Seeking Advice For Military Veterans
Topic 25723 | Page 1
First off - THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE!
Many companies have "veterans preference" or veterans assistance in their training programs.
"Troops Into Transportation" appears to be a "marketing tool" for The CDL School (a private CDL school) and from appearances, their "partner carriers", are companies that don't run IN HOUSE "get your CDL programs".
Not saying that it's BAD per se' - but they do get paid by the government to provide training to/for veterans.
There's a "pretty good chance" (other things like driving record, etc., considered) that you can get a hire with one of the companies they refer to - but still NO GUARANTEE.
We tend to recommend companies that do in-house training, because essentially, once they put you in a truck with a trainer - YOU ARE HIRED ALREADY (so long as you pass your CDL tests and don't screw anything up too badly).
Best of luck to you - please keep us posted on what you decide, and how you are doing in your entry into truck driving...
Rick
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.
Hi Cecilia, and welcome to our forum!
I completely agree with the things Rick said. Here's a couple of links to some articles on this subject.
Why I Prefer Company Sponsored Training
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.
THANK YOU OLD SCHOOL AND RICK :) I don't know why most of my first comment were italicized, my apologies. I will look into Troops Into Transportation more and look at the articles you attached Old School. My sister in law went through Prime for CDL Training, and I had a friend go through a private CDL School who now works for Werner.
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.
Hello, this is my first time posting. I am new to TT. Has anyone heard of Troops Into Transportationi>? I am a US Army veteran. I have the option of using their CDL School to receive the training I need in order to get my CDL or as I have been reading I can go through a company that has their own CDL School. I am married, no children. I can start whichever process as soon as possible. Any advice at all for someone considering trucking as a career is welcome too. Thank you, have a blessed day! Cecelia "Cece"
Try UPS. Or an LTL carrier. Like Old Dominian, Saia, and you are a woman, and that actually could help you. Good Luck. And, THANK YOU for your service!!!!
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.
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
Welcome Cece and thank you for your service.
There are company sponsored schools that give special perks and benefits to veterans. I don't know the details but I know we have various veterans/drivers on this forum who took advantage of those special offerings. Hoping one of them will see this and respond.
HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.
I did a private school and used my GI benefits. (Post 9/11 GI Bill). Then, I went with a company that also had an apprenticeship program. That allowed me to use a year of my benefits to get my housing stipend. Helps offset the whole first year pay thing. The company I went with also had tuition reimbursement. So I got paid the money that Uncle Sam spent on my schooling to get my CDL. Not to mention I got paid my housing stipend that month and book allowance. So I made money going to school by using my education benefits. It was a win/win for me.
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.
Thank you for your service. One perk I've seen some offer is Military service is taken into account for starting pay. I believe TMC (flatbed) and CRST (required team driving) are a couple with that perk. You will start at a higher CPM than your counterparts. For instance if you served 4 years they would start your CPM in line with what drivers with 4 years experience are making for their base pay. Paid CDL Training Programs are a great way to get started, they will front most of the cost involved and after a year its typically minimal money out of pocket. You're also guaranteed a job as long as you pass the testing which they do their best to ensure you get through it. I believe it was Rainy who has said she applied and was issued a bus ticket to Springfield Missouri to attend schooling at Prime Inc. Within a week because she wanted to start so soon. You can usually pick whatever date you want to start. You can Apply For Paid CDL Training to fill out 1 application and be sent to numerous companies, obligation free to see what each offers. A couple others worth checking out that arent included in that are Swift (ignore the trash you read about them), CFI, and Prime. Please stick around and keep us updated on how things go. We really enjoy seeing people progress and help them overcome obstacles.
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.
CPM:
Cents Per Mile
Drivers are often paid by the mile and it's given in cents per mile, or cpm.
I went through Swift's Academy for my license. As a veteran, Swift allowed me to take the course and drive for one year. At the end of the year my tuition was "forgiven". I never had a payment deduction. Swift isn't he only company that does this, simply ask your recruiters.
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Hello, this is my first time posting. I am new to TT. Has anyone heard of Troops Into Transportationi>? I am a US Army veteran. I have the option of using their CDL School to receive the training I need in order to get my CDL or as I have been reading I can go through a company that has their own CDL School. I am married, no children. I can start whichever process as soon as possible. Any advice at all for someone considering trucking as a career is welcome too. Thank you, have a blessed day! Cecelia "Cece"
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles: