Started school on the 8th and I am attending Crowder College Truck Driving School in Neosho, Mo. and CFI is paying for a large portion of the school. The best part is I DID NOT have to sign a contract. The feel like if you don't like CFI after pulling one load then they don't want you working somewhere you don't want to be. Go to my website for more information. www.bigriglife.com

This is where I went courtesy of Willis Shaw Express. Being an Okie worked out well for me. Topnotch trainers and facility. I highly recommend it.

http://www.tdt-ok.com/tuition.html

I attended Davidson County Community College in Lexington NC $575.00 the class is 8 weeks long and you don't get a CDL you EARN IT!! The course is based on the NTDA truck rodeo course and it is one hard SOB. But it is paying off. Once you pass the cone courses and the two seperate qualifying routes in dowtown with two seperate instructors they will test you for your CDL's, if not see you next class.

I'm going to Dakota County Technical College. It's a bit over $4,000. Student loans are covering it since I wasn't approved for financial aid. But I got some state grants that are helping me, which is really nice. The instructor told me they're second best in the nation, and had the information to back that up, just makes me wonder who is first I guess they follow the PTDIA criteria, whatever that means (good...)

Also learn a whole bunch of "extras" like doubles, triples, ... and go through the anti-jackknife training, emergency steering/braking maneuvers.

I was really concerned about the quick "in and out" that company provided schooling usually offers, and I believe this 8-week program will make me feel at ease. I can't wait to start...

Hello New Drivers,

You need to go to a "recognized" truck driver training class like Roadmaster.
If so, you'll be able to hire on anywhere. If you are one of those
who gets thier CDL Class A without going to school because they already know
how to drive, you'll find yourself rejected by better companies because of
the lack of training in a school with classroom training. Since you have not
been to a school, I recommend Schnieder Trucking because they have the best
training in America and after 1 year you won't owe them anything. Then after
1 year, you can hire on anywhere if you've kept your record clean. CFI is
the company you want to go to once you have a year under your belt. We have
student training, but Scneider is the better deal to get started.

Don't be fooled by other companies saying that we have "Tuition Reimbursement". Those companies reimburse you at $125.00 a month but the catch is that if your loan for school is at $7,000, it will take close to 4 years and 6 months to pay it off, NOT including the interest which can be outrageous. No one stays with the same company for that long unless you have experience with worse companies and you become smart enough to know when you got it good. Only 13% of new drivers stay with the same company for the first year. At the second company you are no longer a student, you are a driver with 3 months of experience and will start at the bottom of the pay scale and your reasons for leaving that company will be the same. Love it or hate it, stay with the first company the entire first year.


Companies that accept students have geared thier company operation to train students and do not try to keep new drivers. There's some kind of a tax incentive to do that. Then once you stay there up to 1 year, your regular miles go down and you can't pay your bills. You ask about the miles and your dispatcher tells you that you could become a trainer and get longer trips. Never do that at 1 year experience.

These are my lessons learned after paying $7,000 for Roadmaster School at a loan of 26% and spending the first year with Werner.

I start Central vo tech in Drumright Oklahoma on March 14 in the class for CFI prehires. I live in Oklahoma so the tution is only 1650 and CFI is paying part of that. I am paying the rest myself. No loans or anything. I think there are programs in Oklahoma to help pay it but I don't need it and prefer to leave it for someone who might.

I got it on my own used my dads truck to test in. Cost me around 300 bucks. But it does have it down side very very hard to try to get OTR job with out school or exp. But i have found a couple smaller OTR company's with like 35 trucks that where willing to hire me. But i all ways driven local.

What would prompt anyone to pay $7000 @ 26% for a CDL. That's just insane. What was your reasoning behind this?

Hubby went to ROP (Regional Occupation Program) in San Diego. The class was free except for a $50 fuel fee and then he paid his fees to the DMV and to get his hazmat, etc.