Comments By Sandman

So I finally did it!!! Started Swift Monday!! 30 min. drive, no hotels for me. Well six out of eighteen got sent home within 1.5 hours. Including ME!! Why? I had my divorce doc. but needed divorce AND marriage docs., three had no s.s.cards in hand, one had his license since he was 16 but not in the state he lived in, he had to go back to his state and have the DMV record pulled there, and one said he got robbed on the bus! Had his license in his pocket but wallet and social plus his money gone!( director said they usually lose more than that) How is that possible? I have no idea why would you be sent to school without at least the basics? Anyway, On a side note I was the only female. I also found out I might be a bit of a snob lol, but I don't think there were any doctors or lawyers or cops or IT guys in my group. Doesn't matter I know! I know! And I got the feeling we were all dirt bags until proven otherwise. Here is the deal, I got a little pamphlet while I was there 3 things 1) If unemployed more than 30 days need two notarized letters (when and why) 2) Need copy of high school diploma 3) Complete on-line study course. My recruiter said No No and No I don't need those things!?? What to do mmm... not going to be very happy if I get sent home again! Praise God Hallelujah!! I got my butt there! Now at least first day jitters are done and done. Now if I can just keep my blood pressure down....Luv you guys

At least you didn't hear.... Mikki your drunk, go home.

Someone went to the college that I will be going to today, At the same time as me. Me and him were both there for enrollment in the cdl program. He was wearing his bud light cologne. I started looking for the bartender.

So I finally did it!!! Started Swift Monday!! 30 min. drive, no hotels for me. Well six out of eighteen got sent home within 1.5 hours. Including ME!! Why? I had my divorce doc. but needed divorce AND marriage docs., three had no s.s.cards in hand, one had his license since he was 16 but not in the state he lived in, he had to go back to his state and have the DMV record pulled there, and one said he got robbed on the bus! Had his license in his pocket but wallet and social plus his money gone!( director said they usually lose more than that) How is that possible? I have no idea why would you be sent to school without at least the basics? Anyway, On a side note I was the only female. I also found out I might be a bit of a snob lol, but I don't think there were any doctors or lawyers or cops or IT guys in my group. Doesn't matter I know! I know! And I got the feeling we were all dirt bags until proven otherwise. Here is the deal, I got a little pamphlet while I was there 3 things 1) If unemployed more than 30 days need two notarized letters (when and why) 2) Need copy of high school diploma 3) Complete on-line study course. My recruiter said No No and No I don't need those things!?? What to do mmm... not going to be very happy if I get sent home again! Praise God Hallelujah!! I got my butt there! Now at least first day jitters are done and done. Now if I can just keep my blood pressure down....Luv you guys

At least you didn't hear.... Mikki your drunk, go home.

This is the Best thing I have read on the subject. Hope it helps.

[link removed by Brett Aquila]

The choice can only be made by you. There is no free schooling. If there was, none of these company sponsored training programs, college programs and or Private cdl schools would exist. They would be out of business. No company is going to willingly lose money. You don't get a car for free even if you win it, do you? The real question is. How much do you really want to pay? Do you want to spend a lot less up front and lose more in income throughout your contract? Do you want to spend more up front and out of pocket. Plus have to find your own job. And make more throughout your contract? Do you want to spend some out of pocket. Let a middleman train you. Let them set you up with a job that throughout the contract you get raped? Sorry I hate the idea of private cdl school. Some may be good this is just my view. I also hate Temp companies. These remind me of them. Why pay a lot of money for someone to sit on their @$$ and call companies? You could for this? You have three option really. A- Company Sponsored. B- Cdl training at a college. C- Don't.

That settles it with me, just hearing one more story like that. Thanks, I am supposed to be in one of the schools in the Fort Worth area on the twenty-sixth of this month. I do not owe them anything for the application verification do I ? I am going to try to get on at Lone Star College instead if I can and pay up front. 240 hours and they claim 98% job placement. Hope you got on with someone else Christina. It may just be a upset driver setting you up for failure or it may be true what I am reading about going that route.

