Should I get My CDL with the military Waiver or got to a school

I disagree with most of this . If he goes to a school he won't be competing with drivers . He'll be competing with a bunch of wannabes . All a school does is qualify you to get a CDL . OTR carriers truly don't treat vets better than anybody else . Veterans should steer clear of OTR carriers and check out Civil Service jobs where they have a true advantage .
There is no reason for a veteran with military driving experience to have to spend weeks of training at substandard pay .There are small companies that WILL recognize military driving experience .

 

I think the biggest problem with a lot of "wannabes" is that they'll ask questions day and night on the forums, at the trucking schools, but, the place you really need to be asking questions at is the companies. Listen to what RickG said and go around and shop at the various trucking companies, and I'm not talking about Werner, Swift, Roehl, TMC, or any of the megacarriers. You will, however, have to take your CDL test in a truck with a manual transmission (http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/registration-licensing/cdl/cdl.htm Jump about 1/4 the way down to "Restrictions"). In all honesty, it's not wildly difficult to get to the point of shifting well enough that you can pass the test. In terms of practical, real-world experience, having towed equipment while in the military is a boon for you at a company where they would actually listen and care about this sort of thing. The megacarriers are not the one's who would care. And if the owner of that smaller trucking company happens to be a Veteran as well, they may even be willing to push a little hard to help get you in a truck.

That isn't to say it's going to be all fun and games and easy to find a good company, but, my first suggestion would be to look at smaller companies that are hiring and see what they can do for you.

I wish you the best of luck and thank you for your service to our country.

 

Sorry wrong word. He'll be competing with wannabes that finished school and their records look better. I didn't say go to the bottom feeders or even OTR. All I am sayiny is he'd be better off by going to a good school and with his military record he'll be up on most new drivers. He does need to go to school if all he's driven is in the military. It will make it easier for him and it's free.

 

Again , I disagree . All a school does is qualify you for a CDL . His main obstacle is having only experience on an automatic . I'm so fed up with vets being exploited this way I'm going to contact our recruiting department tomorrow and try to convince them vets' military service should be acceptable AND they should buy some new tractors with automatics to put them in . Yes , there are tank carriers running automatics .

http://www.eaton.com/Eaton/OurCompany/SuccessStories/VehicleTransportation/UsherTransport/index.htm

 

Yep I can recall several companies leaving voicemails, "We regret to inform you blah blah blah we don't except military experience." I mean any experience is better than none IMHO.

 

Military experience is definitely better than running 4 to 6 weeks as a $300 team driver trainee where the "trainer" is in the sleeper while the trainee is driving . When they say they have a qualified training program that allows to vets to collect on the G.I. Bill it means vets earn low training pay to qualify as a student and collect . Not worth it .

 

That was exactly my guess as to how those programs work with companies, I don't qualify bc im post 9/11 or atleast thats what I've been told by the companies, selected reserve chapter somthin, I'd rather earn my pay instead of waiting on the VA. I submitted all paperwork for a little break on my cdl school cost, still no response but I'll get it all back at tax time.

 

I believe we have the same meaning here. As a VET myself, I have always said that most companies will not consider military driving as experience. The chances of going in and saying "I'm experienced because I drove in the military" and getting a job are slim to none. My point was this person needs to go to school to get his CDL like everyone else and then provide his time in the service. All it means is he'll have an additional job related reference over someone that does not. It could compare to a dock worker of an LTD company applying for a LTD driving job. Sometimes there is an advantage for a VET because of the regimented life style they endure AND only if that company recognizes it. It would bring him off the bottom of a hiring list if a company was screening applications.

 

I'm sure you realize although I don't agree completely I acknowledge you are one of the more respected members here . What brings vets off the bottom of the hiring list is the government bonuses paid to carriers for hiring vets .
I don't think all military driving experience should be accepted but I don't think a vet that ran regular convoys in Afghanistan should be required to spend 4 to 6 weeks with a trainer .

 

Well I am going to try to get my cdl through the waiver I have the waiver form filled out. My next step is my dot physical which I am taking on Wednesday. After the appt if every thing goes well ill have my cdl later that day. I am going to try Roehl as it turn out i have a couple uncles who have worked for them and I plan on just getting a year or two of experience and re evaluating my options then. I am not to worried about learning to drive a manual I understand how it is done and my blazer is a standard transmission, I know it is very different but kind of the same concept. I will keep checking in to see what has been posted here and I will update as I go. oh and thanks for all the advice I do appreciate it.