Taking the plunge

After about 4 months of research and much thought I have enrolled myself in a local private driving school. I am from the Minneapolis area in Minnesota, and although I have gone through the pre-hire process for company sponsored schooling with a couple carriers, I ultimately decided that I wanted to go to school here and pay up front. There is just something about owing a company for training that doesn't sit well with me. This will be a big step for me as it took almost every penny I had to get this done. The good news is it is paid for 100%, and the school currently has 20 carriers hiring from the school, mostly mega carriers of course, but also a handful of local. I am looking to do OTR for the first 1-2 years, and due to some connections with family, I have a nice local gig waiting for me after I get my experience. I will be attending "Interstate Truck Driving School" starting in 2 days. Any tips or advise is welcome, looking forward to joining all of you on the roads soon!

 

Thank you for all the kind replies, i'm really looking forward to it!

 

Thanks Pattyj, I actually did that while I was doing my research, figured I would be proactive. Have my permit in hand, just need my DOT physical and the learning will begin.

 

For this particular school it was $3995. The tuition also covered all books and materials needed for the length of the program. What drew me to this school over the competition was the 30 hours of guaranteed 1 on 1 training. 1.5 hour, 1 on 1 sessions in the truck with an instructor until you reach 30 hours. Aside from the backing instruction everything is done on the road and not in a parking lot. The course is the standard 160 hour course most carriers require.