The CDL School
Topic 13344 | Page 1
I don't know anything about it, but based on typical private four week courses (160 hours) that is twice the price for a little bit higher graduation rate. I've witnessed people who couldn't tell you how many wheels are on an eighteen wheeler get their CDL at private schools. There's no way they will have enough time in four weeks to teach you anything especially relevant to your career over what the lesser priced schools will. As long as the major carriers hire from a school you will be fine going through it. Save that money for something that is worth using it on.
Your real world training comes after you are employed. There's no way that extra expense is going to get you further along or better prepared in my opinion. I think the recruiter is angling for some commission money.
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
- Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
- Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.
TWIC:
Transportation Worker Identification Credential
Truck drivers who regularly pick up from or deliver to the shipping ports will often be required to carry a TWIC card.
Your TWIC is a tamper-resistant biometric card which acts as both your identification in secure areas, as well as an indicator of you having passed the necessary security clearance. TWIC cards are valid for five years. The issuance of TWIC cards is overseen by the Transportation Security Administration and the Department of Homeland Security.
I personally would not recommend any course that cost $8,000. That seems like an insane out of pocket price to me. That is just my personal opinion and others can chime in with what they think. I would recommend looking into Company-Sponsored Training Programs or browse the Truck Driving School Listings for a community college in your area.
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
- Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
- Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.
Company-sponsored Training:
A Company-Sponsored Training Program is a school that is owned and operated by a trucking company.
The schooling often requires little or no money up front. Instead of paying up-front tuition you will sign an agreement to work for the company for a specified amount of time after graduation, usually around a year, at a slightly lower rate of pay in order to pay for the training.
If you choose to quit working for the company before your year is up, they will normally require you to pay back a prorated amount of money for the schooling. The amount you pay back will be comparable to what you would have paid if you went to an independently owned school.
Company-sponsored training can be an excellent way to get your career underway if you can't afford the tuition up front for private schooling.
Thanks for the replies. Yeah, Im thinking they are all doing the same job, just to get the CDL right? So why pay more? I am willing to do it if they are no-kidding worth it and I become a Supertrucker straight outta Miami. But, yeah it makes sense that the cost wouldn't be justified unless it was like a 6+ week course or a 1:1 student-teacher ratio.
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
- Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
- Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.
$8000 is a pretty steep price indeed. Especially if you are paying out of pocket. The School I went to in NC was $6000 company sponsored w/ 1 year contract or a tad under $4000 if out of pocket.
There are tons of options out there, do as AnchorMan recommends and check the listings and even run some google searches. You can definitely find a better deal than that.
I went to a technical college where the out of pocket expense was around $1,000 for an 8 week course that had a 2:1 student-teacher ratio.
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They have a school in Miami. Recruiter recommended it to me (says they have a higher graduation rate). It's an $8000 course. Though it's the same 3-4 weeks as most other schools.
Anyone go through it and would recommend it as well?