A possible different way to afford to get your CDL

[SteveInDixon]

After much research (3+ years) I finally have decided to enter the world of Professional Truck Driving. What I did was pick a company I wanted to work for and then contact them about schooling. They didn't offer schooling but the recruiter told me of a school nearby and also to mention that he referred me to the school. I contacted the school and the school recruiter said that if you are prehired, you only have to pay a small amount of money down and nothing else until you start working. So, if you don't want to attend a "CDL mill" and want to look into a private school, this might be the way to go. I hope this made sense! Good luck! Steve

[dle]

Read the fine-print.

[SteveInDixon]

Meaning??

[Uturn2001]

Meaning, sometimes when you sign these type of contracts you are also signing a work agreement with that company who "pre-hired" you. Also there may be clauses in the payment contract that state that if you do not go with the pre-hire company or start work by so many days past graduation the balance becomes due in full.

Then of course you could have only "X" amount of months to pay off the balance and if you only make the minimum payments you may find a huge balloon payment at the end or you may also find the interest rate is extremely high. The possibilities are endless, that is why a person needs to always read and understand everything in any type of contract.

[SteveInDixon]

Okay, I got ya. That makes sense. So basically, this way (that I suggested) really isn't as sweet as it sounds? Damn! Burst my bubble! Thanks! Steve

[repete]

by all means check it out, just make sure you READ EVERYTHING if its not in black & white don't believe it! I hope that it works out for ya.
Also be very careful about signing a work contract with a company it can really turn and bite you in the azz a couple of months down the road

[Uturn2001]

It is possible you may have stumbled upon a good deal. All we are saying is to be 100% sure of what you are getting into.

[VitoCorleone99]

People in this forum have come from almost every school and worked for almost every company. If you care to mention specifics like the company name and the school, they can probably tell you what to look for. If not, just read and re-read everything before you sign it.

I know, for example, that some people have gone to school in Oklahoma through some kind of arrangement with CFI. They paid between $1,000 and $2,000 out of pocket and were required to haul one load for CFI after training. Beyond that, they were free and clear. That's probably not quite as cheap as what you seem to have found, but there are options out there that won't make you an indentured servant for a year or longer.

[kebo072]

After much research (3+ years) I finally have decided to enter the world of Professional Truck Driving. What I did was pick a company I wanted to work for and then contact them about schooling. They didn't offer schooling but the recruiter told me of a school nearby and also to mention that he referred me to the school. I contacted the school and the school recruiter said that if you are prehired, you only have to pay a small amount of money down and nothing else until you start working. So, if you don't want to attend a "CDL mill" and want to look into a private school, this might be the way to go. I hope this made sense! Good luck! Steve

This would be a pretty good deal if the company has tuition reimbursement.

[dle]

I contacted the school and the school recruiter said that if you are prehired, you only have to pay a small amount of money down and nothing else until you start working. So, if you don't want to attend a "CDL mill" and want to look into a private school, this might be the way to go.

There is no such thing as free training. You will pay for this, in the long run. Call the school recruiter back and ask them for a copy of the payment agreement - their reaction should tell you what you need to know.

[Fozzy]

[Wile E. Mile]

There is no such thing as free training. You will pay for this, in the long run. Call the school recruiter back and ask them for a copy of the payment agreement - their reaction should tell you what you need to know.

Not true. I got my CDL here, didn't pay a penny, and was never held to a repayment agreement or pledge of service. There were some catches, though:

-- California resident.
-- Income threshold.
-- Must be on unemployment and have worked in an industry with low demand and no forseeable growth.

You basically need to be boiling stones for breakfast to satisfy the income requirement. If you're really poor--poverty line or below--you get free housing and three squares a day at no charge. Oh, one more thing: you have to join the Teamsters.

There are resources out there, but you'll have to accrue some "sweat equity" to find those that cater to your circumstances.

[RunNGun]

The workforce investment act is a beautiful thing. WIA will take the entire cost of the CDL training, and in some cases, even pay for some gas to get you there and back. Sure, the red tape you cut through is a pain, and lengthy.. but free money is free money. You do have to stay employed in the profession for a minimum of 18 months though, sending in one paycheck stub, and making one phone call a month.

Oh, I should use the word "free" a little loosely.. tax dollars and all..

[Whammo]

The workforce investment act is a beautiful thing. WIA will take the entire cost of the CDL training, and in some cases, even pay for some gas to get you there and back. Sure, the red tape you cut through is a pain, and lengthy.. but free money is free money. You do have to stay employed in the profession for a minimum of 18 months though, sending in one paycheck stub, and making one phone call a month.

Oh, I should use the word "free" a little loosely.. tax dollars and all..

RunnGun, I am researching this option for myself here in Pennsylvania. Are you aware of exactly which grant it is that covers Driving? there seems to be a bunch of them as listed here:

http://www.paworkforce.state.pa.us/p...essionalsNav=|

I was thinking of going to the Schneider or Swift schools, but I would have to pay them back for the training or sign a contract.

Whammo!

[floored]

Nothing is free. Like others said you are often locked into a contract to work for the company that paid your schooling bill, and if you leave before the contract is up, you get to pay the bill of the school plus some.

If you can afford it, I suggest Western Truck School in West Sac. Talk to Don if you can, really good guy and a good school. I paid 4k for my "education" but it was worth it to me to not be committed to anyone and go where I wanted after I was out of there.

BOL

[Orangetxguy]

8)

[SteveInDixon]

Hi Alice! I am going with Western Trucking School in West Sac. I'm taking their weekend classes just to make sure I can cut it. I'm the OP of this topic and I just thought it was interesting that if you found a company you wanted to work for, and they prehired you, then you would not have to pay anything (besides a small down payment) until you started working for that company. I'm looking at Gordon and I think I could put in a year easily with them. That is if I make it through the class!
Steve

[floored]

Hi Alice! I am going with Western Trucking School in West Sac. I'm taking their weekend classes just to make sure I can cut it. I'm the OP of this topic and I just thought it was interesting that if you found a company you wanted to work for, and they prehired you, then you would not have to pay anything (besides a small down payment) until you started working for that company. I'm looking at Gordon and I think I could put in a year easily with them. That is if I make it through the class!
Steve

Steve, if you are in western get to know Don in the corporate office, he will open doors for you if you are a good student. I was lucky, I went there, did well and established good friendships with my instructors (all are gone now but Don) and it helped me out big time. I didn't have to go suffer at Werner for .26cpm as my first job, I was offered a job with a company out of Woodland with a brand new truck, didn't have to run with a trainer and was paid .35cpm, all because I did well in school and had established good relationships with those around me, Don suggested to that company they hire me and they did.

I go talk to the school classes often, motivation or whatever. My biggest advice I give is: Always keep doors open, you never know who your going to be talking to today who can open a door for you tomorrow. Set goals for yourself and live by them. I wanted to be a o/o within my first year, I did it in 10mos. If your told no, keep on trucking because someone will say yes down the road.

Tell the old Volvo hi for me when you drive her, haha

[floored]

Also, if you are interested in Gordon, hit up Kona911 - he ran for them out of school I believe

http://www.classadrivers.com/phpBB2/...profile&u=6400