Can anyone comment on which may be the better route to go? I have both in my area. The Technical School (Called Vo Tech in some areas) is 3 weeks longer, only 6 hours per day, and 1/3 the cost of the private school. Their website also states a very high job placement rate as does the private school. Am I missing something concerning the much lower price? Is their something left out? Thanks for any help.

Whether technical school or private school, the first few weeks is about getting / gaining skills and the proficiency level to successfully pass the CDL skills tests. After that and depending on your situation and your NEED to get start getting compensated the technical schools have an edge, but for the most part, riding around with another student or on a road course or range will do little to prepare you for the leap into driving under real conditions. No matter whether you train for 4 weeks or for 12, the first day in a truck away from the controlled school environment and the fact that its purely luck of the draw and chance that you'll get a company with a good training program with a decent enough trainer to train you to succeed or that you will be able to change and adapt to the world of the OTR driver.