Comments By Dina D.

I am grateful to hear your perspective Maia B. ! You know, I've driven mostly automatics, but, a boyfriend taught me how to drive a manual and I drove a car with a manual transmission for about 9 months. I just hope that he taught me the right way! Lol! I am totally open to re-learning the right way when the opportunity comes. And, yes Swift's training appears to be very affordable as you have said - less expensive than Prime's and Millis' (though all can be free provided i work for the required amount of time to "pay" it off.

I totally want to look before I leap and go in with my eyes wide open. Thank you for your answers! You've helped me and probably many other people that search this site! Before I posted the message above, I did apply to several trucking companies via Truckingtruth's website..and was accepted by several of them (I applied just in case I decided to get my cdl via a college training program). I will definitely follow your advice and study for the learner's permit, Errol V., by enrolling in the High Road Training Program. I definitely want to succeed and am looking up down and all around! Lol! : D Also, yes Ken C. there is a lot to like about Prime such as it's training, fairly new equipment, pet policy, benefits, no touch freight, and pay. Millis I heard, pays more than Prime, but charges more in upfront fee(s) such as I would need to find my own means of transportation to get there $, pay a depost $$, and have to purchase my own meals $$$. I think that Millis has an excellent training program (lower in cost) too - a con is that no Hazmat is required. I would most likely need a cdl a, and dot physical done before going to Millis...same with Swift. Swift has a PTDI certified training program here in Houston...and so does Houston Community College, and ATDS but a certified program is not much better than an accredited one as Brett has said. Millis, Prime, and Swift all seemed to have the same school requirements, lodging (2 to 5 people per room), student to teacher ratio = 1:1, and almost all of the reviews on all three companies were mostly positive rather then not. If I read a great deal of complaining by a few of the reviewers...i empathized but also realize (I think that Brett said this or maybe someone else) that every one's experience is different and that not everyone finds the trucking field to be the right fit for them - perhaps they will find it to be a good fit for them in the future : )

I only have a SMALL amount of savings. Is it truly wiser for someone in this sort of situation to get company training vs the community college kind? I've done a ton of research, and have read that it's best to go into a program that GUARANTEES a job after training, and that requires little to no upfront costs, if a person is short on cash. Also, since almost all new cdl drivers should drive at least one year over the road...all companies sort of require about the same contract or amount of driving experience whether I get a cdl through a company based program or a community college program, right. so i should not be so concerned about the 1 year contract thing. 1. Is all of this sounding right?

Also, I heard that prime's training program is extremely fast paced..2. if one does not pass the tests in the first few weeks or so would I be sent home and expected to pay the full cost of the training..and face unemployment too? I read that swift is a bit more lenient or open to allowing a trainee to retrain, study more, and retest ...3. what about prime and millis?

If I became unemployed due to not passing something ...I think that would be a worse consequence than having to pay almost 4k back while remaining employed part time locally if i went to college locally.4. how difficult are these company training programs anyway? 5. is there such a high turnover rate or fast revolving door at prime, millis, and swift that I should be concerned? no one can help me since i am on my own. i am totally alone and on my own - I always am. i read that it is smart to get a permit ahead of time..6. is that a learner's permit/cdl A that i can get by just paying and taking a written test? 7. should i get a physical done too before taking a bus to a far away place? i want to be careful since i have so little savings, earn little money at my current full time job, and have no one to help me if i become unemployed . i already looked into getting funding through an unemployment office since i earn so little...but i have been going though the application process for over 4 months...it is taking too long i feel...probably will take another 2 to 6 months just to get approval if funding is available and i would have to quit my current job and live on savings to attend for a month and a half or so which would take up all of my small savings.