Prospective OTR driver with a couple questions

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Jul 20, 2023 · TLD has been recognized as one of the 20 Best Fleets to Drive For a total of seven years. With our high driver satisfaction, excellent CDL driving school.
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CDL DRIVING SCHOOL BREAKDOWN
Our Knoxville CDL Driving School consists of three weeks of classroom and hands-on training consisting of backing, pre-trip inspection, and driving skills. Classes are Monday through Friday from 8:30 am until 4:30 pm. There is one instructor for every four students to allow CDL students to stay with the same instructor throughout their schooling.

The first week the student will get hands on CDL training, practice quizzes for their permit and permit testing. The next two and half weeks the student will be hands on learning about the tractor and learning how to drive. At the tail end of three weeks and the start of the fourth week, students will go to Crossville, TN to take their road test. There, the student will be third-party tested by one of our state certified examiners. The fourth week acts as the transition week for the students. They transition from training to obtaining their CDL license. After a student obtains their CDL license, they become eligible to work.

3 WEEKS OF CLASS WORK + 1 WEEK OF ROAD TESTING

 

The most important thing to find what company you want to work for BEFORE you decide about getting your CDL. You wouldn't start walking and someday decide where you were going. You would decide where you want to go and then decide should you walk, bike, take a bus, drive, or fly. IMMEDIATELY after you get your CDL you will need a job. But the school you go to may limit who you can work for. Where you work your first year is FAR more important that what school you went to. EVERY school, but a few, just train your enough to pass the state exam and nothing else. You will learn the 95% of the job the school never talked about when you train at the company you choose to work for.

Some companies will pay for your CDL school if you sign a contract that require you work for them for 12 months or some number of miles (maybe 120,000 miles). If you don't stay for the full obligation you may be charged the full price of the CD L school or some portion of the cost depending on the contract you sign. DO NOT SIGN ANY CONTRACT YOU DON'T READ & UNDERSTAND. Not knowing what you signed doesn't get you out of the obligation you signed up for. Some companies are ruthless at getting their money and some are less ruthless.

Some trucking companies only hire brand new CDL holders from one school, or a small number of schools. Or the company may only hire from schools with certain requirements. If you pick the school first, you may block yourself from getting hired at a company that fits exactly what you need. Not picking the company that fits what you need is going to make your first job much harder than it needs to be. About 80-90% of brand news CDL holders quit the industry before they work for 12 months. I suspect it is mostly due to now knowing what the job is like and having almost no idea what working for ABC Trucking is like because newbies do almost no research before making a decision. That's not a good plan. Imagine paying for CDL school and being unemployed 4 months later and still owing the money you borrowed for school. That's worse than not knowing what you want to do.

About 50% of trucking companies that hire newbies offer Tuition Reimbursement TR for newbies. Mostly this means they will add some amount of money to the money you earn each week. You may have a student loan bill of $250 per month (or whatever the actual number is) and the trucking company may pay you $200 per month for TR. You still must pay $250/month on your loan but your company is paying the amount of their TR. In some cases, if you pay for all of your CDL school in cash/check/credit card the trucking company will NOT pay you TR. In some cases it may make sense to borrow to pay for CDL school even if you have the cash in your hand to do it and let the company pay you pack with TR. Once again, you need to know your "destination" before you start the trip.

You may be elgible for WOIA which is a grant that pays for CDL school, and fees associated with getting your CDL. It is administered by your state unemployment office. If you qualify for WOIA you don't owe anyone money for the grant. A grant is free money.

Here are a few posts of mine for newbies to read.
Money for CDL Training
Every new CDL driver needs Tanker endorsement.
Passing your CLP/CDL Endorsement Tests - HowTo
Check Company Score - SAFER WEB

 

Many other members are gonna say pay for your schooling out of pocket and choose a company so you're not bound to them for a year.i personally don't see what it difference it makes whether you go company sponsored or go to a CDL school on your dime. Wherever you go, you'll want to stay at least 1 year, so it's easier to transition into a premier job. You'll have lots of options too. Some companies aren't bad to start with after schooling, like Witte Bros in Troy, MO. 1 year with a company, plus having all endorsements plus a good driving record equals a VERY desired driver in today's market.

 

Applied for the KLLM cdl school and they said because I don't have 1 year of work history in the past 3 years I'm not eligible lol. Odd to me that they'll refuse someone that wants to work and has been out of work. Looks like I'll be going the regular cdl school route.

 

The thing is, a lack of work history without a viable excuse is not exactly the best look in the world. It's one thing if you’re taking care of an ill relative or something, but when you can't explain why you haven't been working, it makes companies think twice. KLLM may not be the only company to turn you down because of you work history or lack thereof. Be prepared to go with whoever will take you, and stay there for a minimum one year so that if you decide to jump ship, you'll have more opportunities available to you.

 

Yeah a lot of companies also bake in the tuition reimbursement throughout your first year with them regardless of where you went to school anway

 

I just think it's silly that I worked from 2003-2021 but only the last 2 years counts xD. This world doesn't make a lot of sense to me is all

 

The world doesn’t make any sense to me either a lot of times. What can you do though. This is world is all about "what have you done lately." We can't change it. In this industry you'll have to learn to see things for what they are as opposed to what you want it to be. Adopting that mind frame lowers expectations and reduces disappointment. I don't know if you follow pro sports but look at how many coaches have won multiple championships, but when that we'll dries up, the team.and ownership moves on. One guy on ESPN said just last week that players and coaches have to "update their resume." Funny we're having this dialogue a week after I heard that lol

 

Try Stevens Transport. Hires from 48 states, so when you move to Chattanooga you won't have to change companies.
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CDL Training | Stevens Transport

 

Personally, I would recommend using a private school if that's possible. Company training has its merits, especially if you're without reliable transportation and your living situation is tenuous, but you will be an indentured servant when you finish. I don't see the logic in signing a contract if you can start out as a free agent. But that's just my view of it.

Given your employment gap, you may be hardpressed to find a company willing to take a chance on training you. From their perspective, you're a flight risk. Look into the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) to pay for your schooling. Being out of work should help your case with that. Companies will be more likely to overlook your employment history if you already have your CDL and they don't have to invest as much into you.

As a side note, most starter companies aren't going to do a deep dive into your employment history. A lot of them are just looking at your application for a job title and a phone number to verify it. If they call that number and the person who answers says you worked there, they're usually satisfied. I'm not telling you to make anything up but keep in mind that not every job comes with a W2 or 1099. I'm sure you were doing something during those two years.

Werner has a terminal in Joliet, IL, as well as Lithia Springs, GA, just outside Atlanta, so you could stay with them if you move. A lot of their drivers train at Roadmaster. It's technically a private school, so you don't have to work for Werner if you go there, but I've heard that students who graduate from them are all but guaranteed work with Werner if they want it.