Comments By Nacho B.

One last thing Elizabeth, if you haven't already started the WIOA process, I'd suggest you get on that right away, even before you visit schools. You can just google WIOA and your county name. While it's certainly not anything difficult, it IS a process that takes some time. Maybe each state is different, but here's a quick rundown of my process. Go to an hour and half orientation (my local office had them twice a week). Bring everything, like social security card, letter showing that you're on unemployment etc. Then I had to come back a few days later and take some tests (basic reading comprehension, math skills, etc). Then I met with a career coach that same day and tell her what I was looking for CDL. Then I was assigned 4 different things to attend, such as a resume writing workshop, and job interviewing skills workshop etc. These were one a week, sometimes twice in one week. After all that was complete, I met with career coach again and officially applied for the voucher for free training. (Jumping through those hoops and attending those workshops really weeds out a lot of people that aren't very serious at all. If they cannot come to a handful of workshops, they probably wouldn't be very good at attending any vocational school, ESPECIALLY if they weren't even paying for it). Then I had to visit at least 2 different CDL schools ON THEIR APPROVED LIST and pick one. Meet again with coach, blah blah blah....

All said and done with was a good two months plus before I ever stepped foot into the school for day 1.

Nacho B, I think you just inadvertently gave her some good solid reasons to go with the Paid CDL Training Programs.

BTW, Nacho if a company puts you into a 150 thousand dollar piece of equipment and entrusts you with their customers valuable freight, they will expect a lot from you.

Exactly! That's what I was trying to convey to her. I think the company sponsored is the way to go ultimately if OTR is where the interest lies.

Hey Elizabeth, if you were layed off and currently collecting unemployment, getting your CDL at a private school using WIOA funds may be a really good idea. That's what I am currently doing. (ALMOST DONE, whew!). For me, this decision was because I was paying nothing out of pocket. I figured if I discovered that I just didn't have the skills or if I didn't enjoy what I was doing, well then I wasn't on the hook with a contract with a company. If that's NOT the case with you and you will indeed pay for it, then I would seriously consider going the company sponsored training program. I completely understand your thought process regarding a school needing to "justify their existence". That said, they justify it by getting you your CDL in your state. For MY state, the maneuvering skills are straight line backing, offset backing from one side of the truck only, and parallel parking from one side only. So, NOPE, no 45 degree dock type backing for me! Plus, as for the road skills part. It is 100% dead flat all around me, so I will get my CDL with zero experience even starting from a stoplight on an incline, let alone everything else that comes with varied terrain. It actually makes me quite nervous about what a company that hires me will expect from me. I'm hoping not too much. ;)

With a company CDL program, they are investing in you driving THEIR equipment in the manner that they want you to. Their rooting for your success in real life situations. You asked why anybody would pay for it if a company would train them "for free". Good question. I can tell you from almost every student around me in my school that, well...almost NONE of them want OTR. They're all hoping to hop into some local day job right away. (Best of luck to them!) It appears that it's only the OTR big companies that do the whole "we'll train you" gig.

Anyway, there's my two cents. And that and 2 bucks may get you a cup of coffee.

..for a company NOT based in Illinois?

I'm asking for a friend who is thinking of going into trucking. I'm getting my CDL from a private school here in Illinois, but he will not. My question is that I know Illinois requires ALL testing to happen in Illinois. In other words, there is no such thing as simply transferring your out of state license to IL by simply paying the appropriate fee. I'm guessing the way it works is that, lets say you go with Prime. You'd get your MO license and then at some point you'd pass through IL with your trainer and take your pre-trip, skills and driving test at an Illinois facility?

Anybody in Illinois who has been through this?

Cheers!

Wow I've been saving all my food reciepts. I'm glad you mentioned that Nacho B.

Haha! You better keep them! We don't know the answer for sure yet! I'm not even with a company yet!

Rick S., you've been giving some great advice and insight here! Much appreciated. I, too, will not have to worry about this for a year but it's good to know these things ahead of time. I just want to be clear on one aspect. That $63/day standard deduction is for meals and would NOT require keeping receipts for any meals. It would just be all the other incidentals that involve the truck that need to have receipts to backup, correct?

Oh and for others following along with this great thread, I DID stumble upon a CPA's website specific for trucking and it has a great FAQ section. Lots of things listed as expenses you can deduct that wouldn't have occurred to me. Plus, things that CANNOT be deducted.

Hey Tastebuds. Can you tell me if Prime REQUIRES a driver to be on Per Diem or is it something you can opt out of? And if it is forced, I understand there is often an "administrative fee". Does Prime have that? If so, what is that fee? Thanks for any insight!

I so thankful for all of the fantastic information this website provides. I've read the helpful link on what to ask recruiters. I was just curious as to anything else people may have experienced. I was recently reading a blog that was written by a recruiter. They had said things that never even would have occurred to me. One thing that came to mind was about home time and that some companies require that you designate one spot as "Home" and that is where you will always be routed to for you home time. (I've recently relocated back to my old stomping grounds after about 12 years away and really don't have any ties here. My hopes are that when I have home time, it'll be in a variety of locations throughout the country to be able to explore and enjoy).

So along those lines, I was just curious as to what you experienced drivers never thought of either and that may have come as a surprise to you.

Thanks!

I'm very intrigued by this post and to hear other responses. I am two weeks away from completing my school (if all goes well...NO, all WILL go well). I, too, find myself a self-starter, quick learner, with natural abilities. That said though, we recently had a recruiter at my school who said their training period with another driver before going solo was three weeks. THREE WEEKS! I sat there with my mouth open and asked I think 3 or 4 times if I was hearing correctly!! There is no way in hell I'd be ready to have my own truck after three weeks. Dunno, maybe it's my school. When starting something completely knew and foreign, you really don't have anything to compare it to. My school basically trains you to pass the state test. That said, I'm only looking for companies that have a nice lengthy training program!

On a side note, I was so proud of myself yesterday on my fourth time out on the road (we drive in two hour increments). My time slot was right smack in the middle of Chicago Friday evening rush hour where two inches of snow had fallen during my two hour stint behind the wheel and it went off without a hitch. Note to self: Do some squats or something to build up those sorely lacking left leg muscles! Holding that clutch in for pretty much the entire two hours due to traffic, freight trains, etc. was a KILLER! ;)

Thanks all for chiming in. Sounds like companies tend to do their OWN checks on each applicant, which makes sense. I guess I'll let them tell me what's necessary when the time comes. And ChickieMonster and Canukan, if you see this, I had (have) a current valid Ontario Driver's License (G). I also have my Illinois regular driver's license and my CLP while I'm still in school. Basically, it's which version of the Driver's Abstract that would be needed. I never even owned a car the entire 8 years I was there so it BETTER come up clean! ;) Sounds like it's a moot point anyway if it's employers that do the checking and not the applicants that are required to supply them.