Paying Up-Front For Company Sponsored CDL School

Nicholas wrote:

Thanks. Of those listed, Knight, England, Palmer, Roehl and Pam are listed on this site as having Sponsored CDL Training. CR England is an immediate no go, based on the reviews I've read. Palmer and Pam look pretty good, and Knight and Roehl look better to me. I think Roehl is the best of that bunch as they pay $500 a week during CDL training, compared to Knight's $300 a week. I'd have to actually sit down and make a spreadsheet comparing all the company's pay when training is over, length of training, if you're solo immediately after training, home time, APU trucks, drop and hook %, etc... I would do that based on the info found here, I wish Brett had one made already ;-)

Nicholas with all due respect, be careful about the internet reviews that you read (or what you have heard), suggest to take all of it with at least a "grain of salt" or the entire "shaker". Those reviews are typically written by former, disgruntled employees who'd rather run their prior company into the ground, embellish the truth, than accept any accountability or responsibility for their failures and incompetence. For every example of bad press that's out there, we'll give you multiple examples of true success stories in here.

Your point about sponsored training? You missed Swift. They are probably the largest in that category. I attended one of their schools well over four years ago,...thought it was a great experience. By choice I continue to drive for Swift...no intention of looking elsewhere. Compare "that" to what is written about them on the internet...

The reason Brett hasn't made that spread sheet? Much of the information you defined isn't relevant or track-able or it changes like the weather. For instance "drop and hook %"; as an OTR driver that can vary day-to-day and is in no way an indication of what to expect for a given company. That can also vary for a given customer. APU's aren't required and in many cases are more trouble than they are worth because they break.

I sent you this a while ago: Trucking Company Reviews. Much of what you are seeking that's important is in there. I suggest giving it a thorough review. Same for the other stuff we sent you...your expectations will be better grounded after you review all of that.

Good luck...you seem engaged in this, that's a good thing.

Thanks for the info. I've reviewed all of the companies in the Company Sponsored CDL School section of this site, multiple times, over the past month. Although I've gone back and forth, after looking at a lot of people's experiences, I've decided that the company must have APU's on all trucks, and even EPU's are not acceptable. I see that Swift does not have APU's, and although you say they are more trouble than they are worth, most of what I've seen says your life will be absolute hell on the road if you don't have an APU. They also have a 2 year contract, which I wouldn't sign.

Another one of the biggest factors, for me at least, is what you owe the company if you leave after, say, 6 months. I see lots of jobs in my area that require 6 months of driving experience, and if I'm not enjoying OTR, I can always do it for 6 months and then leave. The only company I've seen that doesn't deduct training from your paycheck, but does cut your payback obligation in half after 6 months of driving, is Prime. Plus, they have APU's on all trucks. Although their 40,000 mile training period is a bit longer than other companies, I guess I can put up with some dude's farts and bad breath, and bad taste in music, for 2-3 months. The closer it gets to 3 months, the less tolerable it will be. That's the only thing holding me back right now, as I see other companies with only 2 weeks of training after obtaining the CDL, which would be great. On the other hand, I don't know if I'd be ready to go out on my own after only 2 weeks of training, so there's a fine line to walk there. I think a month would be ideal.

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.

Drop And Hook:

Drop and hook means the driver will drop one trailer and hook to another one.

In order to speed up the pickup and delivery process a driver may be instructed to drop their empty trailer and hook to one that is already loaded, or drop their loaded trailer and hook to one that is already empty. That way the driver will not have to wait for a trailer to be loaded or unloaded.

HOS:

Hours Of Service

HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.

APU:

Auxiliary Power Unit

On tractor trailers, and APU is a small diesel engine that powers a heat and air conditioning unit while charging the truck's main batteries at the same time. This allows the driver to remain comfortable in the cab and have access to electric power without running the main truck engine.

Having an APU helps save money in fuel costs and saves wear and tear on the main engine, though they tend to be expensive to install and maintain. Therefore only a very small percentage of the trucks on the road today come equipped with an APU.

APU's:

Auxiliary Power Unit

On tractor trailers, and APU is a small diesel engine that powers a heat and air conditioning unit while charging the truck's main batteries at the same time. This allows the driver to remain comfortable in the cab and have access to electric power without running the main truck engine.

