Hi From Louisiana And Looking For Vo Tech

David M. states...

If I find the link to the post I'll plop it down.

Post by bulldawg010 on Apr 29th, 2012, 4:35pm...

lol Starcar, I thought farm equipment operators were exempt from getting a CDL? �;)

First off I just would like to thank everyone on this forum especially Brett and Mike for even making this forum possible. I feel like I had a pretty good understanding of "the way it works" after meeting with this school. The lady was upfront with us about trucking not always being a walk in the park, but when she brought up things like "as a team we can eventually make up to $100,000" I kind of let it in one ear and out the other! Regardless, we had a pretty good impression of the school and lady we met was really nice and knowledgeable about the industry (regardless of financial promises).

Anyhow, they only ask for $100 upfront to get started, that is for your physical. That can be done locally but as far as the permit and testing goes, that is done in the city that the school is in (the DMVs don't share info). If you fail the permit you can retest same day. �We would graduate with all our endorsements and do the skills test at the school. We were told the skills test takes 4 hours and if you fail you can retake within 48 hours.

Covenant was recommended to us because according to the lady, they are more team-oriented than other companies. I didn't mention this but I checked on their website for their hiring areas, and currently they aren't hiring teams in Louisiana...

We were told that the weekend classes have no more than 8 students and the student to instructor ratio is 4:1. Sometimes not every student will show up so it allows more time with instructors. Also, we were told that if we don't quite feel "ready," they can extend the program as needed. They pride themselves on being family-owned and been around for 25 years. They seemed to really try to customize the program to your needs.

She said we would pretty much have to pay out of pocket since there aren't any grants in Louisiana except if you lost your job to the oil spill. All of the grant money dried up due to the hurricanes a few years ago. Tuition is $4,995 per person. They ask for $3,500 down each, leaving a remainder of $1,495 each. If the $1,495 is paid off within 90 days after you graduate, you owe nothing more than that. However, you can choose to pay the $1,495 in installments of $150/month, the total tuition (with interest) comes to $5,795; the interest is $800. So yes, it is quite expensive for us to start out at the same time, needing $7,000 down, plus $200 for physicals. The lady said they will try to work around you as far as the financing goes; for example if you can't afford the $150/month at first, they will work around you as long as you are paying "something."

This school is located about an hour away, about 90 some miles. The good thing about this school is that since they offer weekend classes, we can continue our jobs while going to school. We would drive down there Friday night and return Sunday evening. The classes are from 6am - 5pm. The housing on campus are dorm-style trailers and it is located right on the range. It would be really convenient.

Weekend classes are 8 weeks long and start every 2 months, and weekday classes are 4 weeks long and start every month. The next weekend classes start in June. When we finished up talking to the lady, we were able to talk to one of the instructors. The students were out to lunch at the time. The range is all gravel and they had about 3 trucks with sleeper cabs and 1 day cab. Lotsa cones too. It was really cool to be there.

Oh yeah, she said average driving time would be about 60 hours, more or less depending on how much time you needed in a certain area. �

The ONLY THING that holds us back about this school is the money. With that said, there is Louisiana Technical College which offers a CDL program that is only taught in Crowley, LA which is a lot closer location for us. We haven't spoken to anyone yet, but we glanced at the tuition and it would be less than $1,000 a person. The "catch" would probably be that it is a weekday course, so we'd have to give up job comfort (if you can call it that these days). It may be worth it though to quit our jobs are commute to and from the LA Tech College every day for a fraction of the cost. My bf could also go ahead first through the school, start trucking while I still keep my job, and then while he's trucking and making $ I could take my turn through the school. It seems possible either way, but a lot less pressure with less than $2k a person. Plus, this school is the ONLY PTDI-certified school in the state. Not that that's a big deal, but? �:)

Thanks Anchorman. Same thread, further down she talks about another school I haven't been able to find.

Post by bulldawg010 Apr 30th, 2012, 9:13pm

Thanks for all the input.......I decided to call another college that offers a CDL program; it's a technical college and their program is PTDI certified. It's 7 weeks long, Monday-Friday 7-3pm...for $313 total! A grant is automatically included. Maximum of 6 students to a class which begins monthly. It's a 240-hr course. The guy I spoke with mentioned how they split up the students, 3 would be in their own trucks learning how to back while the other 3 would be in a truck with a road instructor.. so no one is really "waiting their turn." They require certain amount of hours with loads, without loads, night time, etc (although I'm not sure how the night thing works if you're there during the day)... The only costs upfront to secure your spot in the class is $132, and that is part of the $313. $50 for physical, $50 for drug screen, $17 for motor vehicle report and $15 for the permit. Wow...this is just getting more exciting by the day. This seems SO much more affordable, hard to pass this up. We're thinking about enrolling July or August, just depends. But OMG...we're really excited. Need to schedule a visit to the campus in the next week or so. What do you guys think?!?

Thanks Errol. The dang buttons. Lol maybe the trees have been in the way ;)