Same thing I was thinking. I enrolled at a local tech college for cdl school. I will find out what the out of pocket will be soon. The most will be about $2000.00 which I already have more than that saved for the purpose of getting my cdl. So the horror stories and the fact I had a way around going company sponsored kept me away. I feel for people that go through this kind of treatment. The crap you go through to get a better job and want to do it safe and right. I plan on learning everything I can and becoming a trainer to help others.

It can happen at a private school too, thats why its important to pick the right school. Once you get the right school then you can worry about the right company

Double and triple checked I'm in the clear with the school I picked and already speaking with companies. Have a list of 8 and will work from there. All companies are very close to where I live. Have a family member that went though their school as well as Anchorman went though the same school.

I hit the button and it tells me address and how far. To much thinking. I want to hit a button, see a map of me on a road and see stops ahead of me. Any one have any recommendations? I currently have MyDAT trucker.

I use the MyPilot app, Loves app and TA App, along with Trucker Tools. Another good one is CAT Scale App and Weigh My Truck which is from CAT Scale.

They work for me, each one of the truck stop apps show's me the closest one to me and what hwy and the distance.

Dang how many app do you need? . Any room left on your phone?

That settles it with me, just hearing one more story like that. Thanks, I am supposed to be in one of the schools in the Fort Worth area on the twenty-sixth of this month. I do not owe them anything for the application verification do I ? I am going to try to get on at Lone Star College instead if I can and pay up front. 240 hours and they claim 98% job placement. Hope you got on with someone else Christina. It may just be a upset driver setting you up for failure or it may be true what I am reading about going that route.

Same thing I was thinking. I enrolled at a local tech college for cdl school. I will find out what the out of pocket will be soon. The most will be about $2000.00 which I already have more than that saved for the purpose of getting my cdl. So the horror stories and the fact I had a way around going company sponsored kept me away. I feel for people that go through this kind of treatment. The crap you go through to get a better job and want to do it safe and right. I plan on learning everything I can and becoming a trainer to help others.

If you go GA Technical School you can qualify for the Hope Grant and other programs that will drastically reduce your costs. I am at Chattahoochee Tech now and so far my outlay is:
Admission Fee: $20.00
Physical and Drug Screen: $70.00
Driving Record: $8.00
Books: $123
Tuition: $61 (course cost is $1646; Hope Grant and GA Strategic Industries Grant paid the rest)

Other fees to come are for permit and testing, and background check for Hazmat, but that should be it.

Good Luck!

So for what about $2000.00 total if you payed out of pocket. Not bad when most company sponsored training will slap you with a $3000.00 to $4000.00 or higher "CRE" if discover this is not the career for you to late. Plus im not sure if another company will give you a job if you decide to leave before 12 months of employment. A lot of companies I've been speaking with that only hire people with a cdl class A. Will not touch someone from some of these company sponsored training programs because they... A. Did not graduate from an accredited truck driving school and or program. "160 credit hours". Or B. Do not have the minimum experience (most of the time 12 months) OTR. So far Crete, Us xpress and Conway will not. Maybe one with there own company sponsored training will. I don't really? Just something I've ran across the last few days when speaking to drivers, office personal and recruiters. Seems like a detail some, not all. Companies with (CST) fail to answer.

If you go GA Technical School you can qualify for the Hope Grant and other programs that will drastically reduce your costs. I am at Chattahoochee Tech now and so far my outlay is:
Admission Fee: $20.00
Physical and Drug Screen: $70.00
Driving Record: $8.00
Books: $123
Tuition: $61 (course cost is $1646; Hope Grant and GA Strategic Industries Grant paid the rest)

Other fees to come are for permit and testing, and background check for Hazmat, but that should be it.

Good Luck!

Well permit fee in Georgia is $35.00 and testing is $10.00 which becomes you license fee when you pass. (If you pass the first time) not sure what the background Check would cost.

Things will work out find either way. Make sure you confirm with US Xpress that they hire candidates from the school you're going to attend. I drove for US Xpress for the better part of six years toward the end of my career. I thought they were about as good as any company out there. They had tons of options for various fleets, nice equipment, good pay, and kept you moving pretty well.

I actually know Max Fuller personally though my Brother, Uncle and Grandfather. My Brother and Grandfather work for us xpress right now. My uncle did a few years back.