Any 88M's Out There That Can Recommend The Best School/company To Work For With Previous ARMY Experience?

I'm in a bit of a weird situation, I have 5 years experience driving all kinds of military rigs, before anyone wants to give me sh*t and say mil rigs or experience doesn't mean sh*t in the real world I should mention I did do long haul OTR driving missions all over the US on public, city, and state roads/highways in a 915 and hett. But yeah feel free to give me sh*t for having no stick experience haha.

Anyway, I'll get right to it... Got out in 2012 in Hawaii state. At that time they offered no military license conversion to CDL -They have since 2017 but auto restriction : ( I have been living across the world so I'm returning to the US with no licenses (all have expired) I'm returning with my wife, no job, little savings, and 4 months left on my GI bill to cover school tuition and 4 months housing. I'm going into it not as a know-it-all because of my previous experience, going into it all ears, and focused as I need to refresh and become un-rusty My goal is to choose the best school/bah/etc for my GI bill. I'm considering great lakes tds because they also offer heavy equipment training and lodging and are GI bill familiar. Any 88M's out there that can chime in on them? Or any other tips for schools? Lastly, I'm hoping to get hired by a company that has a short or no in ride training post-graduation but that looks like its unavoidable. The reason being I'm hoping my wife can join me ASAP post-graduation as a ride-along and that's really why we want to do it, travel the country.

I'm hoping there are some 88M's out there that can give their experience on GI bill schools, their favorite company to work for and why and lastly if they could do the VA 1 year apprenticeship program post-graduation if they used all their GI bill money up.

Thanks in advance for any help/tips/suggestions you may have and for reading

Thank you for your service. Your experience with military rigs may not be looked at as experience depending on the company but it will benefit you while in school. Don't worry about not having experience in a manual, most large carriers are running a fully automatic fleet. If the school teaches it by all means take your test in a manual so it opens more doors down the road.

Not having a valid license is likely to cause some problems. Have you considered going through a Paid CDL Training Programs instead and saving the GI money? This way you don't dish out the money for school and not be hired due to not having a valid license for a set amount of time.

I highly recommend you go through some form of training on the road. With that being said, the only company that I'm aware of that gives you your own keys right after orientation is Trans am. They tend to pay lower than other carriers from what I've seen mentioned on this forum. Would it be possible to go through a 2 to 3 week training period and have your wife stay in a hotel during that? It would open many more doors and likely pay better.

Thanks for the reply and insight Rob T,

I do definitely want to get my training and CDL testing done on a stick and feel confident I can do it having driven manual cars and buses before but feeling out the clutch and gear pattern on a rig will be a whole new experience for me. I am planning to arrive a few months before training for the specific reason of obtaining a license and also the school I'm interested in requires to have the CDL permit prior to starting. One thing I learned is in Ohio state there is no 7 day wait period for a failed CDL permit exam which is nice. You can retest within 24 hours but I do plan on studying beforehand. I want to use up my GI money as it expires in 2026 and isn't enough to become a scientist or pilot the only other 2 things I would be interested in going back to school for. I have to use it or lose it. Unfortunately, vets that got out before 2016 are not entitled to a never expiring GI bill (called gi bill 2.0) that vets who got out after that date are entitled to. Also, I don't want to have to go to work full time while trying to do truck driving school as I could probably only get a low paying job and the monthly housing allowance from my 4 months left of my GI bill could get us by until I start work FT OTR. I think I'll bite the bullet and go with a regular company doing the 2-3 training ride-a-long. Two companies I'm eyeing are Schneider and CSRT simply because they claim to count previous military experience into their paygrade and also offer a 12 month VA approved apprenticeship program. (extra 1200 a month for a year) I just don't know of any vets who have joined them and their experience. I am happy to find this forum and have time on my side.

Check out Roehl Transport.

When I was there, they also had the GI Apprenticeship Program through the VA.

Ryan k. I went through Troops into Transportation in Fort Benning. They offer it on many military installations. They trained me on manual but it doesNt really matter as most companies don’t have manual anymore. This school will use your gi bill and use that to pay for all of your endorsements.

From the research I did, Schneider , Werner, transport America will consider your experience as far as starting you off on a higher pay but you will have to go out with a trainer.

I am with Werner and can’t complain. They are paying back my cdl school monthly even though the gi bill payed for it. I also get their apprenticeship program money which is very nice on top of my paycheck. What state will you be living in?

FYI CRST is teams only, meaning your wife can't ride with you unless she also gets her CDL.

Papa Pig thanks for the reply,

That's some good info there, I will start to look more into all of what you just mentioned. Is the troops into transportation program open to vets who have been out of active duty for some time? Also were you able to get your BAH during the program? As far as what state I'll choose I'm still undecided but have nothing holding me down or any family in any particular state, so most likely I'll choose the state I plan to train at as a starting base point but its really not too important for me since I plan on doing OTR. will definitely look into Werner, thanks again for the feedback.

I was active when I did it but they do take vets, my buddy had been out for about 3 years. When u decide where u are gonna love send me the zip code and I can tell you what accounts are available. I don’t do otr with them but am regional dedicated on dollar general. If you have any specific questions about that I am more than happy to answer.

Also, my vet friend did get bah and book stipend for troops into transport. Think the school was 3 -4 weeks. Can’t remember. Mon-sat. Be aware that the va is the one cutting the check so you might get it towards the end of your training . https://www.troops2transport.com/

Ryan k. I went through Troops into Transportation in Fort Benning. They offer it on many military installations. They trained me on manual but it doesNt really matter as most companies don’t have manual anymore. This school will use your gi bill and use that to pay for all of your endorsements.

From the research I did, Schneider , Werner, transport America will consider your experience as far as starting you off on a higher pay but you will have to go out with a trainer.

I am with Werner and can’t complain. They are paying back my cdl school monthly even though the gi bill payed for it. I also get their apprenticeship program money which is very nice on top of my paycheck. What state will you be living in?

Can't he take his time and use the GI Bill for his trucking school (and get all the bennies that provides) and THEN once he graduates and picks a company he can go through their orientation?