Noob wannabe with a couple of questions

HeY!
That worked for me!
But, I paid for it in the long-run, afterall.
Interesting comparison though.
I hadn't thought of it that way.

 

I was just using them as an example...I'm a noob myself so I'm not sure who the best are and aren't. Hopefully with some experience I'll be able to make a more educated comment.

 

There is room for everyone's opinion on here. Time is like seasoning and it does help to be seasoned. There are several to stay away from. You picked one of the worse ones on your lists of advise. I was cracking on them not you. We all learn out here. The day you quit learning is when need to get out of the truck.

 

3 wheelin'

Most people here will tell you flat out - do NOT contract with a carrier to pay your way through school. It's a last resort, only if all the bridges are burned to the waterline thing.

Collect aluminum cans by the wayside for a year, first. The deal is only a bit better than the typical "lease to own" contract.

There are state loans, as well as federal.

There are also grants - State or federal money for school that you do not have to pay back. I went the federal route. Talk to your county unemployment office - they'll have all the information you need (I went with WIA to cover my school).

While, technically, a school may not be necessary to getting a CDL, it's certainly the best way to go. Things to look at in a school:

1) how many students per class? (more than 10, think twice)
2) will the school help place you after you get yoru CDL? And I don't mean "sure, we have a contract with [insert name here]".
3) is the school recommended by a number of different carriers?
4) how many students are in the cab for any road time? If it's not "one", look elsewhere.
5) how experienced are the instructors? The school I attended, the average experience was 35 years.
6) what standards and certifications does the school hold or maintain?

You get the idea, here. Do NOT pick a school just because it's close to home. Do NOT pick a CDL mill - a little research will give you good indication if a school is honest about teaching.

There is an amazing amount of information you need - that's NOT in the books. And much that, even if in the book, is essentially impossible to convert to hands-on experience without an instructor there offering pointers (I hold up my own experience in parallel parking a big rig. It took my instructors days of tinkering just to get me to the point where I can put the entire rig inside the box 8 times out of 10.)

Double clutching.. not hard to learn - unless you have many years experience driving a standard in your car. Then it's hell.

Turning - completely different from a car, and the books are less than clear on how to accomplish it *correctly*.

So, to stop there - for all practical purposes, some form of school is needed, yes. I strongly recommend the one I attended - but I'm sure those who attended other schools feel the same way about theirs. It's well worth the time and money.

 

OMG AfterShock is so right! I'm in school now and let me tell you...these seasoned drivers make alley docking a 53' trailer look so easy I figured "how hard could it be"? Well, we just started learning that behind the wheel...I felt like Ray Charles backing that thing up! Mirrors all over but I felt "blind". School definitely will be beneficial for you. It has taught me things I would never have thought of until i was out on the road and up to my eyeballs in poo cause I wouldn't know how to handle the situation. I've heard that Schneider's school is one of the better ones out there. Good luck and keep us posted.

 

Astute observation, grasshopper!
And y'all can bet those "seasoned drivers" didn't perfect their skills overnight.
The time y'all invest now, learnin' the ropes, will pay dividends in the future.
Mark my words.
It's twue!
It's twue!

And Schneider's training IS among the best to be found. If y'all can't handle 18 months at Schneider, why do y'all think you can handle one of the bottom-feeder companies, better?
Shux Howdy, folks!
Quit aiming for the bottom-feeders. Aim higher -- and go UP from there. How profitable do y'all reckon bottom-feeder hoppin' is?

Just a few thoughts I think I thunk.

Those and, best of success, (soon to be) Jersey Trucker.

 

I highly recommend finding a local community college that has a truck driver training course. 10 weeks of learning is a whole lot better than a 4 week CDL mill. Costs a whole lot less too. Then go get hired onto an HHG company where you will put yourself to the test delivering in neighborhoods
and backing into driveways.
Do that for a while and you can tackle just about anything. Experience, Experience, experience.

 

I'd like to quibble here...

I went to a standalone CDL school. Don't think I'd come close to calling it a 'mill'. Class sizes tend to be in the 4-7 student range.

Big difference between Community College and CDL schools is that the school is an dedicated class. It's 4 weeks, yes - 5 days a week the first two weeks, and 6 days a week the second two days. Minimum 8 hours a day. Not 4 hours. t/w/t or whatever.

The point - comparing the length of time is pointless. WHAT is taught in that school? Is it PTDI certified? When you are on the road, how many students are in the cab? If there's more than one, it's too many. Find another school. See where I'm going, right?

As for funding - you really don't want a carrier to pay your way. Look for unemployment loans, or grants (such as the Workforce Investment Act).