Comments By AceArcher

Am glad to hear that everyone is getting good coverage with straight talk / verizon. I stopped playing the contract cell phone game about 3 years ago and got rid of sprint for the last time. Since then have been using tracfone and just recently picked up the LG 840 G which is effectively a smart phone equal to iphone or a good android... Other than it not having apps. (which i dont care about) bought a yearly plan for 99$ that covers my service for a year and includes enough minutes that i will make it most of the way through the year on minutes.

I would imagine once i am on the road i would use a lot more than currently but even if i double the amount i use it's still way way less expensive than a contract phone..

Well....I won't say that old equipment is a bad thing...but it would bother me. Learning in a standard shift is the way you want to go. If you are trained only in an auto, they restrict your license now. If I chose to go to a company school, I sure wouldn't pay them up front.....you have to stay OTR for a year anyway...might as well save your money, and pay 'em off by driving for them for a year. So the school charges you 5K...which includes inhouse room and board......and since you are going to drive to and from...THEY WON"T CUT THE COST ?????? now that is just wrong........

I am thinking more and more that a company school may be the way to go for me.

Am i still able to get all the endorsements when going to a company school... ie.. hazmat, tanker, double & triple? or do the companies usually only teach what they could potentially need?

So i visited the school today.

On the positive side of things,

Have to say the staff seemed professional, knowledgeable and courteous. Everyone was happy to answer questions i had in regards to things.

I did not get the impression that they were trying to hustle me in any way, i flat out asked why i should choose them instead of going to a company that offered in house training, they were not dishonest in any way... so that made a real good impression on me.

They certainly seemed to be in line with many of the questions that i have read on the guides regarding how to pick a training college...

ie. never more than 4 students per instructor, they actually are an onsite CDL testing facility... basically the whole test occurs there and only go to DMV to take your picture. Included in the course is the CDL Permit, Hazmat, Tanker, and Doubles & Triples endorsements. The Class A CDL and "Lifetime Placement Assistance"

All of the above running the 5k cash up front price. The only other costs to me would be DOT physical and drug screen at 100$ and then the cost to commute in gas each day. ( i could choose to stay there as room and board are included)

On the not so sure / less than positive side of things,

They only teach Standard transmission not automatic (i didn't think this was a big deal.... i mean stop me if i am wrong... but if you can drive a standard i doubt an automatic trans will be of issue?)

The equipment they were training on looked ancient. (dont get me wrong we didn't get in and drive around in it or anything... but i expected the owner to tell me something like... "My Great Granpappy drove this truck around the allegheny mountains a 40 years ago... and just imagine this is the truck your gonna learn to drive in"

Well that's probably a bit of a stretch... but of the 4 vehicles i saw on the lot only 1 of them looked less than 10 years or so old.

Over the next few days I am going to call a few of the companies that offer in house training and see how i feel about them. Thanks for the feedback guys, It's appreciated.

Question... If i choose to use a company that has an in-house school / training.... and I choose to pay up front rather than have them bill me... do I generally still need to sign a commitment? Or because i paid outright for the training i am free to switch to a different company if i choose to?

From what I saw others go through concerning medical history and issues.......Here at Prime, Inc......

Be ready to show the downloaded records of the use of your CPAP or be able to show that the doctor says you do not need it any longer. They required seeing it was being used at least 70% of the time. Your surgery and all of the things related to it will certainly be looked at very closely so be prepared to get the records for all of it for their review. From what you've said, this sounds like the main hurdle to cross. So, whatever company it is that you talk to, make sure to go over this thoroughly and do not assume that it's history just because you've been on track with the progress. Make sure they are satisfied and able to give you the green light according to their company policies. You've been through a great deal and it involves many changes so they will be concerned. You will do yourself a great favor by clearing it before you make any move towards a company.

Good luck!!!

Thanks, good info here.. I will absolutely be 100% up front with everything and will document it to there request. I certainly dont want to end up paying for schooling and not being able to work.

If you'll follow that link for the Company-Sponsored Training you can research several companies and get a lot of information on them. Personally, I think Prime has a great program and pays some of the highest rookie pay in the industry. If you know how to take care of business you can make some really great money there. Remember, this business pays based on your performance. When you are getting paid by the mile you've got to learn how to maximize your available working hours - that's just part of the learning curve. I find myself helping rookie drivers at my company all the time with this. I even come across veterans who just don't get this.

roger that... thanks for the link... after asking the question i followed it and have been looking through the various offerrings.

so i have to ask... what is the benefit of paying for a trucking school yourself versus going through one of these companies programs...

AceArcher, welcome to the forum!

I've got a really close friend who lives in Leesville.

