Could use some advice

[Redlight]

If some people would be willing to give me some advice I would appreciate it. I am going to be retiring soon from the US Air Force after 22 years. Problem is right now I live in Germany and will be basically just dropped back at home in Northwest Ohio. Now comes the questions, I was considering becoming a truck driver, if I was to do it seems from what I read that it could be very easy to get in with a bad company.

1, My gut tells me I should pay for a driving school myself instead of letting a company pay for it, my thinking is I would be held under their thumb of a company for paying for the training, am I right or wrong?

2, A lot of the schools say they have companies come in during the training to recruit, since I will be inexperienced is it a good idea to talk to those companies or are they looking for people to take advantage of?

3, How hard would it be to find employment with benefits, home most weekends with decent pay? IE after finishing a truck school how long do you think it would take for me to find a job, I haven’t even looked for a job in 24 years. Or am I just dreaming?

My biggest concern is how long after getting to Ohio going to school then having a paying job, I will have about 90 days of still being paid so I have a small buffer.

Any advice, thoughts, comets, or concerns are most welcome.

Thanks

[Rev.Vassago]

1, My gut tells me I should pay for a driving school myself instead of letting a company pay for it, my thinking is I would be held under their thumb of a company for paying for the training, am I right or wrong?

Your gut tells you correctly.

2, A lot of the schools say they have companies come in during the training to recruit, since I will be inexperienced is it a good idea to talk to those companies or are they looking for people to take advantage of?

Many of those companies that come in to recruit are giving kickbacks to the school. They are, however, a good way of getting "prehired" before you have even finished school. Do your own research on the company, and don't believe what the recruiters tell you.

3, How hard would it be to find employment with benefits, home most weekends with decent pay? IE after finishing a truck school how long do you think it would take for me to find a job, I haven’t even looked for a job in 24 years. Or am I just dreaming?

What it appears that you want is a REGIONAL job. They aren't that difficult to find, but you need to make sure that if the job pays mileage, then you will make enough miles to get a decent paycheck.

My biggest concern is how long after getting to Ohio going to school then having a paying job, I will have about 90 days of still being paid so I have a small buffer.

Most people who go to driving schools have a job immediately upon completion of the program. What you need to concern yourself with is whether or not the school is going to "finish" you, or if you will be expected to go through a finishing program with a carrier. Many schools only teach you the MINIMUM to allow you to get your CDL. Then the carrier takes you, and you are expected to go out with a trainer for several weeks to several months. Because of this, you may have some difficulty getting a regional job, as I would doubt that most regional companies will "finish" a new driver.

[Useless]

If some people would be willing to give me some advice I would appreciate it. I am going to be retiring soon from the US Air Force after 22 years. Problem is right now I live in Germany and will be basically just dropped back at home in Northwest Ohio. Now comes the questions, I was considering becoming a truck driver, if I was to do it seems from what I read that it could be very easy to get in with a bad company.

1, My gut tells me I should pay for a driving school myself instead of letting a company pay for it, my thinking is I would be held under their thumb of a company for paying for the training, am I right or wrong?

Your "gut" feeling is correct; check out your local community colleges; many of them offer better quality traing for less money than the privately owned CDL Mills.

2, A lot of the schools say they have companies come in during the training to recruit, since I will be inexperienced is it a good idea to talk to those companies or are they looking for people to take advantage of?

To answer both questions?? Yes!! and YES!!

Go ahead and talk to them, but take what they tell you with a grain of salt. Don't limit yourself to the companies that come to recruit.

Yes, many of them are seeking "fresh meat", but listening to them spin their yarns can help you learn what to look out for.

3, How hard would it be to find employment with benefits, home most weekends with decent pay? IE after finishing a truck school how long do you think it would take for me to find a job, I haven’t even looked for a job in 24 years. Or am I just dreaming?

Don't know enough about the job market in Ohio to be of any help here!! How firm are you in your decision to retire in Ohio?? There are other parts of the country with far better economic conditions!!
My biggest concern is how long after getting to Ohio going to school then having a paying job, I will have about 90 days of still being paid so I have a small buffer.

