help! Do I go to driver school or do I learn from a company? Which would you ladies think is best? I need advice. Please help! :lol: :lol:

In all my research that I did before starting this journey, I realized that many drivers who go through those company training programs get fed up with the company but cannot leave because of their contract to pay back the schooling.

I went to a community college and paid $700 for 10 weeks of training. I feel like I was very well prepared for what I was getting into! And I paid considerably less than what many of the other schools are asking!

My class had 25 people and 15 of them were all from differen states because it was such a good deal and several of the "bigger" companies have said they like to hire from this school...

:idea: I agree that a community college that offers cdl training or a driving school would be the better choices than to go thru the companies for your training, I went thru a driving school, as a woman there are grants out there for nontraditional jobs it took me 2 monthes of research and testing before i was called , 6 thousand dallors and 4 weeks later I was licensed,, but I grew up in a trucking family so i had an advantage over my class mates there were 12 and only 3 are working in this field 2 years later believe it or not it is the only 2 women in the class :lol: go figure,, the company drivers that go thru their training have to sign a contract to work for them for 10 monthes to 3 years if you go thru a cc or ds i think you will enjoy your career choice so much more ,, good luck , we need more women drivers that are trained properly out here, hope to see you on the highways

I went to a company truck driving school. It was small class sizes and
there was a decent amount of road time -yes, that means that I got to
drive the tractor on some rural roads and through some small towns.
I was pleased with the training and the instructors.

I went through the technical college program of 10 weeks. Had good training but came out with only 40 hours actual drive time. Know a new lady driver that came out of a 3 week company school. Just depends if you think you can learn and gain confidence in 3 weeks or if you take a bit longer to grab onto info. Also committment to company if required to go through their school. I am getting tuition reimbursement from my company (Roehl). Often times us gals can get training through what is know as displaced homemaker funding if you are looking for a way to pay for training.

Soladad

You may consider looking into CFI also ... they will help put you through school. They pay part of it, then after school you'll go out with a Finisher for a few weeks. There Isn't a contract to sign with them like some of the company's that make you sign up for 6 months to a year until it's all been paid back. ........

The advantage of paying your own way is simple - - - you have several company's that you can apply with. There's alot of company's that hire new drivers and train you... just do your homework and find out which company's run through the area you live right now. This makes is easier to get your time off. Good luck.

$700 for training?!?! Which Community College did you go to?

Bump

Sorry for being a male posting in the women's forum.

But holy affordable tuition rate Batman!!! Is that $700 after a Pel grant or sumthin or is that $700 "out the door"? I apologize if I'm belaboring the point but can you share some info "with the whole class"? Thanks

I'm going through CFI at Crowder College in Neosho, MO, it's near Joplin. They pay part of the tuition. They don't require that you sign a contract and you go with a finisher after you are done with the 4 week school. www.cfidrivers.com is their forums. The drivers are all helpful and will answer any questions you may have about getting started. I'm leaving in a week to go to school! I can't hardly wait, my hubby and I are going to team together.

Jax3683

You got 10 weeks for $700? Wow! I paid $2500 for 10 weeks. But, in that 10 weeks, 5 weeks was behind-the-wheel training of some kind: lot work (docking, parallel parking, off-set maneuvers, etc). Plus, after we took the States' driving test, we went to Appleton, WI (Fox Valley Technical College) for a day on skid pad.

That skid pad training saved my bacon twice my first winter on the road.

All in all, I'd say, "if the school only offers enough to pass the State driving test, it doesn't offer enough."

Go for the school that offers the most bang for the bucks you pay for the training.

Skid pad is tough training; it'll scare the daylights out of you. But, it will train you in handling skid situations, in controlled situations. At the end of the day, you will realize, you just had the most fun you will ever have driving a big rig!

This isn't a plug for Fox Valley Tech. However, they do have a HUGE diesel mechanic and driver training school, as well as the Driver Decision Training (read Skid Pad) school, to train truck drivers, firefighters, and police . officers. Out-of-state students pay more that WI residents.