So, Tried CSRT
Topic 5120 | Page 1
...in Cedar Rapids, IA. And I bombed out of it. Kirkwood cut me from the program. They suggested that what I might benefit from would be a longer training school with more time behind a wheel, but my butt is pretty much broke at this point and I'm not sure I qualify for any kind of student loan. Apparently CSRT has some...issues, according to some of the other trainees and some of the trainers, even. Can anyone suggest to me a good Plan B--either a good company with a decent training program I can contact who might be willing to take me, or a school or something? I don't want to give up on this yet, and I've got a learner's permit and a health card at this point...I applied to Prime early on but CSRT got to me first, and Prime would not have taken me anyway due to some irregularities in my employment background...
Check out Swift, they just did a really nice pay raise for new drivers and they will train you with 0 money upfront. Also there is no employment contract, you just have to pay the full amount of the school back instead of half.
Swift also does not seem to care about work history to an extent, just be honest with them about why things happened.
...in Cedar Rapids, IA. And I bombed out of it. Kirkwood cut me from the program. They suggested that what I might benefit from would be a longer training school with more time behind a wheel, but my butt is pretty much broke at this point and I'm not sure I qualify for any kind of student loan. Apparently CSRT has some...issues, according to some of the other trainees and some of the trainers, even. Can anyone suggest to me a good Plan B--either a good company with a decent training program I can contact who might be willing to take me, or a school or something? I don't want to give up on this yet, and I've got a learner's permit and a health card at this point...I applied to Prime early on but CSRT got to me first, and Prime would not have taken me anyway due to some irregularities in my employment background...
That was one of my concerns with CRST, 7 weeks(or 6) dosent seem like a long enough time to get the hang of this. However, with that said, CRST moves a lot of freight and that means lots of miles for drivers. It looks like you've done your homework and picked up your med card and permit, just apply where ever you can, and be pro active and call the recruiter. Good luck
Apply to all of the Company-Sponsored Training Programs and see what they say. It's quite common for people to drop out of one program and go to another. You should be able to find more opportunities.
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.
Until you have tried I wouldn't say you cant get a student loan or pell grant. They pretty much accept everyone for the loan and you might get lucky and get a grant. Talk to the financial aid department before simply giving up.
Try SRT in Texarkana. They had somewhat of a bad reputation for awhile but have made many changes to make their drivers happy and get their retention rate up. I am a new driver, just finished training and I will be dispatched Saturday. I was very hesitant to try them because of some things I read while doing research, but since I live in Texarkana I thought I would give them a try, thinking that every time I got stuck in the yard at least I would be able to go home. I am glad I started with them. The changes they have made have really benefited the driver. Give them a try.
EPU:
Electric Auxiliary Power Units
Electric APUs have started gaining acceptance. These electric APUs use battery packs instead of the diesel engine on traditional APUs as a source of power. The APU's battery pack is charged when the truck is in motion. When the truck is idle, the stored energy in the battery pack is then used to power an air conditioner, heater, and other devices
Try SRT in Texarkana. They had somewhat of a bad reputation for awhile but have made many changes to make their drivers happy and get their retention rate up. I am a new driver, just finished training and I will be dispatched Saturday. I was very hesitant to try them because of some things I read while doing research, but since I live in Texarkana I thought I would give them a try, thinking that every time I got stuck in the yard at least I would be able to go home. I am glad I started with them. The changes they have made have really benefited the driver. Give them a try.
I just did. They require a verifiable three-year work history, no self-employment or unemployment allowed.
So far, I've went ahead and threw an application at Swift. I'll see what comes of that--right now I've got very little money to buy food even if they wanted to take me, but maybe something will come of it. They normally require a fee up front, but since I've got a valid IA learner's permit and a health card, maybe they can waive it or something.
EPU:
Electric Auxiliary Power Units
Electric APUs have started gaining acceptance. These electric APUs use battery packs instead of the diesel engine on traditional APUs as a source of power. The APU's battery pack is charged when the truck is in motion. When the truck is idle, the stored energy in the battery pack is then used to power an air conditioner, heater, and other devices
PRIME Inc is what you might want to check out...they will feed you and advance you money while doing the PSD training phase and then they will pay you $700 a week as a TNT trainee.....If you need longer training time then Prime Inc is your best choice because it takes anywhere from 3 to 6 months to complete their course...Tell them Truck #659071 recommended you...:)
Ken
PSD:
Prime Student Driver
Prime Inc has a CDL training program and the first phase is referred to as PSD. You'll get your permit and then 10,000 miles of on the road instruction.
The following is from Prime's website:
Prime’s PSD begins with you obtaining your CDL permit. Then you’ll go on the road with a certified CDL instructor for no less than 75 hours of one-on-one behind the wheel training. After training, you’ll return to Prime’s corporate headquarters in Springfield, Missouri, for final CDL state testing and your CDL license.
Obtain CDL Permit / 4 Days
- Enter program, study and test for Missouri CDL permit.
- Start driving/training at Prime Training Center in Springfield, Missouri.
- Work toward 40,000 training dispatched miles (minimum) with food allowance while without CDL (Food allowance is paid back with future earnings).
On-the-Road Instruction / 10,000 Miles
- Train with experienced certified CDL instructor for 3-4 weeks in a real world environment.
- Get 75 hours of behind-the-wheel time with one-on-one student/instructor ratio.
- Earn 10,000 miles toward total 40,000 miles needed.
TNT:
Trainer-N-Trainee
Prime Inc has their own CDL training program and it's divided into two phases - PSD and TNT.
The PSD (Prime Student Driver) phase is where you'll get your permit and then go on the road for 10,000 miles with a trainer. When you come back you'll get your CDL license and enter the TNT phase.
The TNT phase is the second phase of training where you'll go on the road with an experienced driver for 30,000 miles of team driving. You'll receive 14¢ per mile ($700 per week guaranteed) during this phase. Once you're finished with TNT training you will be assigned a truck to run solo.
Prime has pretty purple trucks.
Prime has pretty purple trucks.
:D Well, I'm sold.
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...in Cedar Rapids, IA. And I bombed out of it. Kirkwood cut me from the program. They suggested that what I might benefit from would be a longer training school with more time behind a wheel, but my butt is pretty much broke at this point and I'm not sure I qualify for any kind of student loan. Apparently CSRT has some...issues, according to some of the other trainees and some of the trainers, even. Can anyone suggest to me a good Plan B--either a good company with a decent training program I can contact who might be willing to take me, or a school or something? I don't want to give up on this yet, and I've got a learner's permit and a health card at this point...I applied to Prime early on but CSRT got to me first, and Prime would not have taken me anyway due to some irregularities in my employment background...