Post 911 Apprenticeship

I have applied but I'm looking for info on specifics as each carrier uses the benefits in their own way.

The military recruiter from Werner asked if I had any questions to which I replied:

"Expected Earnings during the 2 year apprenticeship - How my choices impact those earnings good or bad - What incentive pay does Werner offer? - What comes out of my check vs what is covered/reimbursed? - Average driver wages company wide - Turnover rate - What are the biggest problems new drivers struggle with? - Habits/Traits of the successful vs unsuccessful ones? - Opportunities for growth within the company? - How will I receive feedback/mentorship for professional development?"

Crickets since.

Schneider was pretty good but the recruiter violated some company policies in the things said. The phone interview was beneficial in clearing up some of the questions but they could have saved time and money by putting it out there where prospective applicants could read it ahead of time. The Schneider blog had a few of the answers and passed that along.

The VA has a list of approved apprenticeship program companies but the first one I checked (System Trans) is no longer participating.

I found this site, and grateful for it, trying to find options to the only ones advertising a VA apprenticeship program (US Express, Schneider, Werner).

I have applied but I'm looking for info on specifics as each carrier uses the benefits in their own way.

The military recruiter from Werner asked if I had any questions to which I replied:

"Expected Earnings during the 2 year apprenticeship - How my choices impact those earnings good or bad - What incentive pay does Werner offer? - What comes out of my check vs what is covered/reimbursed? - Average driver wages company wide - Turnover rate - What are the biggest problems new drivers struggle with? - Habits/Traits of the successful vs unsuccessful ones? - Opportunities for growth within the company? - How will I receive feedback/mentorship for professional development?"

Crickets since.

Schneider was pretty good but the recruiter violated some company policies in the things said. The phone interview was beneficial in clearing up some of the questions but they could have saved time and money by putting it out there where prospective applicants could read it ahead of time. The Schneider blog had a few of the answers and passed that along.

The VA has a list of approved apprenticeship program companies but the first one I checked (System Trans) is no longer participating.

I found this site, and grateful for it, trying to find options to the only ones advertising a VA apprenticeship program (US Express, Schneider, Werner).

You might want to invest some time reading these two links, will answer many questions, probably some you didn’t think to ask:

Truck Driver's Career Guide

Becoming A Truck Driver: The Raw Truth About Truck Driving

The pay? The first year average is 40-45k no matter what company. The primary reason for it being so low; the first year learning curve is steep, relentless and unforgiving. Lack of experience is what will limit your income potential. Trucking is totally performance based, the quicker you learn, the more you will earn.

Also click the menu bars in the upper left of the webpage. Go into the blogs; and entire topic based on first year information and expectations.

My suggestion? Limit the questions you ask of a recruiter to only their company’s equipment, freight corridors and policies.

Good luck.

Thanks, I will check them out.

The purpose of my detailed questions is trucking is one option that I am looking at. My VA benefits have the potential to pay for quite a bit as well as tax benefits and I am looking at how they will best serve me.

Thanks, I will check them out.

The purpose of my detailed questions is trucking is one option that I am looking at. My VA benefits have the potential to pay for quite a bit as well as tax benefits and I am looking at how they will best serve me.

I wouldn't worry about using your military benefits for trucking. You can do that, and plenty of people do. But the best way to get your training in trucking today is through Paid CDL Training Programs where the training is either free in the end, or nearly free, and you'll be paid during some or all of your training.

If you were to go to a private school where you had to pay tuition up front you could use your benefits, but many companies offer tuition reimbursement anyhow.

So personally I don't think it makes a lot of sense to use your military benefits for trucking. I think paid CDL training is better than private CDL training anyhow so there's no reason to use the benefits in trucking. If you can use them to get a high dollar university education and that was something you were interested in, I would use it for that instead.

Also, keep in mind that the best way to move forward is to pursue something you think you'll love. Sure, you'd love to use those benefits, but if it isn't in the pursuit of a career you'll enjoy and make really good money at then it's not getting you very far, is it? So keep that in mind. Don't feel compelled to use them because they're there. Follow the path that suits you best.

All the more reason I strongly suggest reading the two links I replied with.