Help With Choosing CDL School, Rethinking 1st Choice
Topic 22578 | Page 2
But I have to be honest I'm not comfortable with him signing on with this company...
Ok, I'm not clear on on this. Are we talking about a private school or a paid CDL training program?
Private schools generally aren't associated with any particular trucking companies. You pay the tuition up front and upon graduation you can choose a company to work for.
Paid CDL Training Programs are schools that are owned and operated by trucking companies. The company pays the up front costs of the schooling and once you go to work for the company you'll normally start paying back the tuition costs.
What school are we talking about? What's the name of the school or company?
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.
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 decided not to go with my first choice. I got my CDL permit today and I have my DOT , but I need to finish with a school to get my CDL. I need help deciding which school to choose. This is all confusing (I know you can't decide for me) but I do need some guidance. I was thinking Prime or Roehl. Brett it was CR England.
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.
DOT:
Department Of Transportation
A department of the federal executive branch responsible for the national highways and for railroad and airline safety. It also manages Amtrak, the national railroad system, and the Coast Guard.
State and Federal DOT Officers are responsible for commercial vehicle enforcement. "The truck police" you could call them.
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.
Ok so you're choosing a Company Sponsored School. That's a solid option. Here are some links to help you in your decision.
Paid CDL Training ProgramsApply For Paid CDL Training
- Truck Driver's Career Guide
- Brett's Book: The Raw Truth About Trucking (free online version)
- High Road CDL Training Program
- CDL Practice Tests
- Trucker's Career Guide: Choosing A Truck Driving School
- Article Category: 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.
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.
Hello Elmer Fudd! We're so glad you and Cherry Kisses have joined our site! We've got a lot of successful drivers in here who have gone through the various Company sponsored CDL Training Programs. Prime and Swift are both well represented in here and we've got drivers from several of the other programs also. If I were starting this all over again, I would definitely take a good look at Prime. They start right out paying new rookie drivers one of the highest rates available.
They are kind of more selective about who they will hire, but you seem to be squeaky clean with a good work history, and that will help you with them. If I were you I would definitely fill out an online application and get in touch with their recruiting department. Feel free to ask any questions and voice any concerns in here with us. There are a good number of members in here who can give you helpful and responsible answers, and the Prime drivers in here can answer your Prime specific questions.
The thing that I like about Prime is the way they do their training. It's all one on one. Now that can get a little stressful being cooped up in a truck for weeks at a time with your mentor, but it is a very practical way for you to learn what you need while actually moving freight and being exposed to all the minutiae and details of the job.
If you've got more questions, feel free to lay them out. We will do what we can to help you.
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.
You should also take into consideration what type of driving you want to do. If want to do flatbed or reefer make sure that a division they offer. Do you want to run regional or otr. That can be the difference of being home every week or every 2-3 weeks. If you find a company school and the company offers what you want that’s great and free. I actually thought I wanted to drive for the oilfield and was able to pay out of pocket in Tyler Tx for about 3,500. I wound up driving flatbed and getting reimbursed as a lot of companies will do. Whatever you do don’t get pressured into something by a recruiter. They have a job to do I understand but that job is to sell their company. Take the time to make a good comfortable choice.
Regional:
Regional Route
Usually refers to a driver hauling freight within one particular region of the country. You might be in the "Southeast Regional Division" or "Midwest Regional". Regional route drivers often get home on the weekends which is one of the main appeals for this type of route.
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.
Reefer:
A refrigerated trailer.
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You really need to be careful what you read on the internet. It's predominantly fiction sprinkled with a little bit of truth.
Two different things you are questioning here:
The quality of the school and getting paid during training.
Quality of the school is entirely subjective. Their sole purpose is to teach you husband just enough to pass the CDL tests, nothing more.
Once he selects his company and he is hired, they will train him. We call it road training, mentoring or finish training; varies from 3 weeks up to a couple of months. Depends on the company. During this time he will get paid while he drives with a trainer.
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles: