Trucking Schools or Company Training

opinion only of course, but I think you serve yourself better by giving yourself as many options as possible. The way to get thos eoptions is to go to an independent school. Company will lock you in for a set time and can fire at will for the slightest thing leaving you on the hook for tuition.

Not saying that happens to everyone but it is possible. I just went through Roadmaster. Have my CDL A now and I go to orientation with a company this saturday.

Good luck whatever your decision.

 

if you can do school on your own, that preferable. Then if you want to change jobs you don't have to pay back school. It takes longer but your likely to get better training. Company schools are free if you work there for set time like a year. The advantage to that is your getting paycheck faster. Most people doing that are broke and desperately in a hurry.
My advice is to do the community college training if you can, but if not many co schools are 2 weeks, but what you learn is minimal, and left up to the fool, er Driver Mentor who you will spend 4 to 6 weeks with in something the size of a bathroom

 

I'm Actually doing that now. I am scheduled to start tech school($2800) next month. Had my CDL B for 8 years. All you have to do is take the "Combination" test and you will be given a paper CDL A permit(learner's). It is only good for 6 months and you can only get 2 in a lifetime(in Florida). There is a grant program through the One Stop Career employment centers and it takes about 3 months to jump through the hoops.
I paid for mine myself, but not everyone can swing that. Make the CDL Mill schools your very last resort, but don't just rent a truck and get the license unless you know someone who is willing to hire you with no school or OTR/tractor-trailer experience. Most companies will not be interested without school "training". A 320 hour course gives you about 800-1000 miles of ACTUAL seat time. Best of luck!
And look into Mid-Florida Tech. Its in Lakeland and suppose to be one of the best in Florida and not too far from you.

 

Click on this link to go to the PTEC CDL course page. It is the closest to Tampa and costs $2390.40. Good Luck! http://www.myptec.org/?Page=CVDEnrollmentProcess