Company Paid Vs. Private School CDL Training - What's Your Choice?

I'm 54 and want to be a Driver. I've reached out to a bunch of recruiters and got lots of advice on Facebook from folks. My concern about going to "Free" CDL training paid for by a company is getting "locked into" a contract. What do you think about this?

1. Pay for my own schooling OR get Grant/Loan for it. 2. Go to work for a Company that offers more Regional than OTR driving.

Thoughts and thanks!?

I just finished a 10-week course at Fox Valley Technical College in Appleton, WI, and am very happy with the choice I made. I went into this with zero experience driving a truck, and almost zero mechanical knowledge, and I really used every minute of those 10 weeks to learn and practice. I received plenty of instructor assistance, and doubt that a faster-paced company school would have given me the same opportunities. The school has a variety of tractor makes, transmissions (9, 10, 13, auto), and trailers (van, tank, flatbed, doubles) to learn on. Now I have more flexible options to find a great company to work for, and many of them also offer tuition reimbursement.

Hi Scott, I went to Roehl's company school and it was very fast but I couldn't afford any other route so I did what I had to do. That being said, I had already decided Roehl was my number one choice to drive for, so the condition of working off my schooling didn't bother me. What works for one might not work for another however so think about how you learn best (fast pace vs. a little slower) and your financial circumstances and you will find the right answer for you. I would say that if you lean toward paying it yourself, interview at least 3 schools as they are not all created equal. Best of luck to you!

Not every company school locks you into a contract. Swift for example does not lock you in you simply lose their reimbursement if you do not stay with them.

Whatever you decide, make sure you have all the facts. One (independent) school charges $5,995 but $4,995 if you pay up front. If you don't pay up front it is a loan @ 17%. I can use a credit union loan/credit card way lower interest (i.e. take advantage of lower tuition AND get lower interest rate). Also, not all companies do tuition reimbursement the same. Some pay $150 per month, some pay more. @ $150/month it can take a long time to pay back. Also, if you go private, some companies (like Schneider) pay $1,000 sign on bonus at the end of the first year. I was also told if you go to company-sponsored training , but leave that company in less than a year, you may have a tough time going to another company because the training wasn't "certified." That may or may not be true. Also, company-sponsored training will have much larger class sizes than independent. Both have their pros and cons, TT has great information on both and you really gotta dive in, make phone calls, ask questions and then decide. Whatever you decide be confident. You're doing a good thing for you and your family.

I was also told if you go to company-sponsored training , but leave that company in less than a year, you may have a tough time going to another company because the training wasn't "certified." That may or may not be true

Actually that isn't true but everything else Steve said was spot on. You can go through a Company-Sponsored Training Program and that training should be considered legitimate by any other company. I say "should" and not "will" only because it's a big universe and somewhere someone will be the exception. But I've never heard of that happening.

We have our awesome Truck Driver's Career Guide which includes a chapter on choosing a truck driving school. We also have a category of articles on How To Choose A School. both of those will help tremendously.

Don't worry about getting locked into a contract. You'll want to stay with your first company for a year anyhow to establish yourself in your new career and learn the ropes a little bit. There's no sense in jumping around from company to company when you're a new driver. You don't know have any experience and you don't know enough about the industry or doing your job yet to put yourself in a better position most of the time. So don't be concerned about the contract.

But your plan is perfectly fine. You're saying you're considering a Private Truck Driving School instead of a company-sponsored school. No problem! If you can afford the private training that's normally the better way to go only because you're a paying customer so they'll have more patience with you and it will be a more relaxed atmosphere.

But both paths will get your career off to a great start. Read through those links I sent you and it will help you decide which is best for ya.

I can't comment on private training, but I dug into all of the company sponsored training programs to gather as much information as I could about each of them so I could compare them against each other. I decided Prime was the best program for me. I'm actually in the middle of their orientation week right now and it's been a very positive experience so far. If you're looking for something that's more regional though, they wouldn't be the company for you. They're about as OTR as it gets.

I went with a local private company mostly because I received a grant that paid for the school tuition through the local workforce center (which I would look into), I'm currently at the school so I'll probably get a better picture of the school after I graduate but they do have very old equipment that isn't up to date and some have problems, some of the instructors aren't very friendly and the student ratio isn't very good (my class is 3 or 4 people per truck 11 total), so my experience so far hasn't been the greatest so far. I've heard better experiences with other schools however so I would make sure you ask about student ratio and see the trucks your learning on. I can't say much about company sponsored programs but I imagine there better funded with newer equipment and a few from what I read get you out with one on one instructors immediately. Good Luck!

I would personally love to get my CDL through a private school, and that was my plan for a while however a loan fell through and I really don't feel like switching gears so I am going to be going with company paid training. In hindsight I have realized that I think I would actually prefer company paid training because of the guaranteed job at the end....while the private school I was looking at was only offering to give reference letters....*shrugs* I guess it really does just depend on the person.

Thanks so much everyone for the incredible advice. I'm a major researcher and still in the throes of making my decision. The Schneider recruiter said they would hire me right out of school whether I pay for it or they do! I suppose no matter what the first year is boot camp and putting in the miles early makes a big difference to your future career?

Thanks again all, SVH Truck Driving Schools