Choosing A School
Topic 23934 | Page 1
There are 2 schools near where I live that I am considering going to. I will be taking a tour of one on Monday. I am obviously new to the industry and was wondering if you guys and gals can give me some advice on what questions I should be asking.
I am new here too I could pay for my schooling and then seek a job. But why? When you have top notch carriers that will pay for your training and get lined out with just a one year contract. TheY will take care of you and have plenty of forgiveness in the mean time being new to the industry?
I've heard its better to go to school than to be trained by a company whose only concern is training you for the way they want it done. Also I'm looking to drive local.
HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.
I've heard its better to go to school than to be trained by a company whose only concern is training you for the way they want it done. Also I'm looking to drive local.
Where did you hear that? And why do you believe it to be true?
HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.
I've heard its better to go to school than to be trained by a company whose only concern is training you for the way they want it done. Also I'm looking to drive local.
I'm in school right now, at Sage, which from everything I have read is a great school. I am currently sitting at home after the class work, waiting for a CDL road test appointment, so they can schedule my drives to get my CDL. My impression so far is that the classroom portion is worthless, and the administrator is extremely disorganized.
The company I want to work for does not offer a company school. I wish they had, because right now, I would be working, getting paid, and would have my CDL. AND I would be $5300 richer.
Listen closely. A CDL SCHOOL WILL TEACH YOU HOW TO GET YOUR CDL. PERIOD. You will not know anything other than how to look up regulations, and barely do the maneuvers required to get your CDL (straight back, offset back, parallel park).
On the other hand, a company school will teach you to get your CDL, exactly like a private school, and then immediately start training you how to actually drive a truck in real life situations. Then they will put you in a truck and let you drive with an experienced driver for a few thousand miles, then give you a truck. Many, if not all, will pay you through almost the whole process.
Save your money, and let the company you decide to work for train you, work there a year and get the experience required to get a job anywhere, and then decide if you like working there, or if there is a job you like better. You may well find that if you worked hard and applied yourself, that the company that trained you will give you plenty of miles and pay you well.
Oh, and the way they want it done? That would be safely and productively. Exactly what you should want as well. As far as driving local? It probably won't happen right out of ANY school, unless you get lucky, or run Dollar Store or food delivery accounts, where you will work your butt off, after backing into some god awful places all day.
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.
Dm:
Dispatcher, Fleet Manager, Driver Manager
The primary person a driver communicates with at his/her company. A dispatcher can play many roles, depending on the company's structure. Dispatchers may assign freight, file requests for home time, relay messages between the driver and management, inform customer service of any delays, change appointment times, and report information to the load planners.HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.
Here's some sage advice...
Why I Prefer Company Sponsored Training
Why You Should Not Start Your Trucking Career As A Local Driver
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.
Here's some sage advice...
Why I Prefer Company Sponsored Training
Why You Should Not Start Your Trucking Career As A Local Driver
Sage advice? I see what you did there. Good advice, for sure. 
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.
I've heard its better to go to school than to be trained by a company whose only concern is training you for the way they want it done. Also I'm looking to drive local.
Where did you hear that? And why do you believe it to be true?
I've read that on forums. Never said I believe it to be true, just said that's what I've heard. I am open to any and all advice. I am selling my pizza shop in a couple of days and I want to drive a truck. OTR and regional are not options for me at this point. I am a single dad with 3 kids (13, 15, 17) living with me. I need to drive locally. I know that is drastically limiting my options but I'm ok with that for now as I will be somewhat financially secure for the near future.
Are there local companies that do training or is it mainly for OTR? Excuse my ignorance regarding the industry. I don't know much about it but I have a desire to drive and I am excited to learn all that I can. I am, however, not pursuing it until January or February. In the meantime I will be catching up on things around the house, spending time with my kids and driving for Lyft.
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.
HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.
If you didn’t think it was true, then I’d expect the wording of your first post represented more as a question and not statement.
That said, it’s best to start at the beginning... please click and read these links:
- Truck Driver's Career Guide
- Brett's Book: The Raw Truth About Trucking (free online version)
- High Road CDL Training Program
- CDL Practice Tests
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.
I've heard its better to go to school than to be trained by a company whose only concern is training you for the way they want it done. Also I'm looking to drive local.
Where did you hear that? And why do you believe it to be true?
I've read that on forums. Never said I believe it to be true, just said that's what I've heard. I am open to any and all advice. I am selling my pizza shop in a couple of days and I want to drive a truck. OTR and regional are not options for me at this point. I am a single dad with 3 kids (13, 15, 17) living with me. I need to drive locally. I know that is drastically limiting my options but I'm ok with that for now as I will be somewhat financially secure for the near future.
Are there local companies that do training or is it mainly for OTR? Excuse my ignorance regarding the industry. I don't know much about it but I have a desire to drive and I am excited to learn all that I can. I am, however, not pursuing it until January or February. In the meantime I will be catching up on things around the house, spending time with my kids and driving for Lyft.
The local jobs offered at school were either overnight or you would be working from early morning to 8, 9, maybe even 10 PM.
Doesn’t leave much time for a home life. And almost all the local jobs want a years experience first.
What area are you in?
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.
HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.New Reply:
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Advice For New Truck Drivers Attending Truck Driving School CDL Training Choosing A Truck Driving School Choosing A Trucking Company Company Sponsored CDL Training Getting Your CDL Local CDL Drivers Paying For Truck Driving School
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There are 2 schools near where I live that I am considering going to. I will be taking a tour of one on Monday. I am obviously new to the industry and was wondering if you guys and gals can give me some advice on what questions I should be asking.