Company Sponsored Training Vs Private School
Topic 15355 | Page 1
The only difference us that if you attend s company owned/sponsored cdl school you are obligated to work for that company for s cettain period of time (usually one year) to fulfil your contract with them.
It's a good way to get your cdl if you don't have or don't want to lay out the cash for a private school.
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.
The only difference us that if you attend s company owned/sponsored cdl school you are obligated to work for that company for s cettain period of time (usually one year) to fulfil your contract with them.
It's a good way to get your cdl if you don't have or don't want to lay out the cash for a private school.
Does it matter if you have a certificate or dipolma from a private driving school vs attending company sponsored program and not receiving a certificate or diploma?Such as if you drive for a while then stop and want to start again does the certificate or dipolma matter? Does it help you secure a better job? Example Driver A worked with attended company sponsored training through company S and drove for them a year and then left to go to company T. Driver B went to a private school joined Company S and the transfered to company T. Does driver A have less of a chance at receiving the better job them Driver B.
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.
Most companies require a minimum of 160 hour training certificate.. Company schoold included. The problem some new drivers have with company schools is if they don't complete their contract obligation and that company (who also has their 160 training certificate) won't release it to them, therefore another company cannot hire them until they've fulfilled their contract obligation or paid off their debt.
Whether you attend either type of school, be committed and try not be a job hopper. Stick out your first year with your first otr company . That is extremely important regardless of the school.
For example a friend of mine got his cdl and his first job. His gf didn't like him being gone so after only 3 months he quits, thinking he will be able to get a local driving job. I pleaded with him but he knew better lol. Moral of the story is 6 months later he is STILL UNEMPLOYED. Companies thar hire nrw grads generally only hire then within a couple months of completing cdl school.
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.
OTR:
Over The Road
OTR driving normally means you'll be hauling freight to various customers throughout your company's hauling region. It often entails being gone from home for two to three weeks at a time.
In a way there's almost no difference between companies. In the big leagues if national companies, there are differences in APU policies , whether you can have pets on board, etc. But they all have the miles and the equipment and the paychecks you are looking for.
At the school level, the main difference is where the school is in the hiring process. A private school generally takes your money, trains you up and gets you a CDL license. Then you need to find a job. The problem is, private school graduates, certificate in hand, may have some "unhireable" issues having to do with their life history, medical, etc. Now they have a legal license, and a school tuition to pay off, but no job.
At a company school, the hiring process is done before you start your studies. When you walk into that school, you are all but hired already, just pasd the CDL test and the next day you can start company orientation.
The big financial difference is you pay off the company school by driving for a period of time, often paying through payroll deductions or something.
After the school is paid off one way or the other, and all other things being equal, there's no difference in either student's ability to get a good job.
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.
APU:
Auxiliary Power Unit
On tractor trailers, and APU is a small diesel engine that powers a heat and air conditioning unit while charging the truck's main batteries at the same time. This allows the driver to remain comfortable in the cab and have access to electric power without running the main truck engine.
Having an APU helps save money in fuel costs and saves wear and tear on the main engine, though they tend to be expensive to install and maintain. Therefore only a very small percentage of the trucks on the road today come equipped with an APU.
I personally think company sponsored is better. I got one on one yraining...on the road 24/7. My friend paid for a school and got no one on one time and share the truck with other students. As soon as you pass your test and get your CDL you are hired.
In a school you then need to fins a company and go through training. It's a preference though. I didn't need to stay home but my friend did he did get his cdl... but got broken promises for job placement from the school. He stopped talking about it so I stopped asking him
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.
Crawdaddy, essentially there is no difference with regard to future job prospects.
Private schooling you will have to pay for up front or with a grant of some sort. Company-sponsored training you will not have to pay for up front but you'll normally have to pay some tuition in the form of weekly payments once you complete the training and go solo. That's the major deciding factor for most people - they simply don't have the cash to pay for private schooling.
If you have the cash to pay for private training then you have a choice regarding which route to take. In that case I would start by doing your research to figure out what company you'd like to work for. Apply for pre-hires and see what opportunities you're presented with. Here is some information on the pre-hire process:
- Article: Understanding Pre-Hire Letters: The What, Why, And How Of This Important Step
- Trucker's Wiki: "Pre-Hire Letters"
- Forum Topics Tagged "CDL Pre-Hire Letters"
After applying for pre-hires you'll know which companies will be willing to hire you upon completing your CDL training and getting your CDL. If the company itself does not have its own company-sponsored training program then they will let you know which private schools in your area they are willing to hire students from. Most major companies have select schools they hire from or they have minimum requirements the school must meet.