Having an APU helps save money in fuel costs and saves wear and tear on the main engine, though they tend to be expensive to install and maintain. Therefore only a very small percentage of the trucks on the road today come equipped with an APU.

EPU:

Electric Auxiliary Power Units

Electric APUs have started gaining acceptance. These electric APUs use battery packs instead of the diesel engine on traditional APUs as a source of power. The APU's battery pack is charged when the truck is in motion. When the truck is idle, the stored energy in the battery pack is then used to power an air conditioner, heater, and other devices

Epu's:

Electric Auxiliary Power Units

Electric APUs have started gaining acceptance. These electric APUs use battery packs instead of the diesel engine on traditional APUs as a source of power. The APU's battery pack is charged when the truck is in motion. When the truck is idle, the stored energy in the battery pack is then used to power an air conditioner, heater, and other devices

Another big factor I'm thinking about, after doing some research, is forced dispatch. Unfortunately, Prime has forced dispatch. Any opinions on whether that's really a big factor? If I'm not feeling well-rested, or am too tired to keep driving like that guy Abe on 20/20, and the dispatcher forces me to drive, and I refuse and get fired and then owe the entire CDL School cost out of pocket, it seems like a raw deal.

Ok so much going on here where to start.

1st. Why are you so worried about an apu? Everything I have in the truck here plugs into 12v except my laptop and I have a small inverter that I use for that.

2nd. All companies are going to make you sign a contract and even though you can buy out the other half from prime it is still a really big cost for what your getting.

3rd. You keep bringing up home time. If home time is important you are probably not going to do well as a traditional otr driver. You would be much better served looking for companies that have regional opportunities.

4th. Forget about that stupid abe dude. Forced dispatch means you take whatever they give you. No one is going to force you to drive tired but the other side of that coin means you have to take the opportunity to rest when it presents itself.

Regional:

Regional Route

Usually refers to a driver hauling freight within one particular region of the country. You might be in the "Southeast Regional Division" or "Midwest Regional". Regional route drivers often get home on the weekends which is one of the main appeals for this type of route.

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.

APU:

Auxiliary Power Unit

On tractor trailers, and APU is a small diesel engine that powers a heat and air conditioning unit while charging the truck's main batteries at the same time. This allows the driver to remain comfortable in the cab and have access to electric power without running the main truck engine.

Having an APU helps save money in fuel costs and saves wear and tear on the main engine, though they tend to be expensive to install and maintain. Therefore only a very small percentage of the trucks on the road today come equipped with an APU.

Nicholas, why don't you forget about company-sponsored training and just pay for private schooling so you can do whatever you want to afterward? You're wasting all sorts of time reading reviews and pondering different aspects of different companies when you really don't want to be on the road or work for any of them. You're trying to force a square peg through a round hole.

Just save a little money or sell a couple of things and pay for an inexpensive but legitimate private school and then you're free to go work anywhere you like.

I can assure you that none of the company-sponsored programs want you to pay up front for the schooling and then leave. Some of them allow you to do it, but most don't. If they thought there was good money to make running truck driving schools they'd own a bunch of schools and wouldn't bother hauling freight. So whether you go through company-sponsored schooling and quit the company or go to a private school you're going to pay for the training either way. So just go with a private school and your options for where you go to work are open to you.

Nicholas wrote:

I see that Swift does not have APU's , and although you say they are more trouble than they are worth, most of what I've seen says your life will be absolute hell on the road if you don't have an APU. They also have a 2 year contract, which I wouldn't sign.

Swift DOES NOT require a 2 year contractual commitment, it's a one year contract when you go through their training. For one year they will deduct $37.50 from each paycheck. During the second year they will deposit the same amount back into each paycheck until there is a zero balance. If you chose to leave after completion of one year, you owe them nothing. If you choose like I did and many others I personally know, once you hit 24 months the training is free.

Why do you think you need an APU? All of the newer trucks have bunk heaters for the winter. In the heat of the summer a driver is permitted to idle or what is known as optimized idle for running the AC. My life has been far from an "absolute hell" as you put it. Very few companies have APUs. The majority do not. Again. to reiterate, be careful believing everything you hear, many times it's pure unadulterated bull.

Nicholas also wrote:

That's the only thing holding me back right now, as I see other companies with only 2 weeks of training after obtaining the CDL , which would be great. On the other hand, I don't know if I'd be ready to go out on my own after only 2 weeks of training, so there's a fine line to walk there. I think a month would be ideal.

Two weeks is no where near enough for a student driver. Although a month is better, but still IMO (based on experience) is not enough. 6-8 weeks is about average. And you may believe that 6-8 weeks is plenty, the first three months is very difficult and will challenge your every skill, patience, nerve, and mental toughness. Just ask any of the folks on this forum less than 6 months into their first year,...ask them what it's like. They'll tell yah...

If Prime is your "primary" candidate, search on Rainy's Training Diary. Rainy is a Prime driver with close to a year of experience. Her training diary is informative, entertaining and dead-nuts truthful. I think it will give you a really good understanding of what to expect.

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.

HOS:

Hours Of Service

HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.

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.

APU:

Auxiliary Power Unit

On tractor trailers, and APU is a small diesel engine that powers a heat and air conditioning unit while charging the truck's main batteries at the same time. This allows the driver to remain comfortable in the cab and have access to electric power without running the main truck engine.

Having an APU helps save money in fuel costs and saves wear and tear on the main engine, though they tend to be expensive to install and maintain. Therefore only a very small percentage of the trucks on the road today come equipped with an APU.

APUs:

Auxiliary Power Unit

On tractor trailers, and APU is a small diesel engine that powers a heat and air conditioning unit while charging the truck's main batteries at the same time. This allows the driver to remain comfortable in the cab and have access to electric power without running the main truck engine.

Having an APU helps save money in fuel costs and saves wear and tear on the main engine, though they tend to be expensive to install and maintain. Therefore only a very small percentage of the trucks on the road today come equipped with an APU.

APU's:

Auxiliary Power Unit

On tractor trailers, and APU is a small diesel engine that powers a heat and air conditioning unit while charging the truck's main batteries at the same time. This allows the driver to remain comfortable in the cab and have access to electric power without running the main truck engine.

Having an APU helps save money in fuel costs and saves wear and tear on the main engine, though they tend to be expensive to install and maintain. Therefore only a very small percentage of the trucks on the road today come equipped with an APU.

Hey Nicholas, we're glad you're here - Welcome aboard!

You are embarking on one of the most frustrating research projects you'll ever do when you start trying to figure out what trucking company or training program to go with. Here is the problem: Making a start in this career is very tough. The problems with getting started as a professional driver are usually based in the fact that about 99.9% of the folks who try to do this have totally unrealistic expectations as to what is involved and what it takes to do this everyday at the highest level or even at any level for that matter.

Are you aware that out of all the folks who try to make a go at this there are only around 5 - 8% of the new entrants that even make it to the one year mark? Many of those who failed came into this whole thing making comments much like yours...

I love driving and listening to podcasts, so it seems like Trucking is in my blood.

Now, I know you are a smart guy, but the difficulties have nothing to do with how intelligent one is. I went to college and owned a manufacturing business for thirty years. After doing those things I decided to do this gig for a second career, and I enjoy it very much. Even more than my enjoyment of this career is the enjoyment I get from helping folks understand how to make a start at this. One thing I can assure you that will not give you an accurate assessment of where you want to start is a spread sheet! I know you are thinking I'm crazy right now, but I'm hoping I can prove my point to you before you waste a lot of precious time at this. You simply cannot put together accurate information or parameters that will give you anything helpful in the end. All those crazy internet reviews you are going to find simply cannot be counted as even being close to accurate. Those reviews are almost all written by the approximately 95% of the folks who failed at this career. That information cannot help you, unless you just want to know how to fail at this.

Consider this: We have in this very forum several successful drivers who have been with Swift for years now! We have successful drivers in here from CR England! Hey, while I'm at this take a look at this link and tell me if you have ever heard anything like this about CR England? I started my career at Western Express, spent sixteen months there, and would be there still, had I not gotten an outstanding offer from Knight to work on a dedicated flat-bed account for them. Haha, try finding a good review of Western Express! I was very successful there because I understood how this whole thing works. Check out my comments in This Thread to have a better understanding of the kinds of things I'm trying to stress to you.

Are you aware of how competitive this business is? I'm not talking about competition between the companies. I'm referring to competition among the drivers to keep themselves at the top of the food chain. You simply can't take some losers account of how his trucking company starved him out by not giving him any miles, when there are other drivers at the same company who are giving it all they can just to get their work load completed. This whole business is performance based, and those who produce results continue to have great support and guidance from the folks who count on them to "git er done." There is no arbitrary fairness among dispatchers when it comes to keeping their drivers busy. When they know a driver who can be counted on no matter what, that driver will be called upon continually as long as he can keep the results pouring in. This is the kind of stuff that few understand when they decide they want to become a truck driver, but it is the stuff that makes for success at this.

I actually get tickled when I see the new folks coming in here talking about making spread sheets. That's not an insult. If anything, I realize that you are doing what you know best, as a way to make the proper decision. I know I probably have not dissuaded you from the whole spread sheet analysis, but I just want you to realize that what you put into this career as "effort to succeed" will far outweigh all your analysis at the beginning of your quest. When it comes to success at this career it has nothing to do with whose name is on the doors of the truck, and everything to do with what type of person is in the driver's seat.

it seems like a raw deal.

Oh man Nicholas, you are a case study in the very things we are talking about when it comes to soaking in misinformation.

You need to check out some of our former conversations concerning "Abe." Here is one of them.

...we need to take a short recess Counselor, so I can get some work done.

Old School and Brett,..."hit the nails squarely on the head".

Nicholas we are not blowing any smoke here...all fact.

Nicholas, why don't you forget about company-sponsored training and just pay for private schooling so you can do whatever you want to afterward? You're wasting all sorts of time reading reviews and pondering different aspects of different companies when you really don't want to be on the road or work for any of them. You're trying to force a square peg through a round hole.

Just save a little money or sell a couple of things and pay for an inexpensive but legitimate private school and then you're free to go work anywhere you like.

I can assure you that none of the company-sponsored programs want you to pay up front for the schooling and then leave. Some of them allow you to do it, but most don't. If they thought there was good money to make running truck driving schools they'd own a bunch of schools and wouldn't bother hauling freight. So whether you go through company-sponsored schooling and quit the company or go to a private school you're going to pay for the training either way. So just go with a private school and your options for where you go to work are open to you.

Thanks for the response, Brett. Great site! It's been my main source for research the past month. The local school in my area, Dutchess School of Driving, charges $6,300 for the CDL A training. Plus, it takes 2 months because it's a less intensive commuter school. I can't afford that, as I've been unemployed for quite some time now, and would actually rather just do the sleep-away company school and get it over and done with, road test and all, in 3-4 weeks. I can save up about $3,000 to pay for CDL school but haven't come across and intensive sleep away schools at all, and they would have to be in that price range. The best bet seems to be to go with a cheap school, i.e. Celadon, Millis, Knight, or Prime, and just pay it back if you leave before the contract ends. But the more I think about it, the more I think I would love OTR , and would have no problem getting through the year long contract. My fiance would be a different story, but I told her she can leave me at anytime if she's not happy, and that I'm doing this to make an investment in our future while we still have no kids to worry about.

Pay after training is probably the biggest issue now that I've seen some responses saying APU's aren't a necessity. I'd like to sign with a company that pays at least 40 cpm after training, and that looks pretty rare actually. I've also heard that it's dependent on the type of hauling, and saw a video saying that Prime pays something like 48 cpm if you drive tanker. So why not just choose to drive tanker then? There's a lot of lingering questions and unknowns, but your site is by far the best source of info I've found so far. Thanks!

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.

CPM:

Cents Per Mile

Drivers are often paid by the mile and it's given in cents per mile, or cpm.

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.

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.

APU:

Auxiliary Power Unit

On tractor trailers, and APU is a small diesel engine that powers a heat and air conditioning unit while charging the truck's main batteries at the same time. This allows the driver to remain comfortable in the cab and have access to electric power without running the main truck engine.

Having an APU helps save money in fuel costs and saves wear and tear on the main engine, though they tend to be expensive to install and maintain. Therefore only a very small percentage of the trucks on the road today come equipped with an APU.

