Comments By Bill S.

What companies turned you down? I don't currently know of any. Also do you already have your CDL, or are you looking for a company sponsored program?

Why not search through the company paid schools and pick one that does flatbed or whatever you actually want to haul? TMC has a CDL program and does flatbed if I remember correctly.

Day one: started at 730. Instructor explained the basic layout of the classroom instruction over the next few days and about school policies and such.

9 am a recruiter from Maverick came. Seems like a great place to start. I can give specifics if anyone is interested.

After the recruiter left we went over truck basics. Like the steering wheel turns the truck and the oil pressure gauge tells the oil pressure. They covered everything like that til lunch.

After lunch we had another recruiter. Event Source. They are looking to hire drivers to load unload and drive their 26 ft box trucks. $13-$18 an hour for new employees. However, that job wouldn't start until about April as they are coming to their slow season.

After that, we went over accidents and accident reporting. Also went over pre trip and in cab. I am sure I could pass the pre trip tomorrow. I would not ace it, but I would pass. I have done similar tests in the military. It seems daunting until you get into it. Plus I have been studying the High Road for months. I think I could possibly pass in cab as well.

I think I am well ahead of the other 20 students from studying here. Overall, I did not learn much today. Also Schneider was supposed to come today but did not. Not certain if they will just come another day or not. I will try to update daily. Tomorrow we are getting out 1.5 hours early and getting out 5.5 hours early on Wednesday.

Bill

Patrick,

I am right at 30%. However, I think you misunderstood my last reply. I am not planning to use schooling while trucking. It's once I get out of trucking in ten years. If I stick to my current plan, I will own 100 plus acres in Texas. I will be running a ranch. During the winter after I go to boat building school, I will be qualified to build boats up to 65 ft in length. I plan to do that during the winter to stay busy and sell any boats I build in the spring. I will also have a good bit of savings by then. I may even work on the boats at night during the summer if I get bored. I am not much for watching TV.

Bill

Here is what Penny had to say:

Six Week Paid Training Program Summary

Weeks 1-3 (9:00am – 5:00pm)

Location – JRayl Akron Terminal Maneuverability, tight turns, shifting Backing up/Alley docking Real life situations/road time Defensive Driving Practice with a loaded trailer Pay - $500.00 per week with a two week hold back. You will receive your funds on Friday of training week number three. An advance of up to $400.00 will be available during your second week of training if needed. Thereafter, you will be paid weekly (every Friday).

Weeks 3-6 (Out for up to a week at a time) On the road training with one of our Regional Drivers E-Log Training Route Planning Customer Service Principals Pay - $500 per week plus compensation for unloading and per diem.

Upon successful completion of the entire six week program, you will be road tested. After successfully passing said test, you will be hired as a full time driver under the following pay scale: Fist 12 months - .33 cents per mile (No Contract) plus per diem and unloading OR .36 cents per mile (with a ten month contract) plus per diem and unloading After 1 year – .38 cents per mile or a guaranteed weekly rate (presently $1,000/week – No Touch or $1,200/week – Unloading

In addition, we a proud to offer all full time drivers the following: Traditional Health Insurance Non-Traditional (company paid) essential coverage Tuition Reimbursement Newer Equipment Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) Trucks Dedicated Dispatchers Impressive Safety Ratings 401k

Patrick,

I have been out almost 3 years now. I had my HMMWV license and ammo license and a Kuwait drivers license while I was in. However, I was in a non driving MOS. Infantry assaultman=my job was to blow up stuff. Thank you for the info about the Apprenticeship programs. I had known about them previous and am not going that route. Currently, I plan to drive for 10 years and go back to school for boat building. Probably seems odd, but that is my current plan. Schneider is in my top ten. I had actually contacted them back in 2008 and was told to contact them once I separated from service and had my CDL.

Bill

The counter lady at the DMV was shocked when I passed all my required exams plus hazmat and tanker endorsements in under 40 minutes. I always recommend THR and TT to anyone I hear talk about starting a truck driving career.

Bill

They are based out of Akron Ohio. Here is the contact info For Penny Mouse. She is one of the recruiters I will be talking with when I finally start school. 330-801-6990. They don't have a CDL program but offer post graduate training. If you prefer to email, her contact info is Penny.mouse@jrayl.com. I just emailed her to ask for more information on the training program and will update when I hear back.

Bill

Phil,

I am not paying out of pocket. I am using my G.I. Bill.

I had a few reasons why I decided to wait. The main one was that my father made a follow doctors appointment on the 18th that I need to take him for. I had made arrangements for someone else to take him once I started school on the 21st and sadly they were not available on the 18th. Other deciding factors are that I can now choose a company based on benefits and home time and types of freight. I still have free medical through the VA through March 2019. Tuition reimbursement is nice but is at the bottom of my list of pros. However, it will be a talking point when I talk to the recruiters that come to my school. I was informed we will have 10-15 recruiters coming to my class and I have already emailed, phoned, or both 5 recruiters that are coming. I believe that number was higher when I was scheduled for the June class. Also, when I was signed up for the June class, the school had a student apply to 100 companies and by the time he finished had heard back from 84 companies that said he could start with them upon completing the course. At least that is what my admin rep told us. So when the people here at TT say to apply to as many companies as possible, it is great advice. However, I don't know if I would have the patience to do 84 pro and con lists myself.

I would ask your school how many recruiters are coming and see if they know from which companies. This will give you some time to research each company that is coming you can have talking points with each recruiter. You should also do a little research on each company so if they ask questions about there respective company you will be able to give an intelligent answer. I know it is not common practice anymore, but I still send out thank you cards to folks that interviewed me. It doesn't cost much but it does leave lasting impressions.

Sorry, got off topic.

Bill

"I can't remember which company, but 1 deducts schooling cost for a year, then pays you that back during the next year. Your break even point is 24 months."

Swift does it this way. Not sure if anyone else does.

Swift is currently in the top 5 of my list. I have several recruiters lined up to meet me at my school. I almost went to the Swift driving program but decided to just wait the extra 2 weeks for my private school start date which is November 21. It's coming up fast and I can't wait.