NEw, SCARED And Need Advice

Hello all, Iam "the wife" my husband of 28 years was in construction, as as the economy keeps collapsing around us so did my husbands job security, there is none, and furthermore there are no more jobs...he has been off/on of work for 2 years now. Our mortgage co just sold our loan and the new company does not want to work with us, "yes we are 6 months behind"!!:( We feel like our world is falling under our feet, the thought of losing a home is more than either of us can bear.......which is what brings me to you! My husband has always wanted to drive a truck and now seems like such a good time, or is it? We are trying to cram as much information as possible as quickly as possible since we dont have much time.... My husband wants to go to CREngland or similar to learn to drivtruck, they tell him it does not cost money, and they will have him in a truck driving in 2 1/2 weeks???? they always say if it sounds too good to be true" THEN IT IS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE or once again, is it? I just do not want to jump from the frying pan into the fire, so to speak... My husband is filing for his early pension so that will give us some income while he earns his way up in trucking, if he does it? I would appreciate any and all advice any one can give us....like i said " time is our enemy we have to make a decision and make it quick.... Is CREngland and similar really a good place to start?, I saw SOOOOOOO MANY complaints on the internet and find it strange that so many people would be wrong? Thank you to any of you who can give us some quick advice.....it will be so appreciated! Sincerely, Doxy :)

Well, CRE getting him into a truck in 2 1/2 weeks may be true....but training that is that short, has to be either 12 hours a day, or leaving alot of stuff out, that he really needs to learn. Its true, there are trucking companies all over that will put him thru their school, and if he drives for them for 1 year, he won't have to pay for his schooling. There are a few things that you need to keep in mind, tho. His first year of trucking, he will make about $30k. And as he gains experience, he will also gain a higher pay scale, by getting more $$ per mile. But the trucking world isn't one that you just jump into...thats why we're here !!! This is the absolute best trucking site you could have found. We don't bad mouth trucking companies, or the other folks on here that respond on topics. We are totally truthful, and give the best advice thats out there to give. We are a varied lot...theres over the road truckers,BOTH men and women, theres alot of folks going thru trucking school as we speak, theres drivers just finishing school and headed out with their trainers, lots of newbies, waiting to go into school and theres a Ladies of Trucking forum for lady drivers, trainees, and truckers wives. So you can feel free to ask any questions that pop in your head, we'll answer them as honestly as we can. And to you and your husband....WELCOME !!! Glad to have you here !! I will give you my honest opinion of CRE...I don't care for them. My brother went to their school, and since I'd been drving for 5 years at that time, after I had my brother in our truck and saw what he learned and what he didn't . Well lets say I wasn't very impressed. I'm not impressed with their training, and they push REAL hard to get you to buy/lease a truck from them. But thats my opinion, and some of the others on here may have a totally different opinion. Thats the nice thing about this site, we can all agree not to agree, and no one gets flamed over it.. You didn't say what neck of the woods your in, but theres trucking schools all over the universe, I think. If your hubby has veterans benefits, he can get paid, and have his schooling paid thru the VA. Theres alot of help out there, so don't feel that you have to grab the first bus leavin' town. I'm sorry to hear about your financial problems..it seems that the financial outfits don't care anymore, and it isn't like they will be able to sell the house right away...Its just cruel, in my eyes. Again, welcome, and jump right in, we're here to help.

Welcome Doxy, We're glad you're here! I'm gonna agree with Starcar that even though you're feeling pressed by time you really should look around at some other options. Here's a link to some companies who will fund your husbands way into the industry, with detailed info about their programs.

Company-Sponsored Training

Check it out - I think you'll find it helpful.

Also, your husband needs to start studying for his CDL exams and there's no better, easier, or more effective way than by going through the training materials on this site. Here's a link to the best truck driver education program ever conceived.

High Road Training Program

Best of Luck to you Both!

Welcome aboard!

We have an awesome Trucker's Career Guide that covers every topic imaginable that pertains to getting a trucking career underway. It's incredibly thorough.

Take a few hours to read through it. It will answer a ton of questions including whether or not trucking is the right choice, what it's like getting started, how to choose a truck driving school, how to choose a trucking company to work for, and a million other things. It's a must-read for anyone considering a career in trucking.

I can't give you nearly as much info as the other guys on here as I'm just starting the journey myself. I can tell you for sure that thw links that have been posted above WILL HELP. I've hrard bad things about CRE howwver I've heard bad about all conpanies. I think with the right attitude you can make any school work for you. Some better than others but its all about your situation.

Many companies offer sponsored training. The catch is you are contracted to them. If you leave early you arw on the hook for thw training costs. As you start making money as a solo driver they will start taking money out of the checks to pay for the training. Personally for mw this is thw option I'm choosing because I don't have the funds to go to a private school.

