Schools And Companies

Hey there fellow Trucking Truth'ers,

I live in Southern California and thankfully have the option of many different schools to choose from. After doing quite a bit of research I narrowed my choices of trucking schools down to three:

1. Dootson School of Trucking ($48 got me 45 min. behind the wheel with an instructor in order to find out if I like it; instructor was great and gave me the confidence and desire to want to keep on going; absolutely NO B.S. from the school or instructor about the industry and how rookies are usually treated; post-educational job placement available; been around since 1951 and almost everyone I know keeps saying, "Hi, I'm Debbie Dootson").

2. Roadmaster School of Trucking (mentioned on other trucking company websites as a school that they will give tuition reimbursement; pre-school job placement so my CDL would be nearly free, minus DMV and drug/alcohol/physical testing fees; financial aid available).

3. TGA Truck Driving (seen on only a handful of trucking company websites; pre-school job placement so my CDL would be nearly free, minus DMV and drug/alcohol/physical testing fees; financial aid available).

Here is my dilemma: I would like to go with a private trucking school as the idea of being committed to a company kind of concerns me (being "at their mercy" if you will) and would allow me to find a job (something I'm very familiar with unfortunately). However I do understand that taking the pre-employment commitment does mean long term work, certain paid training, possible financial help in eventually becoming my own owner-operator, and eventually getting a better position/job that would keep me closer to home. Any help/suggestions/advice is greatly appreciated. I have a very strong feeling this is what I should have been doing since day one but words of wisdom from others should be able to help me figure out if this is just a short-term fantasy or a long-term reality.

Hello! and welcome to the forum! I'm in the same situation as you and am deciding to obtain my CDL from a private school and then going onto to work for a company but not any of these large starter companies lol. But good luck to ya and keep us updated!

Hello Brian, and welcome to the forum! You made a good decision already by seeking out some advice here, simply because nobody here is gonna give you a bunch of BS, but will do our best to steer you in the right direction. I wouldn't feel qualified to tell you which one of the schools you mentioned is the best, but I will give you some generalized answers based on my own experiences.

I went to a private school that I funded with my own money because I wanted to choose where I would eventually go to work, personally for me that was the best fit. But, basically all these CDL schools are trying to accomplish the same goal: to get you a CDL license. Some are better about helping you with job placement, but their main goal is getting you licensed.

I would advise anyone who doesn't just have an extra six grand laying around to go with a company sponsored training program. This accomplishes several things. It gets your tuition fronted for you at no out of pocket expense, it gets you licensed, and it gets you a job. That's like a perfect sounding scenario to me.

Here's the deal: No matter how you go about this you need to have already made up your mind that you're gonna stick it out with your first employer for one full year, come hell or high water that's very important for your future success. There are a lot of companies out there who will fund your way to your dream and only ask you for a one year commitment, then you can begin your search for something different if you like. It's hard to beat a deal like that, especially since you are going to already have to be willing to make that one year commitment no matter where you go.

When it comes to working at a job, one year isn't that long of a time, and in the trucking business that first year is the hardest year, and the biggest learning curve you're gonna go through no matter where you are working. If you can afford to pay for schooling and that's what you want to do then go for it, but just remember you still need to make a one year commitment. When you get behind the wheel and start dealing with all the issues that professional drivers deal with, you'll understand why you've got to stick it out and go with the learning curve for that first year.

Now, just so you know where I'm coming from on this next bit of advice, I've been self employed all my life, ran a very successful business for thirty years with some very good years of sales in good healthy seven digit numbers. Don't be so quick to jump into an owner/operator position. You need to try and learn all you can about the business as a company driver first. For me that means about five years of driving and receiving a good regular paycheck, because when you switch to owner operator you're gonna have to work twice as hard just to make half the money.

Don't even begin to imagine you are going to have more home time when you are an owner/operator. You will be out there doing everything you can just to make those notes on your truck, much less trying to set aside some cash for maintenance and a little food on the table. Forget about keeping up with the mortgage on a home, you're gonna barely be able to live in your truck. The unexpected expenses in this business will eat you alive - the margins are so thin that there are literally hundreds of independent operators dropping or starving out each month.

I'm not trying to discourage you Brian, actually I'm trying to save you from a very heartbreaking financial struggle. You can make a decent living as a professional driver, and if you'll stick it out for that first year wherever you start you will open up for yourself an entirely new world of opportunities and that includes those local or regional jobs where you'll have more favorable home time available to you. I wish you the best of luck in your pursuit of this dream, it's all worth the pursuit, but don't let yourself get caught in the traps along the way.

Wow, Old School always nails it! That was fantastic! I'm gonna add a little bit here myself

Here is my dilemma: I would like to go with a private trucking school as the idea of being committed to a company kind of concerns me (being "at their mercy" if you will)

Now we get a lot of people that come over here from TheTruckersReport and we wind up spending 2/3 of our time correcting all of the misconceptions, refuting the lies, and readjusting attitudes because to be honest - TheTruckersReport is a ces****l of lies and misinformation. It's awful. Any clown can jump in, claim they know it all, and say anything they like about anyone or anything without any evidence or even a chance to hear the other side of the story.

