Colorado?

[Solo]

I'm new here, which is painfully obvious by my post count. I've been researching trucking for some time. I was leaning towards Schneider, since the training is supposed to be top-notch with no up-front cost, but it seems they only hire for dedicated runs from here, and I haven't heard a lot of good things about them. I'm more interested in OTR. I do not have a CDL, and I am wondering if there are any decent companies hiring in the Boulder area that will train newbies. Thanks for any info.

[RottsATruckin]

www.wksh.com
Good company, offers training (with employment contract/payback) and they have a terminal in Denver so you shouldn't have any issue with home time and unlike every other company here they heven't had a "slowdown, it's the economy, waaa-waaa"
They'll keep you moving and treat you better than most.
You can probably count on one hand the decent starter companies, most of the trucks happen to be red.

[Solo]

Thanks much. Hard to believe a LTL carrier will take complete newbs. I'll give them a call.

[RottsATruckin]

I wouldn't consider them LTL but about 25% of their van loads are multi-stop.

[RunNGun]

Being a Colorado resident, I might be able to help a bit as well. I had also talked to Schnieder.. odd how that company seems to be on the first to call list. They told me the same they told you, with the gm/ford runs. I found that there aren't any companies you can train with here in Denver.. they all have you go somewhere else in the country. However, there are a few schools here so you can be a "free agent" of sorts, not owing time to the company that trained you.

[lurchgs]

Solo

I am/was in the same boat as you. Complete newbie to trucking when I changed careers. I did a bunch of research, too = posted the story on a different board.

a couple things I learned.

1) (and you seem to have this in hand) not all trucking companies are the same.

2) at least 50% of all the "what a crap company" stories are B.S.

3) do NOT let a company pay for your school unless there is absolutely no alternative. You will have to pay them back. Typically this is done via weekly deductions from your paycheck. However! If, for some reason, you can't work for X time, you may still have to make that payment. Also, if you decide that you just can't stand working for them - before you've paid them back fully, you STILL have to pay them back. I have *heard* (and this may be pure hoo-ha) that some companies won't pro-rate you. If you quit, they'll demand repayment of the full amount.

Go to your county employment agency. They will be able to direct you to the WIA administrator. WIA is a *grant* for learning new skills when you can't get a job with your current skill set. From start to finish, it took me about 2.5 weeks to have my grant in hand.

4) there are several schools here in the Denver area. Find the one that best suits your needs. As it happens, I chose the one in Henderson (Commerce City), both for its reputation and for its proximity to my home.

5) a pretty fair number of trucking companies hire out of schools. Check out http://www.classadrivers.com/index.p...ting&ListAll=1 for a pretty nice list.

6) I recommend getting all the endorsements you can, rather than just settle for the basic CDL. You probably won't need them at the outset, but it should open doors down the road.

Best of luck!

[RunNGun]

4) there are several schools here in the Denver area. Find the one that best suits your needs. As it happens, I chose the one in Henderson (Commerce City), both for its reputation and for its proximity to my home.

You chose Sage for their reputation? Are you kidding me? Sage's school is a complete junk pile. You should know as well that they carry a reputation worse than Swift.. or perhaps C.R. England and J.B. Hunt did some time ago. In fact, that's much like saying you would rather have sex with a spent ***** over a drop dead gorgeous woman simply for the fact the ***** was closer..

[Brad M]

The All-American Truck Driving School Guide picked the "Best Truck Driving Schools in North America" and guess who was their number 1 pick. Sage Tech Truck Driving Schools.

[CaliTrucker]

Just curious where the attitude toward Sage comes from RunNGun?

I went to Sage in Cheyenne, Wy and they did what they said they would, help me get my CDL. I thought it was a good choice, mainly due to the fact that they only had one student in the truck at a time. Some of the places that put like 2-4 students plus the instructor in the truck at the same time wouldn't give everyone a whole lot of time to learn, IMO.

I do think there was alot of boring videos, and thing can be a little rushed but its only a three week program, or when i went it was.

They may not be the best choice for everyone, but they will give you the basic knowledgeand skills you need to obtain a commercial license.

[RunNGun]

Thier staff is the primary reason for how I see them. More than likely it's just that one Sage.. pray it be.. I went there as a prospective school.. and they refused to give anything beyond very basic information until I had applied to the school. To me, that's like marrying some broad before you even know who she is.. and that sure as hell ain't happening.

[Brad M]

Thier staff is the primary reason for how I see them. More than likely it's just that one Sage.. pray it be.. I went there as a prospective school.. and they refused to give anything beyond very basic information until I had applied to the school. To me, that's like marrying some broad before you even know who she is.. and that sure as hell ain't happening.

What school did you end up going to and who are you currently driving for?

[RunNGun]

United States Truck Driving School, and May Trucking

[lurchgs]

RunNGun - yup, because of their reputation. I talked to carriers, I talked to truckers, I looked online, I talked to the WIA people (school has to meet certain standards or they won't approve the grant), Etc.

In other words, I didn't jump into it blindly. Sure, there were the odd and end people to badmouthed - but they said the same for EVERY school. The only school they did NOT slam was the carrier-run school THEY provided.

Now, THAT needs a lot of thought, doesn't it?

The videos are indeed boring - many of them way over the edge into awful. But the *information* in them is important. It's cheaper and more efficient to use video instead of physically demonstrating the same stuff on the range.

As for the instructors, I have no complaints. They're professional, ex drivers, and can answer just about any question asked. If they are wrong, they admit it (at least, mine do) and correct the presentation if need be.

Before I signed on, I got answers to all my questions. Details on costs, time, class size (as best they could), etc. I got no evasions, no "we can't tell you that yet" etc.

After class convened, one of our guys had a hard time with getting his CDL permit (language issues). The instructors worked with him and he's now got his permit. AND he's still current with the rest of the class.

So, yeah. I'm happy with them, and would still recommend them to anybody who wants into the industry

[Solo]

Thanks to everyone who took the time to respond. I'm closer to 60 than I am to 50, so I know not everyone will agree on anything, including what school or company is the best. I appreciate all input. You guys rock.