To all wanna-be's and soon-to-be's!

I'd rather teach a man to fish than just give him one.

 

8 hours at least of both lab time and drive time. If you can get driving time of 3 weeks solid, that will be the better choice. If it is a school with 6 months (2 hours a day lab time, 4 hours a day drive time, maybe).

 

I saw a billboard on the side of CA 99 in the Stockton area (just north of actually) that said for $500 you could get your CDL (A or B) in one day....must be a really good school putting out super safe drivers...NOT!

 

I've got some news for you, sir. Most of us who are being put through school at taxpayer expense are doing so because there's no other way for us to get back on our feet.

Allow me to use myself as an example: 38 year old with a wife and 3 kids, homeschool dad. Productive, contributing member of society for the last 15 years... Suddenly laid off from my management job in a construction company. Before that, I was an auto mechanic. Neither of those jobs have any future right now. I've distributed resumes, used personal networking, searched and begged for a job -- for the last 6 months. There are simply no jobs available in either of the areas I can demonstrate experience and expertise.

Then I discovered that I can get "re-educated" and into a job that seems to be showing some promise. It's not my first choice to get what I deem to be a welfare education. It's my only choice.

Here's another way to look at it: I'll be spending $4500 that isn't mine to get an education that will provide me with an income which will get me off unemployment. As far as your contribution (through taxes), you're actually getting a discount on the services provided to me because I'll be getting off the system and providing for myself much sooner than if I simply waited for the economy in my area to improve.

 

couple of points, first, it sucks to be unemployed but that doesn't take the pain away for those that are paying taxes. They want to be sure that they get their moneys worth. Can't say I blame them. I was a productive member of society for 35 years before I found myself out of a job. Worked my network for a year before I decided truckin was an income.

Point #2, I hope you don't intend to be there for those kids much for the next year or so. Most newbie truckers get to spend most of their life on the road. Regardless of what the recruiters or the websites say none of the large training companies give two hoots about you personally or your family. You will drive 24-7 until they tell you it's time to take a 15 min break and see your family. That's 14 minutes with your kids and 1 to spank mamas butt.

I used to be a fan of Werner. They gave me 200 hours behind the wheel, put me in the hospital with an arterial spasm and terminated me. Nicest thing anybody ever did. All the big companies operate the same way, no significant difference.

I took my 200 hours of experience and went down the road. I found a company that would hire my inexperienced butt, bought a truck, and went to work. No qualcomm, no drivers number, no slave labor. I'm getting 3000 miles a week, I have a name and my dispatcher knows me by it. In fact, every single person in the company knows me by my name. My truck will be paid for in 30 months and I live within my means. I govern how long I am out at a time which means my wife can still remember my name too.

 

What part of my last sentence in the post you quoted do you fail to comprehend?

 

Good to hear it worked out for you, watched your videos while you where with Werner. Hope the miles keep coming and hopefully in about a year I'll be on the same trajectory

 

Keep on making those videos of your adventures and advices for us new drivers.

I keep hearing mixed reviews abour Werner. My co worker used to work for them and he had a good experience with them, he said the only problem he had with them was they kept him in the North East and qualcomm.

 

I am working on the next installment of the video series. Will post it in the next couple of weeks.

Don't listen to me when I rant about the big companies. I am old and cranky.