I don't necessarily think you are going about this the wrong way, but let me just say that you need to realize that when you go to a truck driving school all they are really going to do is get you to the point where you can get your CDL. Most people don't realize this when they get started at this and are a little disappointed and scared that they didn't come out of school with more training. That is just the way it works - once you get to that point you can get on with a company that hires rookies and they will put you with a trainer long enough to get you to the point where they feel they can turn you loose in one of their trucks. Even at that point you really aren't ready, but you've got the basics down enough to start delivering freight while continuing to learn the ropes and getting paid for your efforts. Having said all that, I think the Company-Sponsored Training programs are really a great way to go. When you're done with training you already have a job waiting on you, and if you keep you're end of the bargain it won't cost you a dime. In this day and time, with money being tight, I'd say if you can get into the industry with some great training, while keeping your five grand in the bank, then that's a great way to go. Everybody's situation is different, and you'll ultimately have to make that decision yourself. I attended a private school.

It's a little tricky to find regional work right off the bat, although it's not impossible. Larger carriers like Prime, Werner, Swift, or Schneider all have regional opportunities available. You might be able to start out with one of them as an over the road driver and then after about three months be able to transition over to a regional position - that would be a discussion you need to have with a recruiter. I would definitely try to get some names from the recruiter of people who you would need to contact later on if that's what you want to do. Some of these companies have dedicated accounts with Dollar General, or Family Dollar and Dollar Tree. Most of them are looking for drivers for these accounts and those drivers usually get home two days each week. It's a bit of a brutal job with lots of unloading of freight, but some people really like that kind of thing, and it is a great paying job if you can handle the additional physical labor.

Great info Old School, appreciate the heads up. I am going to be visiting coastal driving school tomorrow to have a look see (not gonna hand over any money just yet) Also going to be getting some info from them on companies they work with who hire rookies. I do plan on calling these companies and getting more than a few of them in a pre hire approval mode...

I understand what your saying in regards to going through a company training, rather than paying out of pocket.. could you throw a couple names of companies at me that you think do a good job with that...

Thanks much...

Hello everyone,

Approximately 2 years ago i moved my family from maryland to rural louisiana to be with my mother (who had severe alzheimer's) and father as they aged. While we were here my wife and i decided that she would work full time and i would stay at home and take care of my mom and our kids. Financially we were doing good.

Mom passed away a few months ago, so now its time for me to get back to work. However i do not want to uproot the family, or leave my dad alone by himself, and move back to a major metro area to find employment in my previous career. The job openings locally are pretty dismal (pretty much minimum wage and anything else requires significant specialized degree's and /or government experience (and i dont fit that mold)

Trucking however is a strong possibility. Growing up in a military family i always enjoyed our long distance drives to new posts, and also have enjoyed a few cross country trips i have made myself. I'm quite capable of being alone without becoming bored for long stretches... and enjoy new and interesting sights. So i think in addition to being driven and wanting more money... i will also quite enjoy the driving.

I do like to do my homework, and as such wanted to bounce some questions off you more experienced guys to make sure my head is screwed on straight.

1) I am thinking of going thru Coastal Truck Driving School in alexandria louisiana to get my class A Cdl. I also am going to want to get as many of my endorsements as i can (hazmat stuff, etc) Anyone have any feedback on Coastal. Are they a solid training school or am i wasting my money with them?

2) if not Coastal, who do you recommend and why... I believe coastal is going to cost me around 5k (unless i can get some kind of grant etc) and that's okay. I know most of the companies hiring from coastal do offer tuition reimbursement. I am choosing coastal because its within about an hour drive of me and would be very do-able from a commute to and from each day........But if i am shortchanging myself going with them i would rather drive a long ways and stay for the duration at another school.

3) I have no driving lic issues.. i am in my 40's and have only 3-4 tickets my whole life... none in the last 5 years or so. No felonies no DUI's nothing bad. Bout the worst thing i have against me is my credit history is not that great. I don't anticipate any issues here should i be good?

4) About 3 months ago i had weight loss surgery, and have since lost about 60 lbs.. with another 60 or so still to go. before the surgery i was a type 2 diabetic and had high blood pressure. Since the surgery i have not had to take any medications any more for either high blood pressure or diabetes.. my blood sugar is completely normal as is my BP... effectively i am cured of diabetes, and of high blood pressure. The only other thing is i wear a CPAP machine to sleep at night.. i could probably ditch it but actually enjoy using it. Are any of the above things gonna cause me problems in the DOT physical process?

5) also am i going about this the wrong way.. should i be looking to get a company to completely pay for my training rather than going to a school.

6) based on the descriptions of type of work available for Class A CDL drivers.. I think my perfect position would be a regional driving position. I am not against being away from home some of the time, but dont want to away for multiple weeks at a time.... so something along the lines of (work 5-10 days) then take 2-3 days off... sounds pretty darn ideal to me.

In any case, i am glad i came across this forum, lots of good information here it seems... feel free to call me a noob, but please help me out by pointing me in the right direction.

Thanks in advance, Ace