90 days should be aequate, but keep doing your homework!!

Any advice, thoughts, comets, or concerns are most welcome.

Thanks

[larryh31]

Try to find a community college near your home and pay for the course yourself so that you won't be locked into a contract for a year. A good place to check for schools in your area would be:
http://www.ptdi.org/

Most school programs just teach you the basics so that you can pass your state exam. After you get your CDL, your employer will send you out with an experienced driver for 3 to 6 weeks of additional training "finishing". During this time you will only be making $300 to $450 a week, so your buffer will definitely be needed.

If possible try to avoid companies that train as teams!!!!

[Uturn2001]

While I normally would not suggest this, you might want to check and see if the GI Bill would pay for all or part of your schooling. I have heard of people using it in the past.

As far as getting home every weekend, that is possible depending on what type of trucking you get into. You might end up being on the road for up to 6 weeks straight however during the OTJ training phase.

It is very possible to be working within a week or two of completing CDL school. The fastest way to get a job is to start applying to companies as soon as you start school. That way by the time you finish you should have several conditional job offers.

BTW: Most private schools, if you attend full time, are about 4 weeks. Some are longer and some a bit shorter. To maximize your job oppurtunites you want one that is at least 160 hours.

[Useless]

[quote="Uturn2001"]

BTW: Most private schools, if you attend full time, are about 4 weeks. Some are longer and some a bit shorter. To maximize your job oppurtunites you want one that is at least 160 hours.[/quote]

An excellent point made here!! Some company sponsored schools do not meet that requirement, so even though you have a certificate and a CDL, many companies will not take you unless you have 6 mos to 1yr. of experience!!

[GoldiesPlating]

All good replies, one thing to add. TRY to figure out through research WHO you may like to work for and then find out what their requirements are as far as schooling is concerned. All schools are not approved by all companies. Some companies will reimburse you for your schooling if you wish. Also, I know I'm in the minority here, but I let TMC sponsor (pay for) my training. In return I must stay with them for one year. I see no down side to this since if I decide to quit, I'd just have to pay off the balance of the loan. Since you are considering paying for it YOURSELF, what's the big deal letting a company pay for it? If you leave before the year is up, the worst case scenario is you pay for it yourself, same as you were planning to do in the first place.
It's not like they keep your first born.

[Rev.Vassago]

In return I must stay with them for one year. I see no down side to this since if I decide to quit, I'd just have to pay off the balance of the loan.

This is not the norm. Most of these companies will hit you for the entire amount if you leave before you have fulfilled your obligation.

Since you are considering paying for it YOURSELF, what's the big deal letting a company pay for it? If you leave before the year is up, the worst case scenario is you pay for it yourself, same as you were planning to do in the first place.
It's not like they keep your first born.

But they do keep your pay low. Most companies that train are in the lower brackets as far as their pay scale goes. They tend to get away with it because they know that they have the driver locked in for a set period of time.

Not to mention the fact that many of them are charging inflated prices for their "schooling", and that training may not be transferrable to another company if you leave too soon.

[Redlight]

Thanks for all your input it helps alot.

Red

[acranger]

[quote="Uturn2001"]While I normally would not suggest this, you might want to check and see if the GI Bill would pay for all or part of your schooling. I have heard of people using it in the past.

quote]


Why would you not "normally" suggest using the GI Bill to pay for truck driving school?

[terrylamar]

[quote="acranger"]

While I normally would not suggest this, you might want to check and see if the GI Bill would pay for all or part of your schooling. I have heard of people using it in the past.

quote]


Why would you not "normally" suggest using the GI Bill to pay for truck driving school?

I was going to ask the same question. That is exactly what the GI Bill is for, school, training for a new career. Truck Driving School will only use a portion of your benifits. You can use the rest on other schooling or you can just sit back an loose your benifits.

[fireman932003]

I agree with everyone here. What I did when I went into trucking is I used my GI bill to pay for it. I first went and called all the companies that hired new drivers right out of school and found out what they had to offer and what their requirements were as far as school was. After I talked to all the companies, I went to the local truck stop and talked to all the drivers I could find that worked for those companies. I took all the info I gathered and made a "Pros and Cons" list and figured out which company fit me best given the information I had obtained. I went to the school that company took and here we are.