If the company you're interested in has their own company-sponsored training program then that's the way to go. If they don't, then attend a private school that they'll hire from.
Here is a bunch more information on choosing a school:
- Article Category: Choosing A Truck Driving School
- Trucker's Career Guide: Choosing A Truck Driving School
- Forum Topics Tagged "Choosing A Truck Driving School"
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.
Pre-hire:
What Exactly Is A Pre-Hire Letter?
Pre-hire letters are acceptance letters from trucking companies to students, or even potential students, to verify placement. The trucking companies are saying in writing that the student, or potential student, appears to meet the company's minimum hiring requirements and is welcome to attend their orientation at the company’s expense once he or she graduates from truck driving school and has their CDL in hand.
We have an excellent article that will help you Understand The Pre-Hire Process.
A Pre-Hire Letter Is Not A Guarantee Of Employment
The people that receive a pre-hire letter are people who meet the company's minimum hiring requirements, but it is not an employment contract. It is an invitation to orientation, and the orientation itself is a prerequisite to employment.
During the orientation you will get a physical, drug screen, and background check done. These and other qualifications must be met before someone in orientation is officially hired.
Pre-hires:
What Exactly Is A Pre-Hire Letter?
Pre-hire letters are acceptance letters from trucking companies to students, or even potential students, to verify placement. The trucking companies are saying in writing that the student, or potential student, appears to meet the company's minimum hiring requirements and is welcome to attend their orientation at the company’s expense once he or she graduates from truck driving school and has their CDL in hand.
We have an excellent article that will help you Understand The Pre-Hire Process.
A Pre-Hire Letter Is Not A Guarantee Of Employment
The people that receive a pre-hire letter are people who meet the company's minimum hiring requirements, but it is not an employment contract. It is an invitation to orientation, and the orientation itself is a prerequisite to employment.
During the orientation you will get a physical, drug screen, and background check done. These and other qualifications must be met before someone in orientation is officially hired.
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.
OOS:
When a violation by either a driver or company is confirmed, an out-of-service order removes either the driver or the vehicle from the roadway until the violation is corrected.
I have no experience in the trucking industry but here's my take on it if I think about this logically. Trucking companies keep their doors open by moving product whereas schools rely on students passing and finding a job.
However, taking your example of drivers A & B and they both have driven for a year, the way you have conducted yourself in that year will more than likely determine your future prospects and not what school you attended.
I just went through the same thing. I can afford private schooling, but I have also done a lot of research. It appears in trucking it is going to take some time as a rookie to prove yourself anywhere. This is a job that you can get the jobs you want once that first year is over, If accident free and dependable. So I decided to go with company training. The year I am paying it off will give me much needed experience. And save my own money in case something happens elsewhere or I have a bad week.
New Reply:
New! Check out our help videos for a better understanding of our forum features
Preview:
Why Join Trucking Truth?
- The High Road Training Program
- The High Road Article Series
- The Friendliest Trucker's Forum Ever!
- Email Updates When New Articles Are Posted
Apply For Paid CDL Training Through TruckingTruth
Did you know you can fill out one quick form here on TruckingTruth and apply to several companies at once for paid CDL training? Seriously! The application only takes one minute. You will speak with recruiters today. There is no obligation whatsoever. Learn more and apply here:
TT On Facebook
I am sure that this has been asked. But question is not so much training vs training but the outcome. Is there a difference between, getting a diploma or certificate from a driving school and just going through a company sponsored school? Does the diploma or certificate help you in the long run vs not having one and just going through the company ran schoo? I am still deciding on company sponsored training or private school. Doesn't matter to me about cost or no cost, longer or shorter weeks cause the private school is 4 weeks compared to 3weeks, or that the company I train with does it one way while the private school teaches it another. I think you can understand where I am going to with the rest. Any info would be great. That would narrow it down to if I choose company sponsored or private school.
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.
OOS:
When a violation by either a driver or company is confirmed, an out-of-service order removes either the driver or the vehicle from the roadway until the violation is corrected.