Get CDL Via Amazon Or Via “pay To Train” Route?

I’m currently a van driver for Amazon. I don’t directly work for Amazon. Instead I drive an Amazon delivery van for JPAX that contracts for Amazon.

Yesterday I had an interesting conversation with the operations manager of the Amazon warehouse that I deliver for. He, obviously, works directly for Amazon.

He told me that if I got a job working for Amazon, that they have this employment benefit called “career choice”. Basically he explained that if I work for Amazon for 90 days, no matter what the job is, and I want to become a trucker, Amazon will send me to a trucking school and completely pay for me getting a CDL.

Of course the catch is that I will have a CDL , but no driving experience.

I was originally planing on going to Wilson Logistics to do their free CDL program and either do company driver or lease operator for a year…then move onto another trucking company.

Thanks to this forum I’m learning the lease operator route is a bad idea lol.

But what would happen if I got a CDL via working for Amazon directly for 90 days and getting sent to a CDL school for free?

Could I get a better job and make better money during my first year as a driver?

From what I’ve learned by going down a Google rabbit hole for a few days, it looks like I would have an even worse experience trying to find work if I went to trucking school via Amazon, as opposed to going to Wilson Logistics with a garunteed job right after training.

What are y’all’s thoughts on this? Should I go to Wilson Logistics, or get a job at Amazon, stay employed for 90 days and then get free CDL school via Amazon?

I may have misread something. But typically if a company pays for your CDL training, it is typically with a contract to work with them for at least a year. My assumption is that if Amazon pays for your CDL training, you would be driving for Amazon for at least a year after. Just like if you go though Wilsons CDL program, you will be working for them for at least a year.

I am not familiar with Amazons "Career choice" program, so I could absolutely be wrong. But I don't see how they would pay your CDL training without expecting a year of driving for them in return.

All that aside, It's good that you are pursuing company sponsored training , over paying out of pocket to a CDL school. Let a company invest in you, and they will be more interested in your success.

I may have misread something. But typically if a company pays for your CDL training, it is typically with a contract to work with them for at least a year. My assumption is that if Amazon pays for your CDL training, you would be driving for Amazon for at least a year after. Just like if you go though Wilsons CDL program, you will be working for them for at least a year.

I am not familiar with Amazons "Career choice" program, so I could absolutely be wrong. But I don't see how they would pay your CDL training without expecting a year of driving for them in return.

All that aside, It's good that you are pursuing company sponsored training , over paying out of pocket to a CDL school. Let a company invest in you, and they will be more interested in your success.

Sorry for any typos, but to be clear you have to work for Amazon 90 days and then you can use their "career choice" program to get a CDL. They send you to the kind of trucking school that you would normally pay out of pocket or go into student loan debt for.

Afterwards there is no contract or trucking job afterwards. I don't know why. Amazon is weird like that. What makes it even stranger is that I can only find CDL-A jobs for amazon on indeed and not on amazon.jobs. And when I find them on indeed, it's typically an owner/operator job and you are required to have 1 year or 100,000 miles experience.

I'm a contracted instructor for the Amazon Care Choice. (I don't work for Amazon, but I run a Career Choice class.)

First. I believe the "wait period" is one year - Amazon will be putting out $5k for your tuition, a 3 month Amazon career isn't enough.

Then they don't "send" you to school. You get class two days a week, on your 3 day "weekend". And you are often in the Amazon parking lot.

The Career Choice program isn't limited to trucks. It's designed for (mostly warehouse) workers to move on to a better career - this is a great draw for maybe high school graduate. C. C. will get you training in nearly any vo/tech career.

As for staying with Amazon, talk to the TOM team office. They might be able to get you in that door.

No experience!? Happens all the time. When the time comes. Look at CDL-A openings that include the term >>Recent Grads<<.