[Redlight]

It was pretty funny today, I went by my education office asking if I could use my ed benefits while on terminal leave, they didn’t know and promised an E mail by the end of the day. No answer today (good thing I don’t plain on retiring till June. I also asked her if she could get me a list of all the Jr Collages in Ohio and Michigan so I could see if they offered driving classes, since I had a lot of people saying to check them out, well she told me to find the collages myself and then she would check and see if they are accredited. I walked away remembering this was one of the reasons I was retiring

Red

[acranger]

It was pretty funny today, I went by my education office asking if I could use my ed benefits while on terminal leave, they didn’t know and promised an E mail by the end of the day. No answer today (good thing I don’t plain on retiring till June. I also asked her if she could get me a list of all the Jr Collages in Ohio and Michigan so I could see if they offered driving classes, since I had a lot of people saying to check them out, well she told me to find the collages myself and then she would check and see if they are accredited. I walked away remembering this was one of the reasons I was retiring

Red

Talk to the VA. The Education center is pretty ignorant about the GI Bill as I discovered during my clearing process. My ed center at least gave me the information to get in touch with the va. The website is www.gibill.va.gov it has all the info you need

[GoldiesPlating]

I agree with everyone here. What I did when I went into trucking is I used my GI bill to pay for it. I first went and called all the companies that hired new drivers right out of school and found out what they had to offer and what their requirements were as far as school was. After I talked to all the companies, I went to the local truck stop and talked to all the drivers I could find that worked for those companies. I took all the info I gathered and made a "Pros and Cons" list and figured out which company fit me best given the information I had obtained. I went to the school that company took and here we are.

PERFECT ANSWER BRAVO!!!

[GoldiesPlating]

In return I must stay with them for one year. I see no down side to this since if I decide to quit, I'd just have to pay off the balance of the loan.

This is not the norm. Most of these companies will hit you for the entire amount if you leave before you have fulfilled your obligation.

Since you are considering paying for it YOURSELF, what's the big deal letting a company pay for it? If you leave before the year is up, the worst case scenario is you pay for it yourself, same as you were planning to do in the first place.
It's not like they keep your first born.

But they do keep your pay low. Most companies that train are in the lower brackets as far as their pay scale goes. They tend to get away with it because they know that they have the driver locked in for a set period of time.

Not to mention the fact that many of them are charging inflated prices for their "schooling", and that training may not be transferrable to another company if you leave too soon.

Hold on there Rev. TMC does not have it's OWN CDL school, but rather uses outside independent schools and community colleges whose training is accepted industry wide and whose prices can be compared independantly. We do not "inflate" the price as we are not getting the money, the CDL school is. Our pay is also some of the highest in the industry. Also a "sponsored student" is taken GOOD care of as TMC has a vested interest in them.

[terrylamar]

"Hold on there Rev. TMC does not have it's OWN CDL school, but rather uses outside independent schools and community colleges whose training is accepted industry wide and whose prices can be compared independantly. We do not "inflate" the price as we are not getting the money, the CDL school is. Our pay is also some of the highest in the industry. Also a "sponsored student" is taken GOOD care of as TMC has a vested interest in them."

As I understand, TMC will secure a reduced rate from one of the schools they recommend.

[syl77dar]

GOOD LUCK!

[terrylamar]

why not let the va pay 4 your trucking school? some good companies include: gordon, millis, roehl, mcleod and tmc (if you want to do flatbedding). some companies to avoid include: CRST, CRST CRST! werner is a pretty good company i have heard schneider has very good training, swift is okay, some like it some don't. everyone will give you their opions you have 2 figure out what works best 4 you. ALSO IF YOU ARE UNEMPLOYED GO TO THE UNEMPLOYMENT OFFICE THEY CAN GIVE YOU A WIA (WORKERS IN ACTION) YOU NEVER HAVE TO REPAY IT EITHER. GOOD LUCK!

So...., how do you feel about CRST?

[syl77dar]

i hate crst! do you like it? or what do you know about crst?