It's funny because in our economy today people are begging for jobs. So everyone complains they're broke, they can't find work, and it's all Obama's fault. But when a company offers you an opportunity to learn an entirely new career, no money up front, and even guarantees you a job while asking for you to simply work for them for a year, suddenly you're a victim of slave labor. So if you can't find a job and nobody will put you through school, it's Obama's fault. But if someone will give you free training and a guaranteed job, suddenly you're a victim and you're at their mercy.

It's hard to win sometimes I guess.

The truth of the matter is that these company-sponsored programs are a fantastic opportunity. They get a bad rap because they're not a regular school - they're like a tryout. If you're hard working, have a great attitude, and seem dedicated to becoming a true professional driver, these companies will train you, hire you, and put solid paychecks in your pocket. If you have a bad attitude, you're not cut out for trucking, or you're just not willing to do what it takes to learn the trade properly they're going to kick you to the curb. Then of course you'll go straight to TheTruckersReport and tell everyone how the company scammed you and lied to you and everyone should stay away from those "CDL mills".

That's the reality of it. The company-sponsored programs are a great opportunity but they'll give everyone enough rope to hang themselves, and it turns out about 75% of the people that show up to those programs hang themselves. The other 25% wind up with a new career driving a beautiful truck, making good money.

I'm in the same situation as you and am deciding to obtain my CDL from a private school and then going onto to work for a company but not any of these large starter companies lol.

Ah yes....a transfer from TheTruckersReport wouldn't be complete without the phrase "starter companies" cuz God knows those companies are just the worst thing imaginable, right? I mean, look at Schneider for instance. Beautiful equipment, a huge variety of opportunities to haul different types of freight, fantastic support for new drivers, tolerant of mistakes, a variety of different divisions to choose from (flatbed, dry van , local, regional , OTR , dedicated), national accounts with hotels, repair shops, and truck stops to make life on the road easier on the driver, a really nice simulator to give drivers a chance to learn more advanced techniques, a skid pad to learn on, and decades of solid earnings and strong finances behind them.

I mean, who the heck wants that garbage?

Wouldn't you rather work for a mom-n-pop company with 10 trucks? Their equipment is garbage, their finances are in the gutter, only one division to choose from, only one type of freight to haul, no tolerance for rookie mistakes, pushing you as hard as they can and expecting you to run illegal, and no national accounts of any sort so everything you need done is like pulling teeth.

Reality is quite a bit different than they make it seem at TheTruckersReport, eh?

Brian - we have a series of articles on how to choose a truck driving school. Check em out - they'll teach you what options you have, what to look for in a school, and how to find the information you need:

How To Choose A Truck Driving School

Ryan - for most of my 15 years out there I worked for "starter companies" and I absolutely loved it. I put in time at smaller companies and let me tell ya - it's a whole different world. It's more like "outlaw trucking" - they don't care much about the laws. They're usually on the verge of bankruptcy most of the time and they're only worried about making drivers do whatever it takes to keep the company afloat. Believe me, it's no picnic. Most of the time you'll get treated better, have better equipment, have better support behind you, and an opportunity to run legally at the bigger companies.

We have a series of articles you should check out if you haven't already on how to choose the right truck driving job and you'll pick up a lot of information about your options, how to choose a company, and where to find the right information:

How To Choose A Company

So hopefully Old School and I have helped correct a few misnomers you guys had and opened up some new opportunities that you might have missed out on.

Ryan - for most of my 15 years out there I worked for "starter companies" and I absolutely loved it. I put in time at smaller companies and let me tell ya - it's a whole different world. It's more like "outlaw trucking" - they don't care much about the laws. They're usually on the verge of bankruptcy most of the time and they're only worried about making drivers do whatever it takes to keep the company afloat. Believe me, it's no picnic. Most of the time you'll get treated better, have better equipment, have better support behind you, and an opportunity to run legally at the bigger companies.

Well Brett what I mean is I dont want to work for lets say swift, schneider, prime, etc. unless I have to I want to get on with lets say Crete, or shaffer, or one of those companies thats a little harder to get on with. But yes I do see where you're coming from.

Thank you Brett and OldSchool! I think that I'll start getting on the horn (that's "phone" for you youngn's) with Scheider, which was the company that really got me interested in becoming a commercial driver, along with Gordon Trucking/GTI and a couple other locals and see about company paid training or tuition reimbursment, along with sign on bonuses and other miscellaneous. I have yet to post a thing on TheTruckersReport, only browse around and read peoples responses to the questions I would have asked; it has been quite interesting reading about everyones different experiences. I would like to be able to go with self-sponsored/private training however I think that GOD and life have left me with no other option but to go with company paid training.

P.S. Is C.R. England and their company paid training as bad as everyone makes it out to be? Do they really pressure you into leasing/owning your own truck?

