Help With Choosing CDL School, Rethinking 1st Choice

My husband is due to go to a CDL school next week so I decided to do some reading on that school and I must say the reviews I found online have been very unsettling...I understand that with any school/company there will be pros and cons but the amount of negativity and reports to the BBB have got me seriously worried...$12 grand after interest is serious business to pay off if things go south...He is making a career change from management to truck driving and I will support him in whatever decision he makes... But now neither of us are sure about this particular school...I voiced my concerns about this school to him tonight and told him I'm fine with him going to school for OTR driving but I have reservations about this particular school...I told him I was going to write on the forum and ask for suggestions as to what schools y'all think would be a good choice...Pay to train type things... I've read about Prime, Roehl... He is due to get his CDL permit tomorrow... Thank you...

I can't really answer about the complaints, but 12 grand is ridiculous!

You can do this for free, and be way better trained. Read This Article, then come back in here with whatever questions or concerns you may have. We will help you get this new career started off right.

By the way, Prime is one of the best paying programs out there, and an excellent choice for starting a new trucking career.

Please don't rush into something without discussing it further in here. We've all been in your shoes - we understand the anxiety and we know the way to success.

I just thought about This Other Article. Check that one out also. It may help clarify some things.

A private school gives you no advantage over a Paid CDL Training Program, nor does a 12,000 dollar school give you an advantage over a 4,500 dollar school. None of them teach you how to be a successful truck driver. They all get you to the point of obtaining your CDL, and that is your first baby step in the process. That's simply not worth 12 grand.

Please, read those articles and hang out with us. We can help you guys get this started off right.

Personally, I think your husband needs to be in here himself. This isn't something to jump into thinking you've got it all figured out. Those are usually the people that get slammed into reality due to their false expectations.

Why would anyone pay 12 grand for something you can get for free?

Companies need people so bad they are willing to pay for you to go to school and your willing to shell out 12k?

Call Prime, CRST, Swift, Knight, Stevens or any of the other companies Brett put reviews up on the site. But don't let go of 12 thousand dollars for snake oil.

I don’t know about that school. But I went to TDI Milton, Florida. Schneider reimbursed the tuition (many companies do). Tuition wasn’t half of that $12k.

I was pleased with my training and it served the purpose, which was just to get me my license.

While I respect all of the moderators here, you have to choose the route you’re most comfortable with. I had already decided I wanted to go with Schneider and they didn’t offer CDL training at the time.

I hope this helps.

In NJ it was $6k.and that is one of the highest places to live.

Most companies whonoffer tuition reimbursement are not going to give anywhere near that.

what does the contract say? can he cancel?

I went to school here in Pittsburgh last year and it was about $7K. However, as I was unemployed, I was able to get a grant for about $4500, so out of pocket it was about $2500.

While I respect all of the moderators here, you have to choose the route you’re most comfortable with

Yeah, but when you're new to something you may not understand all of your options fully and you might become comfortable with an inferior option. Just because you've gotten comfortable with a certain idea doesn't mean it's a good one. It's just a familiar one. Paying $12,000 for school because you're comfortable with the idea still makes it a bad idea.

Most of us here think Paid CDL Training Programs are the best option even though interestingly enough some of us (myself included) paid for private schooling. Of course I stared in '93. Not only were paid programs very rare at that time but I had never even heard of them until I had already been driving for a short time.

Nowadays there are a lot of great paid training programs and in my opinion they're the best option. My nephew has considered becoming a driver and that's certainly the direction I would send him.

While I respect all of the moderators here, you have to choose the route you’re most comfortable with

Yeah, but when you're new to something you may not understand all of your options fully and you might become comfortable with an inferior option. Just because you've gotten comfortable with a certain idea doesn't mean it's a good one. It's just a familiar one. Paying $12,000 for school because you're comfortable with the idea still makes it a bad idea.

Most of us here think Paid CDL Training Programs are the best option even though interestingly enough some of us (myself included) paid for private schooling. Of course I stared in '93. Not only were paid programs very rare at that time but I had never even heard of them until I had already been driving for a short time.

Nowadays there are a lot of great paid training programs and in my opinion they're the best option. My nephew has considered becoming a driver and that's certainly the direction I would send him.

I certainly hope nobody got the impression I was in favor of a $12,000 fee. Sorry I wasn’t more clear.

I was only referring to the decision of private school, technical school or company sponsored.

Thank you all for replying... I could be slightly off on the total amount... After further checking I'm getting around 7K , but not sure if that includes interest over the course of the loan... That's still a nice chunk of money though... He's off taking his permit test right now... He's stressing that he has to call the recruiter right after the test...I told him I'm sure she isn't glued to the phone waiting for his call... My husband is a stand-up guy who likes to do the right thing... He values keeping his word and all that good stuff...So for him not to call her right back goes against who he is...lol But, she can wait because we have a serious decision to make... He hasn't signed any contracts or anything and no tickets have been purchased to get him anywhere... But I have to be honest I'm not comfortable with him signing on with this company... I will support him on anything he wants to do but when I have this knot in the pit of my stomach with this fear of dread, I'm like UGH...I think it is a seriously wrong move...Now it may be things would be ok, but the odds I'm reading do not look good...I have no problem with him going to a school at all...Just not this one...Let's pick another one...I'm ok with being by myself while he is away and taking care of our animals and the house etc... I'm not some young girl who has to be by her husband 24/7...lol I want him to live his dream for himself and us...If it works that is great...If not, life goes on...I own the house we live in so we have no mortgage, but we do have a new car payment and other bills that have to be paid and pets to feed...As long as that gets covered, I'm good...I think one of the things that I had read that has bothered me is some people didn't get paid for a month... And some their pay was even as low as 25$ a week... I understand the variables in pay etc but Lordy how can someone support their family plus eat themselves on the road at that pay... Update while I've been typing...He got his permit...He will be signing in later to comment with his own worries etc... Thank you all for taking the time to read and post and being here for us...It really means a lot, and we are reading everything that is posted and researching the links... :)