Training companies explained and some working advice you wish you were told as a kid

OK, I'm not exactly an experienced driver. I don't even have my CDL yet. But I do have a strong business background and actually understand why these companies do what they do and why the experience tends to suck. I've also had company sponsored training before, so while driving a truck is going to be a new experience for me, working under a contract isn't.

Businesses that send you to school for a license, or that hire recent grads with no experience aren't limited to only the transportation industry. This is very common in healthcare, hospitality, public safety, etc.

Against apparent popular belief, the point of a business is to make as much money as possible. They don't care about your kids, they don't care that your wife just left you, they're only worried about the money they make. They don't demand safety so that you don't get hurt, they demand safety so they don't get sued. Even employee retention is a profiting decision, since training means paying 2 people to do the work of 1.

So let's look at truck companies. The ones who send you to school for your CDL aren't doing that because they really care about your future and want to make sure that you can build some kind of stable career... They're doing it because in return for them letting you go get your CDL and training paid by them, they're going to pay you less money. And you're going to accept that lower pay because if you're looking into these companies, clearly private schooling just isn't a realistic option for you. So they're paying you less, which lets them make back the cost of getting you trained, the new equipment that they buy every year (paying out MILLIONS a year to keep new equipment on the road, because the crazy thing about new drivers is whatever they're driving gets its ### kicked), the cost of giving you somewhere to stay, etc. Now those grants some companies get don't seem like that much money anymore now, does it? This is also why these companies push the lease program so hard, it lets them make some money back from that truck that they just bought. And they want you to apply for new jobs after your contract, so your pay is going to stay below the average, they need open positions to hire new drivers back at the starting pay. But the better drivers they have, they want them to stay to be trainers.

And these companies seem like they hire anyone, don't they? Well, the idea is that you're not going to last through the contract, and you're going to quit, and then owe them more money. They're counting on you leaving, not just for you to owe them the school money back, but to have room to train new people at a lower pay than what you were getting. Remember, their business model for employees is to staff mostly new drivers getting paid a lower pay in exchange for experience or schooling. But just like the idea of running the business for a profit, they do look at safety. They're not going to intentionally put someone on the road who is going to be a risk to other people's lives. But you also can't tell if someone is constantly texting while he drives unless you actually catch him, and honestly, who's dumb enough to do that at a company sponsored training?

So there you go, that's why the pay sucks, the turnover is so high... It's all money. And honestly, if you're in business for anything other than to make money, you're doing something wrong. But with all the negativity aside, there's still a great point to these companies... A lot of them are privately owned and run by actual humans. While that can cause more negativity when you get someone tough to work with, even your toughest bosses out there still have that sense of compassion, humility, and empathy. Take the time to see them as another person instead of the devil, and show them how committed you are to working for them, and doing your job safely and quickly, while treating their customers with the same respect you'd expect from them, and you can go far in even the worst companies out there.

You gotta remember, this business is their life. If the business doesn't make money, they're the first ones who will not bring home a paycheck. While they might not care about you specifically, they do care about their business, and will do what it takes to keep it alive. All those things you'd usually see as sucking up, get rid of that idea. Your boss is still a coworker, treat him like one. For every other industry besides working as a truck driver (for obvious reasons): When you and everyone else you work with are planning to go get a drink after work, invite your manager, a lot of times they'd love to actually get to be a part of the team that they're leading. When you're at the office and you're passing your boss in the hall, say "hi". If you're on break and you see him getting some coffee, ask how his weekend was. When you take the time to treat them like another person, they're going to treat you the same. Why should they give you that respect when you're not giving it back to them?

The more you make yourself a part of the backbone of a company, the farther you're going to get. It's going to take hard work, but it's also going to take being able to build those relationships with everybody.

Hopefully this cleared up some of the constant complaining and fears about these companies. Yeah, they're going to suck, they're intentionally marketed towards new and inexperienced drivers. If you want a future in these companies, it's there for you to take, but it's going to depend on that training period. Unless you show these people that you have that commitment to doing what it takes to keep the company making money, then you're just the typical replaceable worker to them. Put yourself in their place, if you were running a business, would you want people who do the minimum to not get fired, or people who for 8 hours a day are focused on that company making money?

There's no avoiding the fact that these starting companies are going to suck. You're not going to make a lot of money, you might not get the highest paying work, after your contract the opportunities to make money might suddenly disappear. But if you follow that very basic advice of treating even a job at McDonalds like it's what you want to make a career out of, show a positive representation of your business with its customers and build those relationships, and respect your boss while remembering that's another actual person, you can have a strong future in even the worst of these training companies. And it's a really good idea to stay out of the gossip circles. If you have any complaints about coworkers, that's between you and management, nobody else. Stay out of it. Like every other job in the world, your experience is what you make it. Sometimes you'll start great and have to prove you can keep what they give you, and sometimes you start at the bottom and prove that you deserve better. Treat yourself like you're your own business. Use your resume to market yourself, not just boringly list experience. Those of you who have been driving for a while, if you lose your job, you're not unemployed, you're a truck driver who's collecting unemployment. Go convince a company to put them on your team. Work for them like you're an independent driver driving for them, make your profit matter, convince them to give you a ton of miles every week. You're working for YOUR paycheck, not theirs. You're being hired to make them money, but you're working to bring home as much as you can. Remember, the more money you make them, the more they want to pay you, because having you do the work instead of someone else makes them more money.

Work towards giving yourself the best experience possible in whatever job you take. And good luck giving yourself the best future possible. It's going to take hard work, and the ability to get out of your shell and make those business relationships, but we can all get to the point where we're living comfortably, doing something that we actually enjoy doing.

 

Even the bottom feeders need people to manage, and have their go-to guys.

The #1 rule of business is "money talks". It's a reality people need to accept. The best worker isn't the mindless drone who puts in his 8 hours a day and goes home, the best worker is the one who means the bigger profit for the company. If your boss is as greedy as you think he is, wouldn't it make sense that the ones he wants to keep around are the ones who make it possible for him to afford to buy a new boat this year?

 

They don't. It's a business decision. By hiring trainees, they're getting the work done for cheaper. In exchange for paying you less though, they're giving you the experience that nobody else is willing to give you.

A trainee isn't necessarily a bad worker. Last time you were in the ER, it might have been a student taking care of you. Everybody has to start somewhere. These companies give you the chance, but for lower pay, not because they want to be nice and get you licensed.

 

You gotta look at long-term benefits too. Some of the training companies, especially in healthcare, will offer free medical insurance after a while (including family coverage). Just this can be worth $5-10k / year if you had to pay into it with another company. Single insurance isn't usually that high for an HMO, but for your family, you can be paying $500 out of your paycheck every month to insure them.

Look at 401k contributions. I worked for a company that matched your contribution up to 6%. But anything under 3%, including putting nothing into it, they put 3% in. So that was free money every week going into a retirement fund for me.

I don't know your companies, so I have no idea what you're making before and after factoring in benefits, but make sure you include them in what you make.