Decisions On Company Based Schools

I've narrowed it down to "2" company based schools, thanks to this site, countless other ones and YouTube videos from drivers. My question is besides what I've read and watched is there anything else I should be aware of when making a life changing decision like this. My 1st school is Prime Inc and my second school is Knight Transportation, both schools are compared to be very close to each other in what they offer. But my ultimate goal is to drive for a company that only operates flat bed, then maybe move into heavy hauling. There's a local trucking company where I live that just requires two years over the road to work for them and they do heavy hauling. But would it benefit me to have flatbed experience? I know one big question that will be asked is do I have a family, etc. I am not married, no kids and presently living at home with family. I been down that road with being married and don't plan to head down it again unless I am forced at gun point aka "shotgun wedding". Are there' any driver that work for either company that could give me advice?

After I researched company sponsored schools, I had decided on Knight - 2 main factors - NO contract, and you can still pay back school with interest free payments of $100 per month. Also like Knight because of no NYC, and no forced dispatch, and choices of dry van , reefer , etc.

In the end though, I decided to go with a private school to open up my choices of which company I would sign up with. A lot of companies offer tuition reimbursement

Interest free payments if you leave Knight for someone else, you don't have to pay cost back upon leaving company

There are two local private schools here, Miller-Motte and Palmetto Training. I know that Miller Motte is accredit, which means i can get lottery assistance from the state. But palmetto training to my knowledge and looking up isn't listed as accredited so far. I would rather go to a local school to broaden my horizons for better jobs. I am just coming up short on the financial end, do you have any pointers.

There are two local private schools here, Miller-Motte and Palmetto Training. I know that Miller Motte is accredit, which means i can get lottery assistance from the state. But palmetto training to my knowledge and looking up isn't listed as accredited so far. I would rather go to a local school to broaden my horizons for better jobs. I am just coming up short on the financial end, do you have any pointers.

You can check on grants, also the school may have some financial assistance available...... I took money out of my retirement fund....and some companies have reimbursement plans if you go to private school's

is there anything else I should be aware of when making a life changing decision like this

One thing to keep in mind is that the first year is mostly just a learning experience. Very rarely does anyone land an amazing job right out of school. Once in a while someone knows the right person and gets in at a company they never would have had a shot with otherwise, but 99.5% of new drivers wind up at one of the major companies doing just fine. And you won't know enough about handling that rig, working with dispatch, or navigating life on the road to turn big miles and make big money in the beginning anyhow.

So don't worry too much about finding some perfect path into trucking where you have the ultimate school, the ultimate job, and all that. Worry about choosing the right CDL training for your situation and choosing a company that fits your needs that first year. Once you have a year of safe driving under your belt a ton of opportunities will open up. That's when you'll know enough about the job and the industry to make an informed decision about the perfect job and the perfect company for you.

If you like Knight and Prime, and there's a lot of things to like about both of them, apply to both schools and find out if they'll bring you in. Get a dialogue going with the recruiters, see which company appears to be the better match and go for it. Get a year of safe driving under your belt and then pretty much the entire industry will open up to you.

And yes, you'll definitely want (possibly need) flatbed experience if you want to get on with a company that does heavy hauling.

Thanks for the input, brett and brian, i just need to buckle down and knock out my cdl permit test and endorsements.