Um I went to CR England priemier school in Richmond Indiana. It was a good school I just had a run of bad luck, but the instructors was really good I wouldnt had struggled so bad if I had gotton one of them. But when I failed they stepped up and helped me alot. Its hard to explain what happened. **** happens people get sick, but when it came down to it they was there for me. I have friends out there now some are having good experiences and some bad, but i say that happens with every company.

Ps. The school doesnt talk about it.Now if I remember right you buy a truck you can be a trainer while everyone else is still in phase 2. But I could be wrong like I said they aint supose to talk about leasing in school. Just heard it mentiond.

Brett is right. Having a large company stand behind you and fully support you is not the worst possible thing. I drive for J B Hunt now. In fifteen years I have driven for owner ops. Had my own truck and got rid of it. I simple can find no fault with JB Hunt as a company. I am on a dedicated account running 2800 to 3000 miles @.37 cpm a week and home every 7 days to do my restarts IN MY OWN BED. So yes big companies are bad. God forbid you actually find a driving job you like.

Everyone complains about not wanting to be "a slave for a year to a company" and yet once you start driving you need to stay put with a company for the first year. I fail to see the problem.

Most people we have that come here to these forums the first thing they say is "Trucking has always been a dream" and the second thing they say is "they need to start working so they can pay the bills". Trucking companies ask for a one year commitment and we preach that you should commit to your first company for a year. So what is so wrong with combining the two things together and killing two birds with one stone?

One solution is not always the answer for everything but I have seen the opportunity to tell my story throughout different threads today whilst browsing the new forum, so I will tell it again and be a little more specific. I have tried to abstain from mentioning particular companies and the like but I guess I don't see any harm in mentioning them since I am not endorsing any particular company but simply sharing my experience. If my post is out of order Brett can delete it I guess (sorry in advance, Brett!)

I did a little research online and this is what I chose to do. It worked for me.

I went to CR ENGLAND for school. It was quick and easy to get a CDL. I knew when I went there I was not planning on working for them the 6 months they require to cover your school tuition. Once I got there I tried to make it work but didn't make money 2 weeks in a row so I stuck to my original plan, which was to get the CDL and find something local with another company so I could be home every day. Since I left before 6 months my cost for tuition is $3,195. Not a bad cost for school. I send them $195/mo now that 6 months has passed and I am not working for them. When I say quick and easy what I mean is that I was determined, forced myself to do what I had to do regardless of my circumstances, and passed my CDL on the second try, in 17 days from the time I got off the bus at the school. I had absolutely no experience with trucks and knew no truckers. TruckerMike's blogs helped me A LOT! Sure, I thought about killing myself while I was there, but then realized memorizing 4-point and pre-trip and getting my CDL was a better option. Beware: You will have no income and no free meals or anything else while you are there. Be prepared for that. They WILL push leasing. Just ignore it and smile when they talk about it. All you want to do is pass your test and get your CDL.

When you get your CDL you can jump ship to another company that accepts recent graduates, some even will pay your tuition (i.e., Schneider and Werner are a couple). Or, you can do what I did. Accepted $25/day while I waited for a trainer. Made $75 a day with my first trainer, I think it was. Got evaluated again then went out with another trainer. .12 cents a mile with this one. Made some decent paychecks, as it was just me and him and we got 6000+ miles a week consistently. After that, I rode second seat with a lease operator. We made no money. We both quit.

Time from school to this point, about 3.5 months.

As I was saying, if I had left school right away with my CDL and gone to another company then I would have gone on the road with their trainers and had my tuition paid for. Since I had 3 months experience I opted to start as a experienced driver with Werner got a $1000 sign on bonus and got my own truck after a 3 day orientation.

I am lucky enough to live in an area that offers lots of driving opportunities. You can go to Wernerjobs.com and click on your county and see what they have available. I started with a dedicated route home daily and have been doing it for 6 months. I should net over 30k this year. Not the best, but I will get raises after a year, bonuses, etc. I am not stressing about fuel prices, truck repairs, complicated taxes, and I see my son every day.

Con-Way here starts you out at $19/hr. Home every day. If things don't work out with Werner this is my backup plan.

I am driving a truck because I have wanted to be a truck driver since I was 4 years old. I know there are other careers out there. I was a retail manager for 6 years, a computer programmer for 8, and numerous other jobs in-between. Almost every company I invested in screwed me in the end. This is the 3rd time I have had to start over in life and I am 40 years old. But, I am doing something I enjoy doing and on that drive back to the terminal when the sun's out and I look around me and realize I AM DRIVING A TRUCK! I can't help but grin big and wave at everyone that passes by because I am truly happy. It makes those days waiting for hours and dealing with jerks so much easier to deal with when I look behind me and see that trailer I am pulling and see the other trucks on the road and feel I am one of them.

With truck driving there are options. The guy I rode second seat with had 16yrs experience, and paid a lot for a 3 month school, and got some good training. My training wasn't the greatest, but it was a means to an end with limited resources, and it worked for me.

Best of luck!

[=> ButtonUp / They gave me this handle in CDL school because I always wore button-up shirts! <=]