Is Company Sponsored Training For Long Haul Only...?

Oh okay I see what you were saying, I misunderstood. The only thing with the company sponsored programs is that its not always free. Some companies will do weekly deductions from your check once your solo to cover the schooling or part of it. Some companies will cover the whole ammont if you stay with them for a period of time. Either way I think its a good way to get in, get your training, and get a job right away.

Thanks Everyone for your help, I have narrowed it down to Knight and Swift, going to talk with the recruiters tomorrow

I think you are not understanding what a truck driving school is. The school does one thing and one thing only. It teaches you just barely enough to get your CDL and nothing else. The really training starts after you get hired to a company. Not before. In order to learn just the basics of driving you would need to stay in truck driving school 9 months to a year and then you would still be on the same level as a driver that has been driving 9 months to a year except if you stayed in school you would not get paid.

Basically starting out in trucking is On The Job training. There is no school where you learn everything BEFORE starting the job then you get the job and you are off on your own. You will need training from 3 weeks to 3 months (depending on the company) AFTER you get hired onto a company.

Ok, this thread has been so confusing that my head is spinning. First of all, let me say that our Truck Driver's Career Guide explains all of these options clearly and in great detail. Everyone should read through our career guide before making any decisions about their trucking career. It's packed full of fantastic information.

There are two types of truck driving schools: Company-Sponsored Training Programs and Private Truck Driving Schools.

Company-sponsored schools are owned and operated by trucking companies. Private schools are independently owned and operated schools and are not directly associated with any trucking companies.

Private schools require you to pay the money for the schooling up front in the form of cash or student loan. Company-sponsored schools will not require you to pay up front. They will train you with almost no money out of pocket and most will then take payments out of your paycheck for tuition. Tuition costs can vary tremendously from one program to another. Some charge several thousand dollars, some are completely free if you stay with the company for a certain amount of time - usually one year.

Both of these schools do the same thing - they teach you what's required in order to pass your CDL exams and get your CDL license.

Once you graduate from a private school you are free to pursue a job with any company that hires students. Once you graduate from a company-sponsored school you will only have the option of working for the company that owns the school.

Regardless of which type of school you graduate from you will have your CDL license and will then enter into a new phase of training - you'll be on the road running team with a mentor. That phase will last anywhere from a couple of weeks to several months depending on the company. But every driver will go on the road with a mentor after graduating from either type of school. You will get paid during this phase of your training.

Once you complete that phase of the training you will become a solo driver for the company.

The main reason to choose one type of schooling over the other is money. If you have the money for private schooling the experience will be better because you're a paying customer. With a company-sponsored program you're more like a player trying to make the team. It's like a tryout and not everyone makes the team. The environment is totally different.

Also, after graduating from a private school you can go to work anywhere you like. After graduating from a company-sponsored school you have to go to work for the company that owns the school as part of the agreement.

There's nothing wrong with either type of schooling. They can both get your trucking career off to a great start. If you have the money to pay for private schooling, that's the better experience and will give you options when choosing a trucking company to work for. If you're hurting for funds or you really want to work for one of the companies that owns a school already then choose the company-sponsored path.