San Diego Training Facilities

Use the training on this site. Its great. Every day I work on it I feel more comfortable with it. I was overwhelmed at first looking at it all but I'm confident I can pass it all now. By the time I actually get to taking the tests I plan on acing it.

Keep in mind when choosing between private and company-sponsored schools that there are some significant differences beyond the costs.

Private schools are being paid (by you) to teach you how to drive a truck. The pace is a bit slower, there's more opportunity for 1 on 1 time with an instructor, They're more patient with you if you're catching on slowly, and you're treated like a paying customer (at least you'd better be).

Company-sponsored programs are more like a tryout than a regular school. They bring in a bunch of people knowing they'll likely wind up with only 25%-50% of them ever becoming solo drivers for the company. The pace is usually much faster than a private school and there isn't a lot of time for 1 on 1 instruction. They're not patiently teaching you to become a truck driver the way a private school is. These programs will push the pace to be as fast as possible and if you don't catch on quickly they'll drop you and send you home.

With company-sponsored programs, think of it this way - they're giving you the opportunity to "make the team". You can get your training through them for basically no money up front and they will give you a job upon completion of the program. But the thing is, they're taking a risk on you because it's costing them money to train you. So if you don't pan out, they lose thousands of dollars. These companies can recognize when someone has good potential and when they don't. And of course these companies are not in the business of losing money. So you can be sure that they're going to cut a person loose right away if they don't think they have solid potential for becoming a professional driver. It's your job to prove you belong and that you're worth the risk.

So be aware of the differences before making a choice. If a person doesn't have the money up front then your choice is pretty much limited to a company-sponsored school. But if you can afford a private school, it's quite a different experience from a company-sponsored school so make sure you choose the one that seems to suit your goals and your personality the best.

Brett, every time I hear that a private school is better ( which I totally agree with) I think of the 4 day CDL mill that I went to. Now it has gotten better....its now a 5 day cdl school !!! And its doing a roaring business. They called me awhile back, and asked me if I'd like to become an instructor. I told em no thanks. If I did that, and sent people out on the road, driving 80k trucks, with no more training than they gave in 5 days, I couldn't sleep at night...Dang it, the pay was pretty good too..I hate it sometimes, when the little angel on my left shoulder overrides the little devil on my right shoulder.

Thanks Brett, the reason company sponsored has been on my radar is because i'm anxious to get started but am tight on cash. Postings i've read by you and many others about sponsored and private schooling has really caused me to slow my roll with making a decision. Being able to meet and exceed my own expectations while getting my CDL is very important. I'd rather not be rushed to much during the license and initial behind the wheel stuff. The idea of being able to choose between different company pre-hires is a big plus as well. There are a lot of private schools within an hour or so drive from me as well. Things are starting to shift more towards a private option for me. Save, research and study, that's the business for now

Nelson...you just keep looking...you'll find a fit. If you have any military, you can go thru on a GI Bill....and states have special programs too....just keep looking.