How Much To Set Aside For CDL School And Company Training?

I've seen in several posts where the experienced drivers recommend that a new driver going to cdl school have some funds set aside for when they go to school. Assuming I am going away to a company-sponsored CDL school (3-4 weeks) and will work with a trainer on the road for 3-4 months, what expenses should I plan for? Is it just food and laundry or other things as well?

Thanks for your input!

I see that the list of company-sponsored programs show training pay. Are the companies really paying this?

I believe the training pay you see is the company training AFTER you've gotten your license and been hired by the company. Cdl school or company sponsored programs will all be a bit different. From what I've seen , you need money for fopd and living expenses at most places. There are exceptions but that seems like the majority. I think Knight hires you and you are paid as an employee during training but they don't take on many students and its limited to certain areas. I'm going with Prime Inc. For the first week thwy provide meals. For the next part of training they will loan you $200 per week and payroll deduct what you use when you are hired. Those are the two biggest exceptions to my knowledge. I didn't look into many private schools but I didn't see any that would pay for meals or anything.

As far as how much you should save...I don't know. It depends on many factors like how long the training is. I would talk to the recruiters, and people that went through the programs you are interested in.

As far as saving money for expenses - the main expense will definitely be food. But you'll have others which will vary from program to program. It can include getting your permit, laundry, small administrative fees, and any entertainment like going to the mall or the movies and things like that.

If you can save a minimum of $500, you can get by with that if you're really tight. You would be much better off if you could have at least $1000 set aside. There are always a few people who show up basically broke and just beg for food, cigarettes, and anything else they need. Those people have it really tough. Getting started in trucking is really difficult and stressful as it is without starving yourself, annoying your classmates and trainer, and being broke all the time. But sometimes you just wind up in a mess and you have to fight your way through it.

But definitely shoot for about $1000 in the bank to be comfortable during training.

As far as pay goes, the majority of paid CDL training programs will begin paying you after the first phase of training.

The first phase, which is comprised of classroom, backing, and driving range work at their facility is usually about 2-3 weeks long. Once you complete that and have your permit they'll send you on the road with a trainer for anywhere from 1-3 months usually, and that is what you'll be paid for - time on the road.

Now as Britton mentioned, there are some exceptions. I believe Knight begins paying you right away during phase 1 training, but I don't know of anyone else that does. But don't let that be a factor in choosing a company - it's not enough money to worry about and it doesn't last long. You want to pick a company that's going to suit you well for the long term, not one that gives you a few hundred bucks in the beginning for training.

Thanks, Brett. That's the type of information I was looking for.