Why should I pay to go to school to obtain a CDL?

Some companies only hire brand new drivers if they went to an approved school. Reading a manual and borrowing Jethros truck to pass the CDL test won't count. If you're just going to sign up with a mega carrier you may as well let them train you as well. If you paid for your own outside training aim a little higher than the megas.

 

Insurance companies.
American greed.
Canada is better.
Hate running the us and I'm american xD

 

You forgot WAM.

 

CDL schools are simply there to help you obtain your CDL, not train you to drive. You either know how to drive or you don't, if you can't drive a car you most certainly cannot and should not drive a truck. The truck driving school that I attended stated this fact right from the start. As a new driver you will not get hired at any company without attending a school first; furthermore, it is extremely hard to obtain a driving position without at least 2yrs. experience. Most companies that will hire you right out of a school are what I will refer to as a "driver mill". These companies will treat a new driver like a piece of toilet paper and act like they are doing you a favor, but on the other hand they gave you the opportunity that others did not. Most companies are unable to control the number of years of experience required for hiring due to insurance company requirements. Some CDL schools can be written off on your taxes, I paid 3k for my school and got an extra $600 back on my taxes. I attended a community college and I think that was the major point in being able to write it off.

 

Just another two cents on the subject I never went to a formal school just went and got licensed on my own. My opinion if you really should go to school. It cost me a lot of money in fines etc. to learn what you can and can't do as well as a lot of trial and error. Now days with the fmcsa it will really cost you to make errors.

 

I didn't go through a school for my CDL. When I took my test, I was the only one who passed with flying colors. Not trying to brag, just saying that it can be done. The one's who went through the school had a real hard time with the driving part. They did well on the walk around. It was pretty sad really. It was obvious they hadn't spent enough time behind the wheel...and they were scared ########. I pull a 53' drop, a hopper bottom and a flat. Irregardless of how you go about it, it's gonna be work. There is no way to get around it. As far as getting a job without experience, that too can be done. I started out at a pay rate above and beyond what the majors pay their drivers. If you look hard you will find the answers that you seek. It may take time and effort but so does working for nothing and hauling cheap freight. Think outside the box. Run yourself as if you were the only asset in your business, because at this point you are. You can do this. Don't limit yourself because someone says you have to pay your dues because they drove for years for crap pay. Don't become a sheeple. Go get what you want. Go to school. Don't go to school. It's your decision. Just remember, anything is possible.

 

I looked around for a company I wanted to work for... then found out what they required in order for me to get hired.

As it happened, the state put up the money for me to go to the school run by the company I wanted to hire on with.

It all worked out pretty well.


Before that, I worked for a landscape company that was willing to pay for my CDL and loan me a truck and trailer to test with... it was just up to me to study the CDL manual and schedule the tests.

I was laid off before getting a chance to do the driving skills tests... but had I stayed working for this company, I never would have gone to a CDL school.

 

Stephen Hawking had to learn numbers.

 

No different than a teenager today having to take a drivers ed class before getting their licence. Its not teach you to drive its to prepare you and assist you to obtain the licence itself... mind you I do agree they tend to be a ripoff and highly over priced but it is what it is.