Pay in full? Or Take free school and work for 9 months?

The answer I keep giving to this same question:
Find a jr college or community college (state funded) and research tuition assistance like grants, low interest loans, or whatever. EVERY state funded college has a financial aid person who will hold your hand through the process. Even the state un-employment service has money available for vocational training to those who qualify.

The short of it is to not get your hands tied by a company, a for-profit school, or a lender looking for his money back. You will find that it's always best to figure things out on your own without having people reaching into your pockets. The frame of mind you need to have is that you ARE going to pay for it somehow, someway. Either by indentured servitude to your company or paying back a loan. The trick is to find out how to get trained without anybody who makes a living training people how to drive trucks helping you. It will save you in the long run, I promise.

 

The problem I always see with going with a trucking company that pays for your school is the student ends up feeling stuck. Then they start blaming the company for all their problems.

 

Why would you buy a job when jobs are free? You have to pay your dues where ever you go and a contract of one yr for schooling is a great way to go especially when a check is included every week..

 

I think it depends on your goals. If you know #### well you are going to get your CDL then go apply at Werner, Swift, Prime, Stevens, Roehl, Millis, Central, or CRST. Then just keep your money in your pocket and take the company training.

If you know that you aren't going to apply to any of the above companies then pay for it yourself.

No need to over complicate what is really a very simple decision to make.

ALL company sponsored programs are designed to take advantage of you. This fact doesn't make them unfair, but it is what it is. Some companies will take an ounce of flesh out of your hide, some companies will take a pound, but they are all going to get their due for training you. Maybe the question you need to be asking is which companies provide you with the best return in exchange for what they are getting out of you.

 

I would say the training is actually better, which I know is going to get responses to the contrary. That being a given, my argument for the community college route would be that they are training you how to drive a truck, not training you how to work for a company. See the difference? Once you have a CDL in hand, I guarentee you that any company that offers their own training with a one year commitment will hire you. They'll stick you with a trainer to teach you like the rest.

Now, as far as the for-profit schools versus the state college way, I would argue that it's better because you are going to spend more time learning. The state has a vested interest in training the workforce. They are going to regulate it, monitor it, insure it, and everything else to make sure you succeed. For-profit places are just that, FOR PROFIT. It's a bottom line business, and just another CDL mill that feeds companies like CR England, Swift, and all the other places that hire newbies. The point is that the state funded colleges have a tremendous amount more resources available than the trucker mills.

Everybody's situation is different. By all means, if company training is better for you, then sign up. My opinions are predicated on the fact that at the end of the day, the only thing I HAVE to do is be a white male and die. That's absolutely it. The only thing I owe a company if I don't want to work for them anymore is a two week notice. I'm nota fan of having to pay a company with a year commitment to be able to work for them. Same thing with leasing as far as I'm concerned. If I want to buy a truck, then I'll save my money and go down to Empire Truck Sales in Jackson,MS and put a down payment on one and take out a note. Companies can pay me to haul their freight, not me paying their truck note for them.

I'm not saying companies are bad. It's just applying the basic principles of business and accounting. You WILL ALWAYS come out ahead if you keep your options open.

 

A community college is much better because they get you to know and understand the CDL manual along with the federal regulations which no 3rd party school covers. It's better to learn the book stuff in a classroom setting than on the streets. The federal regulations affect your everyday job and you would be amazed to all the truckers that are clueless to the regulations. They just know bits and pieces what they heard over the years. When you are going to work a job it's kind of important you know as much as you can about it.

The instructors all have at least 5 years experience and are state certified. Your certificate of training is accredited and accepted at any training company. Financial aid will do all the dirty work and get you financed and/or find possible grants. Then you don't have to start paying back the loan until 6 months after graduation. That's enough time to leave your trainer and start making money on your own. Them first 6 month's are your toughest financially.

Then you are open to hire in anywhere and leave them if you so choose without any commitment or have some collection agency harassing you.

To me a CC is a much better choice.

All the other stuff you learn while you are out with a trainer.

A good house is built on a good foundation. The same with your training.

 

Or you can get your one yr with any company sponsored cdl training and get a job anywhere. Plain and simple its driving a trk not rocket science. I have seen well trained monkees behind the wheel who waved back as a sign of courtesy not that drivers themselves do that anymore..