Trucking School In Central PA
Topic 12815 | Page 1
Welcome Jennifer!
Sage is a well known chain of truck driving schools that has been around for quite a long time. They're a good school system.
We have some excellent information that will help you understand how to choose a school:
Truck Driver's Career Guide - this is loaded with information to help you understand the trucking industry and prepare for your career
How To Choose A School is a series of articles that will help you understand how to evaluate a school.
OOS:
When a violation by either a driver or company is confirmed, an out-of-service order removes either the driver or the vehicle from the roadway until the violation is corrected.
I'm a single mom without a lot of money. I cannot get a loan. The cost of a CDL course at a community college is $5100, for which I cannot get any funding or loan. Sage School has a veteran grant I can use which will pay 80%. Is anyone familiar with Sage School? Thanks for your input!
Here's a thought, Jennifer: most schools want between $4000-$6000 tuition, even if it's financed. 6 weeks of daycare should be way less. There are Trucking companies that will cover your tuition, or there are Company-Sponsored Training in the company school. I know money is money, and when you're broke you're broke, but there may be an alternative if you think daycare instead of tuition.
Also, unless you get a local driver job, you'll be away from home for several weeks for training, and OTR work gets you home for a few days per month.
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
- Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
- Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.
OTR:
Over The Road
OTR driving normally means you'll be hauling freight to various customers throughout your company's hauling region. It often entails being gone from home for two to three weeks at a time.
Company-sponsored Training:
A Company-Sponsored Training Program is a school that is owned and operated by a trucking company.
The schooling often requires little or no money up front. Instead of paying up-front tuition you will sign an agreement to work for the company for a specified amount of time after graduation, usually around a year, at a slightly lower rate of pay in order to pay for the training.
If you choose to quit working for the company before your year is up, they will normally require you to pay back a prorated amount of money for the schooling. The amount you pay back will be comparable to what you would have paid if you went to an independently owned school.
Company-sponsored training can be an excellent way to get your career underway if you can't afford the tuition up front for private schooling.
I'll reiterate what Errol said. Make sure you understand what trucking demands. Trucking is very challenging with a family - I couldn't imagine as a single mother, unless you have a very good support system. Even local trucking jobs require 10-14 hour days, depending on the gig. Read the links that Brett provided, especially the career guide. Keep in mind Brett talks mostly about OTR. If you have local trucking questions, ask in the forum. I'm a local driver myself.
OTR:
Over The Road
OTR driving normally means you'll be hauling freight to various customers throughout your company's hauling region. It often entails being gone from home for two to three weeks at a time.
Jennifer. One quick note. I didn't want to discourage you by any means. A lot of drivers fail because they didn't prepare themselves for the industry. Local trucking can be just as much a lifestyle as OTR. However, it can be very rewarding - and not just financially.
If you're considering local, look into LTL. Here's a thread I wrote about LTL and my linehaul job.
My linehaul job at Old Dominion has been a huge blessing for our family.
LTL:
Less Than Truckload
Refers to carriers that make a lot of smaller pickups and deliveries for multiple customers as opposed to hauling one big load of freight for one customer. This type of hauling is normally done by companies with terminals scattered throughout the country where freight is sorted before being moved on to its destination.
LTL carriers include:
- FedEx Freight
- Con-way
- YRC Freight
- UPS
- Old Dominion
- Estes
- Yellow-Roadway
- ABF Freight
- R+L Carrier
OTR:
Over The Road
OTR driving normally means you'll be hauling freight to various customers throughout your company's hauling region. It often entails being gone from home for two to three weeks at a time.
Linehaul:
Linehaul drivers will normally run loads from terminal to terminal for LTL (Less than Truckload) companies.
LTL (Less Than Truckload) carriers will have Linehaul drivers and P&D drivers. The P&D drivers will deliver loads locally from the terminal and pick up loads returning them to the terminal. Linehaul drivers will then run truckloads from terminal to terminal.
Jennifer, you have three "heavy hitter" replies. No one is trying to discourage you, but we do ask you to take a cold, hard look at what you gain and what you give up to be a truck driver.
True, we know nothing about your circumstances except what you share here (single mom with not all that much money).
6 string pointed out even a local "home every day" driving job will be at least 8, if not more, hours daily. With kids at home you do need an iron clad support system for your family.
Best of luck!
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I'm a single mom without a lot of money. I cannot get a loan. The cost of a CDL course at a community college is $5100, for which I cannot get any funding or loan. Sage School has a veteran grant I can use which will pay 80%. Is anyone familiar with Sage School? Thanks for your input!
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles: