My last last question (hopefully)

IMO b is your best bet but before you jump off the porch how much do you plan to make a week trucking? how often do you need to be at home?

 

if you can swing it , in my opinion you're better off going the out of pocket private route. that way IF things dont work out quite the way you hoped you can move on to another company relatively easy.

 

just for giggles, dont rely strictly on the school for jobsearch. do your own. some only let you apply online to start out. opens up a wider range of options to you.

 

I would choose to put myself through school (and did twenty-something years ago), but that's just me. The week of graduation I had a job as a second seat driver (lumper) for a meat packing plant. Ten months of local delivery and lots of backing- J.B. Hunt didn't consider the experience useful but I taught my trainer how to back.

Never forget this: the big trucking companies want your skills to be specific (not general) and tailored for employment at their company- not someone else's. When you only know how to do things their way there's a better retention rate because no one else wants you. A Vocational School, Junior College or Tech School will give you a general set of skills with a broader understanding of Trucking as a career.

So putting yourself through school gives you flexibility in the industry. Using a Trucking company's program gives you preference with one company and skills or habits other companies don't want. So if you pick a company to train you make sure there's everything in there that you want now- and in the future. If you can't change jobs within the company (career progression) or you won't stay with them from school to retirement, you'll get the most flexibility by paying for your own training.

If they frustrate you and in a year or two you can't stand to work there any more, the school you graduated from may still provide placement. In twenty years if you're skilled and tired of driving you might be an instructor? That, or a Safety and Compliance Tech for your company (the one that trained you).

Good luck, go get 'em.

 

Good luck. Keep researching companies. Mickeyrat's advice not to limit yourself to the company list from school is good advice. And your thread title was "My last question". I hope not. There are lots of good, experienced driver's on here that will continue to help when possible.

 

Option B... no question.

 

Yep! Too many things can go wrong with company sponsored training. If you don't like them, you are still committed. When you are committed, they can treat you how ever they want to. Quality of training can be poor from inexperienced instructors. Herd you through like cattle. If you don't make it, there is someone behind you waiting mentality.

Supply your own training, preferably a community college or vocational school. Then you can get gov't financing or even a grant in some situations. You are not committed to anyone and have some flexibility paying the loan back. Instructors are state certified and quality of training tends to be better.

Makes better sense all around.