APU's:

Auxiliary Power Unit

On tractor trailers, and APU is a small diesel engine that powers a heat and air conditioning unit while charging the truck's main batteries at the same time. This allows the driver to remain comfortable in the cab and have access to electric power without running the main truck engine.

Having an APU helps save money in fuel costs and saves wear and tear on the main engine, though they tend to be expensive to install and maintain. Therefore only a very small percentage of the trucks on the road today come equipped with an APU.

Nicholas wrote:

I see that Swift does not have APU's , and although you say they are more trouble than they are worth, most of what I've seen says your life will be absolute hell on the road if you don't have an APU. They also have a 2 year contract, which I wouldn't sign.

Swift DOES NOT require a 2 year contractual commitment, it's a one year contract when you go through their training. For one year they will deduct $37.50 from each paycheck. During the second year they will deposit the same amount back into each paycheck until there is a zero balance. If you chose to leave after completion of one year, you owe them nothing. If you choose like I did and many others I personally know, once you hit 24 months the training is free.

Why do you think you need an APU? All of the newer trucks have bunk heaters for the winter. In the heat of the summer a driver is permitted to idle or what is known as optimized idle for running the AC. My life has been far from an "absolute hell" as you put it. Very few companies have APUs. The majority do not. Again. to reiterate, be careful believing everything you hear, many times it's pure unadulterated bull.

Nicholas also wrote:

That's the only thing holding me back right now, as I see other companies with only 2 weeks of training after obtaining the CDL , which would be great. On the other hand, I don't know if I'd be ready to go out on my own after only 2 weeks of training, so there's a fine line to walk there. I think a month would be ideal.

Two weeks is no where near enough for a student driver. Although a month is better, but still IMO (based on experience) is not enough. 6-8 weeks is about average. And you may believe that 6-8 weeks is plenty, the first three months is very difficult and will challenge your every skill, patience, nerve, and mental toughness. Just ask any of the folks on this forum less than 6 months into their first year,...ask them what it's like. They'll tell yah...

If Prime is your "primary" candidate, search on Rainy's Training Diary. Rainy is a Prime driver with close to a year of experience. Her training diary is informative, entertaining and dead-nuts truthful. I think it will give you a really good understanding of what to expect.

Thanks for the feedback. It seems like, from what you've said, an APU is not a necessity. I was just going off the opinion of some YouTube truckers, who obviously have more experience than me. I'd like to refrigerate fresh vegetables (to avoid the ever present weight gain and metabolic syndrome so prevalent among truckers) and have a microwave and laptop on board. I really have no idea how an APU works or whether it's a necessity, I was just basing that on people who have experience on the road. Thanks for the Rainy's Diary suggestion, I'll give that a whirl!

Yeah, I agree that even 8 weeks of training won't leave me prepared to handle all the things that OTR will throw at me, but any longer than that having to listen to someone else's choice in music and smelling them and just being around someone that long seems like pure hell.

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.

HOS:

Hours Of Service

HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.

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.

APU:

Auxiliary Power Unit

On tractor trailers, and APU is a small diesel engine that powers a heat and air conditioning unit while charging the truck's main batteries at the same time. This allows the driver to remain comfortable in the cab and have access to electric power without running the main truck engine.

Having an APU helps save money in fuel costs and saves wear and tear on the main engine, though they tend to be expensive to install and maintain. Therefore only a very small percentage of the trucks on the road today come equipped with an APU.

APUs:

Auxiliary Power Unit

On tractor trailers, and APU is a small diesel engine that powers a heat and air conditioning unit while charging the truck's main batteries at the same time. This allows the driver to remain comfortable in the cab and have access to electric power without running the main truck engine.

Having an APU helps save money in fuel costs and saves wear and tear on the main engine, though they tend to be expensive to install and maintain. Therefore only a very small percentage of the trucks on the road today come equipped with an APU.

APU's:

Auxiliary Power Unit

On tractor trailers, and APU is a small diesel engine that powers a heat and air conditioning unit while charging the truck's main batteries at the same time. This allows the driver to remain comfortable in the cab and have access to electric power without running the main truck engine.

Having an APU helps save money in fuel costs and saves wear and tear on the main engine, though they tend to be expensive to install and maintain. Therefore only a very small percentage of the trucks on the road today come equipped with an APU.