CDL School Or Company Training?

I have been looking at both options and just wanted the opinions of everyone what they believe is the best way into Trucking. I do have the GI Bill that would cover any CDL School so money for schooling is not a problem. Just looking at what is the best option and looking for advice from those who have already been there and done that. Thanks for any help.

Truck Driving Schools and Paid CDL Training Programs do the same thing: help get you your full-bore CDL-A license.

Here's the difference: with a company school, they have done all the pre-hire stuff, so on your first day of school you are all but hired. There may be no out-of-pocket expenses besides food. But that depends on the company's policy. A private school, regardless what their recruiter says, does not guarantee you a job. But even then the chances are good.

Also, a company school probably will provide bus transportation and living arrangements at the school.

Any company might pick up your tuition, but both companies with schools and those who cover tuition will put you on a contract (about a year) to pay it off.

Check these other links:

Truck Driver's Career Guide

• Article: Understanding Pre-Hire Letters: The What, Why, And How Of This Important Step
• Trucker's Wiki: "Pre-Hire Letters"
• Forum Topics Tagged "CDL Pre-Hire Letters"

• Trucker's Career Guide: Choosing A Truck Driving School
• Article Category: Choosing A Truck Driving School
• Forum Topics Tagged "Choosing A Truck Driving School"

I have been looking at both options and just wanted the opinions of everyone what they believe is the best way into Trucking.

Hey Thomas, I honestly don't believe there is a definitive answer to your question. I realize you are just looking for opinions, but if you haven't discovered it already, asking a bunch of truckers for their opinions usually just leaves one more confused than they were from the start. We are famous for conflicting opinions!

We have some great information on how to go about the whole process of choosing a school...

• Trucker's Career Guide: Choosing A Truck Driving School
• Article Category: Choosing A Truck Driving School
• Forum Topics Tagged "Choosing A Truck Driving School"

Okay, since you asked, I am going to give you some information based on my own entry into trucking for a second career from about five years ago.

I had the money to go to a private school, and I thought, like so many do, that I would have more options that way. We recently had a discussion where people were referring to themselves as "free agents" after going to private school, but I think that whole idea is a joke. Check out this Thread Where The Topic of Being a Free Agent gets thrown around a little. I think it will give you some insights on how we see this subject. Okay, so I went through a private school, got my CDL , and even had my very top choice of companies picked out. It was going to be an awesome experience, so I thought. I was sure that TMC was going to be the perfect trucking company for me to get started at - I was set on it. Turns out that they weren't so sure about me - HaHa! It's a funny thing how we hear all about these driver shortages and we think, "Man if I can get my CDL, these trucking companies will just be falling all over themselves wanting me on their team." I got rejected multiple times, and that feeling of being a "free agent" was quickly becoming a distant dream, or actually more like a nightmare. I had just forked out four thousand dollars which I was sure was going to secure me just what I wanted in a new career, and it was quickly looking like it was a total waste of money!

As far as the quality of the training you are going to receive, and or the proficiency level you will be at after going through a truck driving school, I don't think any one form of schooling has an advantage over the other. We all just barely have enough training to pass the driving test and get our CDL - that is the reality of truck driving schools. After you get hired on at a company you will still go out with a trainer for usually a minimum of four weeks, and even then you are nothing more than a high risk rookie driver who is being given a chance to prove he can get out there and figure this out on his own. There is actually a lot more to this driving career than being able to maneuver a big rig safely that makes for success out here, and those things are usually learned, on your own, by falling on your face a few times and learning some hard lessons from the road. Experience in trucking is an exacting teacher, and that is why we always teach people to stick it out for that first year wherever they get started.

Herein lies the beauty of the Paid CDL Training Programs. Once you have committed to them, they are very much committed to you. Actually they are investing a fairly large sum of money in you, and I promise you that when companies invest money into a total stranger, they want to see a return on that investment. That puts you into a very safe position. They want you to succeed, and they are going to do what they can to help you get to that point. They are much more likely to put up with a few minor mistakes or dings and scrapes on their expensive equipment. They have an incentive to keep you on board. They are going to want a commitment of time and service from you, but who doesn't want a commitment from someone they just loaned money to? Try not making your car payment for a couple of months and you will find out what kind of commitment the bank was expecting from you for having the pleasure of driving the car they paid for!

Continued...

We hear these foolish comments all the time about these Paid CDL Training Programs being like slavery or indentured servitude, and it is all so laughable! If someone pays to train you for a new career, it is totally reasonable for them to expect you to work for them for a little while, and trust me, one year is a drop in the bucket when you are looking at establishing a career for yourself. These days I am considered a top tier driver in a specialized fleet here at Knight transportation, but I will tell you that after my first year in this career I was just beginning to get comfortable in my own abilities at it. That one year commitment is a very valuable thing for the driver to go through. It gives you the chance to not only learn your craft, but begin to learn the subtleties of time management and customer service. As a truck driver you are actually the face of the company out here to the customers. You are not some lone ranger out here on his own. You may very well be the only representative from the trucking company that many of your customers ever interact with or even sees. You will learn so much during that first year on the job, and it should all help you to become the type of driver who can make a success out of this career.

Well, my intractable prose has gotten the better of me - I know you weren't looking for a dissertation, but sometimes I just can't stop myself when I get on what I consider an important subject. I think my main point is that the real decision to be made is not so much which type of schooling you want to go through, but what kind of Commitment you are willing to make to hanging in there for that most challenging, and very critical first year as a professional driver.

Thanks everyone for the response I appreciate the advice.