To pay for schooling, or to go through Driver Solutions?

I'm already going to assume i'm better off paying for schooling. I applied for Driver Solutions though, they pay for schooling and hotel and i only have to be committed for one year to them. Looks like i'd be working through USA Truck. This seems to have okay reviews.

Other option, my mom is willing to cash out some IRAs for me, i hate to have her do that, but i'm thinking to not be miserable for a year (and possibly have my training frowned upon by bigger companies), it's the best option. The school i'm looking at is Vincennes University (in Indiana). It's a little shy of $5,000 and i have to pay for the dorm. Two month training and jobs like FedEX and UPS pick up students from there as employees.

Thanks in advance for any help, i don't want to make a poor career choice!

 

Hey there, new here, but I have to mention FAFSA, goverment assistance. I filled it out in wv and receive 5500.00 in a grant. Maybe more from the state. Just be sure to at least check into it, hope it helps.

 

I was told by the school CDL schooling wasn't eligible for Government Assistance. I filled out the paperwork anyway to see where it gets me *shrug*

 

Nothing wrong with Driver Solutions. When I went through them they worked with USA, PAM and Averitt (its my understanding they no longer work with them). On occasion they were also working with Star and Swift (on a rare occasion).

Being in your area they will probably throw you to the C-1 Driver Training Indianapolis campus. Good place and great instructors (most of them anyway) but it is a very accelerated program. Would need to be able to pass all the written tests before you arrive to be ahead of the curve. You CAN get out of there in under two weeks. The key to that is getting the written out of the way and nailing the pretrip. Get those quickly and you should be out in less than two weeks.

Still keep in touch with a couple friends that went with PAM and USA out of training. The ones with USA seem to like it a little better than the ones that went with PAM.


*my advise*

In todays economic times I would do whichever is the net cheaper alternative. I mean why spend a dime more on getting a CDL than what you absolutely have too. Yes, a year with a start up company could be rough but would be cheaper than all the additional expenses that go along with campus style training. Having Mom cash in IRA's would not be an option for me either. I have always been the independent type and do not add my responsibility onto someone else. If my son or daughter were comtemplating the issue my advise to them would be the same it is to you .... Go with Drivers Solutions, do your year, do it clean and then move onto bigger and better things. Last I checked even UPS and FedEx only required one year experience to get on with them directly.

Never known any company to frown on experience gotten from being with a "start up" company for a year. As long as you have no accidents, service failures that are your fault etc. Actually most figure if you can stay with a sorry start up company for a year you can tough it out for quite a while with any other company that actually treat you fairly well.

just my .02

 

Thats what I figured also. Just started C1 in Indiana. First day you drive that truck it's going through(roughly) Fort Wayne. They slam the info in and if you can't keep up, I guess your not good enough. I hope I don't eat those words!!!!

 

Looks like i'm going through schooling, i found a school with what seems like an excellent instructor. It's an 8 week program, but he said i will pass, he'll be sure of it. Told me he had a guy in there for 11 weeks that just couldn't get it, but finally passed. I got to drive a truck while i was there, had some trouble with it, but he said if anything, he can get me a class B license if class A is too much for me.

 

I am in the process of signing up with driver solutions. I live close to Nashvegas, TN and I think they have a training center there. They now offer USA and PAM. I've heard a lot of bad about USA lately. Seems as though they may be bought out soon.

Any suggestions......?

 

Longrange thanks for posting. I live in nashvile also and would be very interested about how things go with you and ds