 

Xcis, re-read my post, then get back to me.

I never said you shouldn't pay for your training. In fact that exactly what I said to do. But try to pay for it by financing with a private school. A school that helps you go to work for a wide option of possible companies.

That way you pick what company suits your needs but you owe them money so it ensures their interest you your success.

I did 5 minutes of research just now and I found a local school in my area that does their own financing, they have job placement with local companies that have you home every day and they have something like 40 positive reviews on Facebook and Google.

That many people wouldn't be saying all those positive things if it had no merit.

If I can find quality options like that in 5 minutes and without even really trying, anyone here can if they invest some time in their future.

 

The worst part about forums is that people like you are allowed a voice when you have absolutely no clue what you are talking about. It is frustrating as hell reading stuff on this forum from people that throw out blatantly false information and people make decisions about their future based on that nonsense.

There are hardly any private schools? What drugs are you smoking? When was the last time you got pulled for a random....you would most certainly fail.

A simple google check reveals 10-20 private schools per state on average....some states have more.

No schools carry their own paper? Jesus man, please be quite if you dont know what you are talking about.

Here, simple google check;

www.tennesseetruckdrivingschool.com

http://godriveatruck.com/

http://www.swtdt.com/truck_driver_training_financial_aid.html

http://apexcdl.com/how-to-attend/tuition-and-financing/

http://www.jtlcdltraining.com/

http://www.tampatruckdrivingschool.com


Those are just a few schools I found with IN HOUSE financing options. Not schools that sell your student loan off to a big finance company and then charge you double the price because they do not want to carry your note.

LOL....right off the schools website....took me 5 minutes to find this, exactly what I was talking about.

Apex CDL Institute of Kansas City even has its own in-house financing program for those CDL license seekers that qualify. That means that we back our commitment to our students with our own money. We invest in your training for your CDL license just like you do. We do this because we believe in helping people and we are confident in our CDL license training and the results it provides. Our philosophy sets us apart from other truck driving school options. We do not believe that a student should be the only one willing to commit to the process of getting a CDL license. We put our money where our mouth is. After all, as a CDL training institution, your success is our success.

What is even better is that our in-house financing may not even require a credit check. Our only requirements are that you meet the background and job placement requirements for one of the companies that hire our students. Furthermore, your student loan payments through Apex do not even start until 2 months after you graduate from truck driving school. This gives you the time necessary to get out on the road and start earning a paycheck before you have to start paying your loan.




There is an enormous difference between signing a FINANCING contract and an EMPLOYMENT contract.

A financing contract obligates you to pay the loan back, regardless of who you work for....so you get to pick who you want to work for. This ensures the highest pay, best benefits and best home time. The only correct thing you said is that NOTHING IN LIFE IS FREE. So yes, you should pay for your schooling.

An employment contract obligates you to drive for just that company. Crappy pay, crappy work conditions, horrible home time, forced dispatch, forced team driving. They treat you like garbage because you are locked into a contract and forced to drive for them. You have no choices, if you quit not only do you owe them for the training, they ruin your DAC report and refuse to verify your training with quality carriers.

If you cant last a year in this industry, you picked the wrong company and you did not protect yourself. That is nobody's fault but yours.


I have not only driven but recruited for several trucking companies. I know the inside outs of this business and I have seen many student drivers knock it out of the park when they make smart decisions. I've seen many more fail because they looked for the easy way out.