New driver story
 

Alright, so I have posted a few times here and there, and done a whole lot of searching, but I haven't seen anyone go quite the route I have gone. I'm hoping to gain insight from this, as well as perhaps help those that are in my shoes so to speak.

After debating for a few years now, about wanting to go OTR or not, I have decided it's what would be best for me, as I could do my best at it. So it all started January 20th of 08. I came to this site, as was recomended by a friend of mine that drives, and started to take a look around. I saw way too many sour posts, and I simply could not believe the majority of them. I did, however, decide to push forward. I found that living in Denver, CO leaves you pretty limited compared to other places on finding a company that will hire you. Apparently they don't have enough runs to bring a driver back home often, so I am told. I didn't want to leave due to personal obligations that wouldn't take too long to resolve, so I started looking in at schools local to here. What I found was United States Truck Driving School. With my first visit, I felt more than welcome, and knew I would love to train there. So I started to go through the process of paying for the school. It costs 3895 cash price, 5600 financed price. I don't have money laying around, being unemployed, so I tried to finance. Come to find out I have ghost credit and they require a score of 600. After a week of hounding everyone I know to co-sign, I learned that their credit scores all blew. So there comes the rock in a hard place.

Seeing that, my option was limited to WIA (workforce investment act). So I go to the local office on January 28th, to get going with the program. They require you to attend an orientation. The soonest I could get in one was February 5th. I signed up, and waited around until that day. I show up, they have you sign in, then sit for a half hour. After that, I went in to the line with the forty some odd people to sign in again. I had to give my SSN and other things like that, and was granted entrance to a conference room. What they tell you lasts five minutes. After that, different case workers hand out their business cards, and instructed us to call them that afternoon to set up a one on one meeting. I called, and didn't get scheduled until that following week. She asked what I wanted the grant money for, if I was employed, and things like that. I learned this was a pre-approval. After that, she told me I needed to take this TABE test, to see if I am at least 9th grade level or higher in math, language, and reading skills. That was set up at 8am the next day. After taking that and maxing out the scores, I was instructed to wait until I get the official pre-approval, and she would call me. A week and a half later, I get the call. When I go to her office, mid week after the call, I get a packet to fill out. This you have to do a biography about yourself, research two schools, get two pre-hires or more in the industry, prove median income in the industry, contact three businesses, perform an investigation report from someone in the business, and a whole lot of other crap. Finally having that done a week later, I get a phone call back this past Monday to come in today at 9am. That meeting took ten minutes, and now I am to call her tomorrow in the afternoon to find out if I am approved entirely or not. If I am, I have to keep in contact with her during training and employment for 18 months. Call once a month, and mail in a paycheck stub once a month. The joys of it all.

In the time I had between the meetings and what have you, I got my CDL A permit, DOT physical, and the prehires. So far it's been a really long drawn out process, and it sure as hell wasn't worth it to me. If I had other means, I surely would've done it. Anyhow, I will keep this updated as I go along, through training, and through my first year employed. I just can't wait to climb in the cab of a May truck and get going.

Thanks for reading all this so far

Wish you the best of luck.

WIA Training
 

"it sure as hell wasn't worth it to me" "costs $3895 cash price, $5600 financed" Not worth it!!!??? You're getting the training for no out of pocket money for merely jumping through some admin hoops? Sounds like a deal to me! My tax dollars at work, $14K+ this year. BOL

I know, I know.. it's free money. Well, "free" anyhow. My perspective is that I know I want to do this bad enough to where I don't mind paying my way in. After all, if you want something bad enough, you will do whatever you can to get it, right?

Alright, continuing on the story. I woke up this morning at 5am, after going to bed at 2am. I was beyond stressed waiting for a phone call to say if I had been approved or not. Finally, at 4:23 I get the call saying I have been approved. Such a weight has been removed from my shoulders. So now, Monday, I start at 7am for my three weeks of training at USTDS. I don't look forward to the hours of 7am to 5:30pm, especially with rush hour and the 35 minute drive there, but I am looking forward to it overall. I'll keep things up to date with what I am doing in the training, and then of course, with what I experience once I get on with May.

I went to school to become a machinist in 1997. I was in the Tool and die indusrty from 1998-2004 and was laid off 3 times during that period.

In Ohio all the manufacturing jobs grew wings and flew overseas.

WIA saved my butt they paid $4000.00 for me to go to truck driving school. They are a pain in the butt to deal with and it takes a while and a lot of phone calls etc but they came through in the long run.


Good Luck to you(threadstarter)

:lol: :lol: Heh, don't get used to it, man. That's banker's hours in this line of work. Hell, I've got one of the lighter full-time driving jobs I've heard of, and that's about an average day for me, only I usually start between 4:00 and 6:00am.

Re: WIA Training
 

$3895!!!! Woah, I only paid $2395 up here. Sorry bro

I do have to agree with Sealord you are getting it for free so yeah I would expect the hoops.

Good luck when you get out there in your own truck. It was cool,exhilarating and nerve racking all at once when I got into mine. But once you have done it for a few months the tension eases and the professionalism comes out.

Enjoy

Re: New driver story
 

WOW just to be a dang truck driver . I only paid 1,100 bucks :shock:

I believe that they charge that much, due to what WIA pays out. But who knows, really. Be it that it was the government, I expected to cut through many layers of red tape. However, the waiting time was rediculous. From speaking to folks about WIA, it should never take longer than 3-4 weeks for final decision. The important thing is, I am well on my way.

I,too, went the WIA route. I think it safe to say you don't live in Adams county. I do, and blew through the whole process in 2 weeks. Having dealt with the government - in one form or another - for the past 30 years, 2 weeks is like overnight. Heck, I went in expecting 2 months. (My WIA induction 'class' was much smaller, too - only 8 of us)

Now, I just need the damn doctor to get of his ^)(#%^ thumbs and sign off on my physical. (no reason not to - the clinic is being abnormally uncoordinated, and I'm getting peeved.)