Failure To Make It Thru Company Paid Training

I’m pleased to join such a great forum and website. I’ve gained a wealth of knowledge and understanding of the trucking industry. And I’m excited what I’ve learned on my goal to become a professional driver. Thanks to Brett, all the moderators and frequent contributors.

My first question is regarding company provided training. I’ve read enough on here to know the percentage of people who don’t make it thru training, for a variety of reasons, is high. If you wash out from your first choice company for not being able to back or some other correctable reason, are you automatically forced to go with 2nd chance companies?

Welcome PG. Your question isn’t a one size fits all answer. Be nice if it was. However I can tell you any company that brings you in and puts you through their school has a vested intetest in seeing you pass and driving for them. It is expensive to recruit and train new drivers. The company sponsored programs spend that money hedging a bet you will pass and drive for them to make that bet pay off for them. I have not heard of any company sponsored program NOT doing everything possible within reason to help students, as long as the student shows they are putting forth a maxium effort.

There are always going to be people out there that are just not cutout for driving a truck for whatever reason. Those are the ones that will get sent home after the school did everything they could, but the student still could not get it done and pass.

The internet is full of horror stories and frankly those stories come from folks that didn’t pass and of course in their mind it couldn’t be their own fault. It has to be the evil instructors and or examiners fault.

Show up with a positive attitude and a willingness to learn and you will do just fine.

When I went to a company school many many many many many moons ago, We only had one person wash out and it had nothing to do with the driving and everything to do with breaking rules.

After having a CDL for a year or two and switching companies I went to a company that had 21 people in their orientation(all have cdls)

None of them on testing of the actual driving failed, it again came down to rule breaking or lying about criminal history.

My trucking career only included two companies before I became an owner operator so I haven’t been all over the place in that regard but it does tell me that chances are you’re not going to have to worry

Thanks PJ and Dan! It is definitely my plan to go in prepared with a good attitude. I’m a little older and this will be my 3rd career. The first 2 were successful Carreras. So I will use what’s worked in my past. That is hard work, good attitude, listen and follow direction. I have a good work history, clean dmv report and drug free. So it’s really on me if I fail. From reading here I know planning is important. So I’m just wanting a plan B in place. So my plan A is to get on with a company that has sponsored training and run hard for a year with them and learn. My plan B is if I get washed out, then go with private school, because I can afford it, to get my CDL. I live in Sacramento and it appears there is a lot of opportunities here for new and experienced drivers .

Prime tweaks the students until they are ready to pass. They will even pass you to a local instructor who explains things differently which may be easier for the student.

Good luck

.... I’ve read enough on here to know the percentage of people who don’t make it thru training, for a variety of reasons, is high.

I can see how you might think that. It's more accurate to say, "the percentage of people who don't make it thru training, for a variety of reasons, and then go on to complain about it online, is high". The people who successfully complete their training don't spend much time crying about it on the internet. The failure rate at the company school I went to was below 1%. Did people panic and drop out to go home and see their sick grandma because, "it could be the last time"? Yep. Did people fail drug screens and get sent home? Yep. Did people get kicked out of the dorm for smuggling in alcohol and have to commute to class from the nearest hotel 41 miles away? Yep.

The company schools, "grease the skids" to make you sure you pass. Simply put, they get paid to put butts in trucks. I'm not saying they do anything illegal or give anyone a CDL who doesn't deserve it. I am saying that if you have a pulse, can stand in the rain without drowning, and don't show up with an attitude problem you will be given multiple opportunities to overcome any difficulties you may have and earn your CDL.

A company school usually has a new class starting every week. If a trainee is having trouble with a section of the training they are usually, "recycled" and moved to the class that started the week behind the class they started with. Yes, it adds a week to their training but they get another shot to finish their week of training. There's no penalty, financial or otherwise for the additional week of instruction (try that at a paid school). In the school I went to there was a trainee who was, "recycled" FIVE TIMES! He eventually did earn his CDL.

As others have stated, being naughty will get you sent home. I went through a special company school for veterans - all the students were honorably discharged veterans. Most were over 40. When a new class started on Monday they would all take a drug screen. On Wednesday, someone from the new class would get called out of class and talked to privately in the instructor's office. They would come out with a sad story about how their friends threw them a goodbye party and they only took one hit off the bong but didn't think it would show on the drug screen. Like clockwork one student would get sent home every week for failing their drug screen.