Why I Prefer Paid CDL Training Over Private CDL Training

Paid CDL training and private CDL training are the two major categories of truck driving schools. I prefer paid CDL training over private training, and I'll explain why in a minute. First, I want to explain each type of CDL training.

What Is Paid CDL Training?

Paid CDL training, or company-sponsored CDL training, refers to truck driving schools owned and operated by trucking companies. These trucking companies will sponsor a student's CDL training by paying for the upfront costs of the training and paying the student during some or all of the training process.

In return for this sponsorship the student will sign a contract agreeing to work for the trucking company for a specified amount of time, generally between eight months and eighteen months.

Some paid CDL training companies will require you to pay back the tuition during the contract period, while others will not. Each program has its unique setup, so you'll want to research and explore each company's offerings.

We have a complete list of Paid CDL Training Program Reviews, so check those out if you decide to go this route.

What Is Private CDL Training?

Private CDL training is a truck driving school owned and operated independently of trucking companies. These are typically family-owned schools, or a community college offers them.

The student must pay for private CDL training upfront. Upon graduation, the student is free to work for any trucking company willing to hire them. In the past, trucking companies would not require the new driver to sign a contract after completing private training. That has changed in recent years.

Nowadays, many trucking companies will require new drivers to sign a contract, even after graduating from a private CDL school. In fact, you may sign the same contract as an incoming student to your company's paid CDL training.

Look into this closely. It would be a bummer to pay for private schooling just to find out you'll have to sign the same contract you hoped to avoid, anyhow.

Wouldn't I Rather Have Choices?

Admittedly, having the power of a free agent would be fantastic. After all, truck drivers are in high demand, right? Yes, that's true. But in reality, you will have fewer choices than you might expect.

When choosing a trucking company, you will narrow the list of choices based on a few criteria. You're looking for trucking companies that:

• Will hire from the school you graduated from
• Hire from your area
• Haul the type of freight you want to haul
• Offer the home time you would like

After you narrow down the list, you will only have a few choices. Most people wind up with between two and five options. But there's no guarantee that the companies you prefer will hire you.

You may qualify to work for the company, but they will only extend you an offer if they do not have better candidates to choose from.

So, in the end, most people have very few choices after graduating from a private school. The "power of free agency" isn't that powerful. In fact, we have an article about this topic called Busting The Free Agent Myth In Trucking

Why I Prefer Paid CDL Training

The main reason I prefer paid CDL training over private CDL training is that the company which provided the training has invested in you. The company has used its equipment, facilities, CDL instructors, time, and money to teach you how to drive that truck.

Therefore, you must succeed as a driver if the company wants to recoup its investment in you!

That's a powerful position to be in, and it's far more critical than most people realize. It's more important than being a free agent. Let me explain.

Rookie Drivers Are In A Tough Spot

New truck drivers have a very tough time learning their trade. They often:

• Do not manage their time well
• Get tired quickly
• Do not communicate well
• Do not turn enough miles to earn profits for the company
• Get into little fender benders

Let's say you make a couple of mistakes in the first few months of your career. You:

• Are late for a couple of loads
• Keep running out of hours on your logbook when you shouldn't
• Back into a telephone pole at a customer
• Tear off the front bumper of another truck in a truck stop.

This is starting to look terrible for you.

If you went to a private school, the company that hired you has nothing invested in you. If they fire you right now, they lose nothing. In fact, they probably figure they will save some money on insurance costs and save themselves the hassle of dealing with any future problems you may cause. You've already proven yourself to be mistake-prone, which may not change anytime soon.

If you get a couple of safety violations and then get fired from your first company, you will have difficulty finding another job. Unfortunately, this is far more common than you might think.

If you attend a paid CDL training program, the company wants to avoid firing you. They have a lot riding on this. They've already spent a lot of money training you, and now they've spent even more money covering for your mistakes.

If they let you go now, then all that money goes down the drain, and you move on to one of their competitors. Yes, you'll have a hard time finding a job, but you'll find one. The company that fired you, however, will never get their investment back. That money is gone for good.

More Advantages Of Paid CDL Training

Another thing I like about paid CDL training is that they train you on the equipment you will drive and the policies you must know upon graduating from the program. Instead of learning on some old, rickety, retired rigs at a private school, you will use your company's current equipment to learn how to drive. So you won't have to make a big adjustment to new equipment after graduating from a private truck driving school.

Paid CDL training companies will also teach you company policies and procedures, including:

• Breakdown and Maintenance Procedures
• Payroll Processing
• Communication With Dispatch
• Logbook Policies
• Accident and Breakdown Procedures

You will learn all that stuff from day one at a company school. After graduating from a private school, you would start from scratch with everything specific to your new company.

Conclusion

To be clear, you can find practical training at both types of schools that will allow you to get your CDL and land a job in the trucking industry. In fact, I went to a private school myself, and it was a great experience! I bet you didn't expect that, right?

But if I had to do it again, I would choose a paid CDL training program for all the reasons above. I especially love the idea that the company has invested in me. They genuinely care that I succeed as one of their drivers.

In a career full of risk and uncertainty, I want to work for an employer with a financial incentive to keep me around and ensure my success.

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