Questions about getting into trucking
 

Hi everyone I'm new to the site and have done some searching around about basic trucking information. I've been looking into trucking since the pay seems to rival most of the better jobs in my area which requires a college degree in Buffalo.

I was looking into trucking since the pay seems to be pretty good, I still live at home, and I don't have any kids. Also the only driving violation I have had is a speeding ticket back in April of 2005.

I just recently visited the National Tractor Trailer School in Buffalo,NY to get some more information. The school seemed very nice there but with a sticker price of around $7,000 for a 7 week school I thought that it was a little steep and wouldn't be able to afford that by my own. I saw that some companies would pay for your training with a commitment to the company after you finish. Is it worth to just somehow pay for the training in your own or go threw a company?

I'm kind of erie about trying to go threw a company since I'm not sure which ones are the "better" ones and wouldn't want to get stuck in a long commitment that is going to make my life horrible but I do realize that I will have to pay my dues. Anyone have any advice really? I'm sorry if this has been covered before. I've tried to search on the forum but there is a lot of information on this board already and it is kind of hard to go threw all of it.

Pay is a matter of opinion. My opinion Trucking doesn't pay well when you calculate your time spent at your job, thus the reason for the high turn overrate.

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Roush I am currently in that school that you went and looked at if you want I will give you my number and we can talk about the school. I like the school alot and all that talk about going to an accredited school that they tell isn;t just a bunch of BS. I all ready have a few offers for jobs and I wont be graduating till April. I do however recommend talking the 10 week over the 7 is you can. I am in the 18 week, but that is to long they teach you stuff realistically you will never need, or could get on the road. The only reason that I took the long one was for financial aid. I also found out about some other ways to get it paid for other than through the school. I am excited that I can actually help someone so if you want I would like to give you a students prospective.

nope

another thing about paying for the school, is alot of the companies that come to the school to recruit pay back money that you spent on the class. there is a little catch to this that I can explain later.

You may check around to see if there is a community college or state vocational school that offers a CDL program. If they do, it should be much less expensive than a private school. They will often have access to financial aid. I think you are better off paying for your own schooling, if possible. If that isn't an option, then there are a number of larger carriers who will train you with a work commitment. Most require you to stay for 1 year. Swift, Millis, Schneider, Covenant, U.S. Xpress and Roehl but a few who have training programs. There are some flat bed carriers, such as TMC and Maverick, who also have training programs. Be prepared to stick out your commitment or you will likely be on the hook for several thousand dollars in training costs. Since you are in Buffalo, you may check over at Jim's Truck Stop. Find some drivers to talk with about companies who regularly run in that area. There is a drivers area inside the restaurant. There may be some ads posted somewhere in the room. Good luck.

Don't overlook the driver information forum called " Trucking Schools" 10th one down on the list, you might learn about some more of the pros & cons about the trucking shcools that everyone else on the board has gone through.

Definitly check into the Community Colleges, and Vocational Schools. I went to a Vocational School...was about half the price that National Tractor Trailer quoted you. Was 4 weeks, 5-6 days each week, 8-9 hour days. Also would recommend a PTDI certified school. Will give you better oppurtunities as a student hire.

Check the link for a PTDI school near you:
http://www.ptdi.org/

Most starter companies will pay back you tuition through payroll reimbursment over a period of months.

NTTS is PTDI certified
That is one thing I wanted to say about tuition pay back is that it is only good when you first come out. like Swift pays 150 a month but if you quite and go some where else they wont pay it because now you are "experienced" even if you only have been working a few months. so I would find a carrier that pays the most that way if you don't like the job you can stick it out for less time.

That would be great if you could. I was looking at the 320 hour course even though they where pushing for longer one. If you could like you could call or send me a txt at 716-799-9586 (It's my cell phone but just ask for Tom). I would really like some input on the program since I'm trying to get my parents to pay for it if I can't get the finical aid.