Green as grass and doing research to determine best way to enter industry. I see a distinct difference in advice between this site and others around the web with respect to going to a private CDL school/community college vs. a mega training program. For the private school crowd the “logic” appears to be avoiding a contract for a year or more. This argument makes no sense to me. Unless you qualify for financial aid, you are going to have to come up with 5-7 grand to pay for school up front and then probably have to go to a big company to get a year of experience anyway.
My thought is if you will end up there anyway, why not get your training paid for and, if you had the money to pay for private school, hang on to it. If it doesn’t work out, simply use the cash you would have used to pay for private school to break the contract and the end result is the same. What am I missing here? Do the megas value their training significantly higher than a private school’s tuition or are there other costs involved in breaking the contract? The argument just doesn’t make sense to me.
I know most of you guys agree that the mega route is the best, but was wondering if anyone had any insight on why other crowds so strongly oppose that approach?
I don’t have time for a full answer, but it’s been 7 hours and I promise you will get some solid advice.
The quick and dirty: you will pay to finance any CDL class, whether out of your pocket/loan or paycheck deductions. (Veterans often can get it free if the company is so inclined.)
Fear not the contact. Do make a commitment on your own to stick with one company for at least a year. But yes, do your homework to find a company that fits your needs. Do not follow many trucker reports/reviews. They are mostly posted by people who don’t really understand the system they got themselves into.
Welcome, your not missing anything. You will find a certain element in this industry is always defensive and full of ideas how we are all slaves to big evil companies.
Insurance companies dictate in this industry. Generally speaking new drivers are not coverable without at least 2 years experience. Mega’s as we call them are basically self insured so they can decide who they choose to hire.
Mega’s run schools for several reasons but a big reason is funding they get from gov’t programs to do it.
For a new driver generally they are a good deal is the fact if they take you into their school you have a job with them when you pass and get your CDL. They do the background work before they accept you. Also since they have an investment in you they are more forgiving of missteps early in your career.
If you go to a private school noone hiring you after has any incentive to hire you or be very understanding of missteps if they hire you.
This industry has been in a race to the bottom for several years now. Alot of companies have gone out of business leaving many experienced drivers looking for a new job. The industry has been over capacity for 3 plus years. None of the so called experts can tell you with any confidence when it will self correct itself.
If I was new coming into the industry I would sure want to have as many positives on my side as possible. A CDL without any experience is only worth about the cost of the material it is made out of. After 1 year of experience and a clean record several doors can and will open for you, after 2 years of same then you will be far more valuable to any company and then and only then is that CDL become a valuable assest.
Green as grass and doing research to determine best way to enter [the] industry.
Ok, Sprout, don’t forget the first thing you need to do is begin studying for your CDL permit. That will take several hours on your own to learn the details. There are many web sites that help you with that task. But Brett has built probably the best study system for the CDL permit test. I used it to prepare for my permit test. An updated version is in Beta testing right now (I think) but I bet he’d be pleased to let a total green greenhorn give it a try. I ran through it myself to see how it’s going.
I appreciate the advice. I do have my permit and tank endorsement at this point. It seems some companies/schools require it and others help you get it. Wish I would have had access to the high road app during that process. I also gave it a whirl a couple days ago and it seems like a very solid tool.
At this point, I’m deciding between a community college offered CDL training (potential for WIOA funding) and Prime Inc’s CDL program. Pretty much resolved to Prime at the moment so I don’t have to wait another several weeks, but made original post as sort of final confirmation that my choice is sound. I’m sure there are plenty of opinions about which big company is the “best” for getting your CDL, but Prime checks enough boxes for me.
Thanks again. Tons of trucking wisdom on this board and appreciate all that are willing to share.
So you’re going about this in the right way - researching your options. Community college is probably free ir at least the lowest cost.
Look in the comments here for Kearsey’s comments. She drove a million miles with Prime. She’ll have a get pointers for you. (Check out Trucker Kearsey on YT )
I am not a CDL holder but am fast approaching the start date for me to start getting it as I’ve been unemployed for some time. Just something to note regarding my thoughts.
I would rather have my CDL license via a school and then ‘OJT & finish’ with a company.
Mainly I absolutely detest debt and it is the bane of existence in my universe along with lawyers, politicians, & accountants. I don’t do credit, contracts, leases or any of that if I can avoid it. For example, my mortgage is a 15 year instead of the usual longer ones simply because I want to be zero debt for my later years. Had I not been forced to move (neighborhood went to pot after the last recession), I’d be mortgage free now.
A private school is also local for me, so no hotels, meals, travel, or anything to deal with.
A private school CDL is also one less thing to deal or worry about. There’s a possibility that you could do all your training with a company and then crap the bed for your CDL driving test(s) or have something else get in the way. No thanks. Maybe that’s unnecessary negativity and maybe unrealistic, but I plan for the worst because the worst is what seems to be happening to me lately.
I prefer to rip the band-aid off and be done with the investment of time & money and not end up beholden to anybody or anything….but that’s just me after being screwed-over as a professional too many times in the past 20-odd years. I’m too old for any more of that foolishness. I’ll eat the few grand for that if that’s what it takes.
However, If I were younger, unmarried, unburdened, and more flexible then I’d probably go with the carrier-only option.
I’m with you sir. We also are on the zero debt band wagon, have a paid for house, do as much as we possibly can with cash and stay away from loans or financing.
That said, I did attend a local CDL school in Tulsa OK and took out a small loan to cover half of the cost of school. We used our emergency fund to cover the rest and live on while I got started in my new career.
I totally understand why a carrier training program is recommended but that’s just not the way I went. I decided to bite the bullet and pay for it myself. I am getting tuition reimbursement through the company I work for now.
We have also paid off that loan this month along with our property taxes and a slew of other expenses totaling $6k since January 16th. This job has been very beneficial in allowing us to tackle those obstacles.
Best of luck to you on your journey moving forward. There have been trying times for sure getting aquatinted with this new career path but I’m working through them and very happy I made this decision.
Thanks to everyone that has taken their time to respond. Each of you has valuable insights and I appreciate your thoughts.
For perspective, I am young, unmarried, unburdened and flexible. Despite all of that, I’ve evolved 99% toward a local private school. I’m blessed to be able to pay on my own if necessary without incurring debt. Ultimately, the driver of my decision is that the school I intend to enroll in teaches manual transmission. I realize not many companies use manuals and that it is not absolutely necessary, but my desire to to ultimately stay local. I’m in Texas and feel that an unrestricted license provides me the most flexibility for oil jobs, construction, etc to stay local.
I might ultimately need to go OTR and mega for a year after I get my CDL and that’s fine. I’ve been waffling quite a bit but am landing on free agent right now to maximize my opportunity. We will see what happens.
That’s a solid thought. I’m gonna give you a very powerful list of reasons why the Paid CDL Training Programs offered by trucking companies are the way to go:
These companies invest a huge amount of resources into developing you as a professional driver for their company. They need to recoup those resources, and the only way they do so is if you become a successful driver for the company. So they have a financial incentive to make sure you succeed.
On the other hand, if a company hires you after you paid for private school, they can drop you like a hot potato anytime, and they’ve lost little or nothing.
Paid CDL Training Programs train you on the trucks you’ll actually be driving professionally. They also teach you the logging and communication systems you’ll use, as well as the company policies you must follow. