newbie

This must of been for Type 2? CDL generally can't be had if you use insulin, and I thought if Type 2 and controlled it wasn't an issue?

TS

 

You're wrong at every level and here's why.........First off you can get training through the government, as I said. It's called a grant and if you truly don't have the funds you will be eligible. "Pay dues?" I see your point in this but just because you are a student you are not required to work for one of the big 5 carriers. There are other companies that you me and everyone else has probably never heard of that will get you home and pay you a fair wage. Your way of thinking is the way most drivers think and that is unfortunate because if drivers refused crappy working conditions companies would have to change. I used to tell my CDL students, (yes I was an instructor), that they were not limited to Covenant, Werner and Swift. These were the only recruiters that came to the school. When it's all said and done, a student will pay more to go to a company sponsored training program than if he/she went on their own. Much like a fleece or lease purchase program, companies don't do these things to help you they do it because it's profitable. Most trucking schools will guarantee employment and it's not with one carrier but possibly hundreds. The school I used to work at guaranteed lifetime employment assistance. Most of the students went on grants which is something else I usually disagree with since you and me the taxpayer are footing the bill. Not a problem when people become productive but most of them never get past the first year in the industry but........the program is there so take advantage of it especially if you truly need it.

 

I had a 13 year break in service. No one wanted to talk to me without a refresher when I applied by phone or email. I knocked on a bunch of doors and found a company which hired me w/o a refresher. I consider it lucky on my part, but it is possible. And no you do not need to work for a meaga carrier, even if you are rfresh out of school.

If you decide to take a refresher, weigh the cost a mega carrier will charge you if you leave before a year against what a community college will charge you. I have seen them as low as $650 and many companies will give tuition reimbursement.

 

This has nothing to do with the OP looking for a refresher course . But your advice is lousy . A training carrier will not give a certificate if the driver doesn't stay a year . He will be billed for useless training . This happens to a high percentage of company trained drivers .

 

TS I do have type 2 and it is controlled with diet, excersie and pills. But from what I have been told is that PAM is self insured and didnt want to pay the higher premiums.

 

OK, sounds like a PAM thing only, I guess maybe they can do that with self-insured? With commercial group policies they generally can't pick and choose who gets insured, it is the whole group.

I am also Type 2 controlled by diet, exercise and oral meds, no issue passing a DOT physical (although I need to do it every year) and I am on a group policy for insurance no problem either.

I guess I won't be working for PAM though!

TS

 

Ts: I don't think you would want to anyways. LOL. I have my one year medical card that I got on my own, but I am seeing that no matter what company I go with, I am going to have to have another physical. So, I guess the one year one that was signed off on in April is not going to work for any company.

 

And you're delusional on every level and here's why....

First off, you don't have a clue as I also know about the government grants, but most people simply can't qualify for government grants unless they are in very desperate straights. If they can great, then go to school, but other than taking longer, you won't end up with anything more than a CDL, which you could have acquired far faster from a training company academy. In any event, even if you do get the government to fund your schooling, you will nevertheless end up working for one of those dreaded training companies regardless because that's the way the system is setup.

You're dreaming! Name them! Meanwhile, I never said anything about the so-called big 5 carriers. Indeed, I don't even know who they are. I said you couldn't avoid working for one of the training companies because insurance won't allow other companies to hire newbies. You see a CDL is just a bare minimum requirement necessary, per the government, but it doesn't qualify you to drive a truck without serious supervision. Who is going to pay newbies with brand new CDLs what you consider a fair wage, when insurance companies won't even let prospective companies hire them until they can meet certain minimum standards first?

Nevertheless, put your money where your delusional mouth is and list all those myriads of companies that hire newbies right out of the box and pay them wonderful wages you keep harping on about that "you and me and everyone else has probably never heard of that will get you home and pay you a fair wage" that doesn't exist, and, of course, we never heard of them exactly because they don't exist. Meanwhile, please excuse me if I won't hold my breath waiting. Moreover, I don't even agree with you that newbie wages during training are unfair. Newbies certainly don't qualify for experienced wages because they don't have any!

You're delusional. No matter what profession you enter, training wages are always going to be a fraction of what a journeyman earns because it cost a fortune to train people. Thus every driver must go through the process, which, by the way, not only includes the first process when a newbie goes with a trainer, but also the latter process when a newbie goes solo for about a year to acquire the requisite experience. Afterwards an experienced driver can then find a better job with better pay provided his driving and service records are OK. Nevertheless, as you say newbies can refuse to be trained all day long, and they can also do without a job too! Give me a break! What planet you live on?

So you were one of those loony instructors (if you were ever an instructor, which I doubt) that blew all that wind up newbies' butts and raised their expectations up to unrealistic levels. Meanwhile, all your students with unrealistic expectations nevertheless went to work for Covenant, Werner, and Swift regardless, then subsequently quickly dropped out because it wasn't anything like they were expecting it to be. Yeah right!

What are you smoking? Outside schools such as Roadrunner cost far more than training company academies and students always have to pay them back no matter what, job or no job. Not only that, but if and when they graduate, they will also go to work for one of those dreaded training companies again regardless because that is the way the system works. Meanwhile, if you go through a training company academy, on the other hand, it will cost significantly less and then if you fully complete their program, it will be totally 100 percent free. It's simple math and common sense, but doing simple math and having common sense is apparently above your pay grade.

BS! Most schools will gladly sign you up and then if you can't find a job subsequently, send you a bill for the cost of the school regardless, which is another good reason to go through a training company academy that will guarantee you a job subsequently. Indeed, every year there are hundreds of graduates from outside CDL schools that can't get jobs.

Furthermore, whether you graduate from a much more expensive CDL school or a training company CDL academy, you nevertheless will go to work for one of those dreaded training companies regardless. You can't skip that process because that's the way this industry works, as people with just a CDL and no experience aren't qualified to drive a truck unsupervised no matter how delusional you may be!

No school of any kind guarantees lifetime employment! Assistance is just providing employment applications. In fact, if I heard a school guaranting its students lifetime employment, that would be a gigantic red flag for me.

Most schools are setup to milk the government or their students and otherwise could care less. Which is one of the reasons the newbie dropout rate is so high, that and instructors raising newbie expectations to unrealistic levels to get them to commit to their schools. You don't believe me, then, by all means, tell that to all the students who can't subsequently get a job or drop out because their expectation levels were raised to unrealistic levels. Tell them that the school will now cut them some slack and forgive their bill. Yeah right!

In any event, most people simply can't qualify for those government grants regardless of what you say, unless, of course, they are in very desperate and dire straights.

 

What are you smoking? Outside schools such as Roadrunner cost far more than training company academies and students always have to pay them back no matter what, job or no job. Not only that, but if and when they graduate, they will also go to work for one of those dreaded training companies again regardless because that is the way the system works. Meanwhile, if you go through a training company academy, on the other hand, it will cost significantly less and then if you fully complete their program, it will be totally 100 percent free. It's simple math and common sense, but doing simple math and having common sense is apparently above your pay grade.

Actually, I went to C1 in Indianapolis and it was about $6,000. I am getting the govt to fund mine at a private institution and it is about 2K less.

 

First off, why do you always leave a stupid space when you punctuate? Indeed, your punctuation is almost as quirky as your idiotic advise.

In any event, my response was in response to another poster's response, but the advice nevertheless is very valid and isn't unhinged the same way your advice always is.

A worthless piece of paper isn't a requirement for getting a job. A CDL, preferably with documented experience, is, however, required the last time I checked. Hell, I couldn't produce my certificate if it were required because I have no fricking idea where the hell it is and could care less, as it's useless.

What are you smoking? Indeed, if the OP goes to work for one of the many training companies, his refresher course/retraining will cost him exactly zilch, nada, nothing, as long as he continues to work for that particular company for a one year. Nevertheless, if he goes to an outside school for a refresher course, on the other hand, he will definitely be billed for the useless training regardless if he gets a job or not. Give me a break.

Let me break it down for you, since it apparently is a little too complicated for you.

First of all, if a newbie attends a training company academy and subsequently fulfills all of their requirements, the cost of their school will be 100 percent totally forgiven. However, if they fail or quit for whatever reason, then they will be stuck with a bill. After all, training is very expensive.

Now, if a newbie, on the other hand, attends an outside school like Roadrunner, for instance, not only will the cost of the school be significantly more than a training company academy, but also the cost of the school will have to be repaid back regardless if the driver subsequently fails or succeeds.

Furthermore, if a newbie graduates from an outside school like the aforementioned, he will subsequently more than likely also go to work for one of those training companies that also provides a CDL academy upon graduation.

Now given those set of circumstances, the best option is obviously to attend a training company academy, unless you can acquire some sort of hardship government grant that will front the money so you won't owe anything regardless if you fail or succeed. Of course, this is all probably still too complicated for you to understand.