The biggesr concern you should look into is affording the no pay during the first few weeks and low pay when training on the road.

Also know that he will be on the road a lot and will rarely be home. I hear that is the biggest problem for people, especially couples. But if that's what you have to do to keep the house it may be well worth it. Then after a year or so he can look for something more local to get home more.

Best of luck to you both

Truck Driving Blogs

High Road Training Program

Company-Sponsored Training

use these...this is how I chose the company/school that I will be attending next month! Good Luck take your time and research, research, research (on here of course) Hope things get turned around for you, so sorry about your difficulties, I closed a busniess myself last year and it is not fun to lose in this economy! Ask questions on here, this is the most helpful bunch you will find any where!

Thank you so much for all of the kind replies, Iam taken back at the fact there are so many people that "do" care out there! I forgot a few things when i put up my post and that is the fact we live in southern california, pretty close to the Fontana truck driving base where all the truckers go.

Anyhow, Iam going to go over all of the information that you all were kind enough to post and in the mean time i wanted to ask if we could get some general idea of truck companies that train, THAT ARE FAVORABLE? we all hear about the ones that no one likes but rarely hear about the good ones, it would be so helpful to hear of truck companies that train that people DO LIKE....it would make things a bit easier in our search for a place to start...thank you again for all of your posts...i actually had to compose myself for a moment when i saw that people care! Doxy :)

Follow the link above called "company sponsored training". Best info you can find. It goes in detail through the companies and their training as well as costs. It was a lifesaver for me. It describes all of the training and info and gives an opinion on how good it is.

I've heard good things about Swift. They are in Phoenix I believe, so it will be close.

we all hear about the ones that no one likes but rarely hear about the good ones, it would be so helpful to hear of truck companies that train that people DO LIKE

We've all come across plenty of people that screw up absolutely everything they do but when you talk to them you realize that in their minds they've never done anything wrong in their lives - it's always someone else's fault.

Welcome to the world of public opinion on the Web where it's always someone else's fault and you never have to worry about anyone hearing the other side of the story.

Seriously, ignore everything you read from people about...well...pretty much everything. And stop going to The Truckers Report for career advice!

The overwhelming majority of opinions you're reading are from dropouts and screw-ups. Countless people have come here over the years with the exact same concern you have - all of the opinions are negative. A ton of people have even told us they dropped the idea of getting into trucking altogether for years because nobody seemed to have anything good to say about anything. Well there's a simple explanation for that - the people you're listening to haven't accomplished anything noteworthy to talk about so the only thing they have to share is excuses and blame.

Trucking is a really tough career. As tough as anything I've ever done. It's the type of job for people who are willing to work hard and sacrifice to do whatever it takes to get the job done safely. You're on your own out there and nobody is going to do it for you. No excuses....no blame...just "cowboy up" and ride it out...make it happen.

Well there aren't a lot of people that have that toughness and determination in them and when the wrong type of person takes a shot at trucking they get their asses handed to them in a big hurry. Well, nobody likes to fail. It's embarrassing. So what do those types do? That's right - place blame and make excuses.

Evaluate schools and companies based on quantifiable facts....not opinions from knuckleheads.

Schools:

Do major companies hire their students?

How fast-paced is the training?

What is the equipment like?

How do their current students (not the dropouts) feel about the training?

Companies

What is the pay and what are the benefits?

What type of freight do they haul?

What are their home time, pet, and rider policies?

How nice is their equipment?

Those are the types of things you use to find the right company and school.

We have a series of articles that teach you how to find the right school and right company to work for:

How To Choose A Company

How To Choose A School

Those will teach you a ton.

Please do yourself a favor and completely clear your mind of any biases you've developed against any of the companies. The "information" you've been hearing is nothing but garbage. It's useless. It's like getting advice on how to be successful in life from a homeless man drinking whiskey on the sidewalk.

Evaluate companies and schools based on quantifiable measures, not heresy and rhetoric. A hard-working, humble, and enthusiastic student will do well at almost any school in the nation. A hard-working, reliable, safe driver who handles themselves like a true professional will do well at pretty much any company in the nation. And of course a knucklehead is a knucklehead and they'll screw up anything they touch at any company or school in the nation.

Choose your information sources and evaluation criteria wisely.

Brett, I simply want to say that i really appreciate your response to my comment, your words of wisdom are soo refreshing, it is not everyday you come across people that "get it" that they need to take a look at "those three fingers that are pointing back at them when they are pointing at others, if we all could just stop blaming and making excuses, the world would truly be a much better place to be in! :) Sincerely, Doxy