Decision In School
Topic 2001 | Page 1
Welcome aboard Mississippi Momma!
Your concerns are the most common concerns we work with every day - choosing the right school or company. But obviously with 8 years experience you really won't need to be taught much of anything and you know how the industry works already. So you should know the drill - those who complain the most are the ones doing the lousiest job. Those who do a great job are quietly content for the most part and you won't find them running around trucking forums or sites like RipoffReport touting how happy they are. Their too busy driving around the country making money.
So first things first - don't look for opinions on companies from anonymous knuckleheads you've never met floating around on the Web. Gather the facts about companies yourself.
We have an excellent section on Company-Sponsored Training Programs with a ton of information on each one. You said you're considering two of em but there are about a dozen or so to choose from so take a look and see what's out there.
We also have a section of this forum called CDL Training Diaries where students have documented their experiences while going through the various company-sponsored programs. So you can read through some of those to get some insights from drivers that are in school now or recently came through school.
But more than anything, just decide what you're looking for in a company and find that company. Don't worry about what anyone else's opinions are. You know how the industry works. If you get out there and do an awesome job you'll be fine anywhere you go. So consider the pay, home time, benefits, type of freight you'd like to haul, and regions of the country you'd like to run and choose a company that matches that pretty well.
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.
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.
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.
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I am new here. I was an experienced driver (8 years) but came off the road 7 years ago so I could stay at home with my son. Now I have to go through school/training again (I surrendered my CDL) and I am stuck trying to make the decision of where to go. I have read all kinds of horror stories about all trucking company sponsored training so do I just flip a coin? I am considering both Driver Solutions driving for USA Truck or CR England. Do any of you have any thoughts on which company is the better of the two? When I got my CDL in 1997 I went to a trucking company sponsored school/training and even back then what I was told was all lies so I know the drill. I am just trying to choose the one with the less lies. Is that even possible? lol
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
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.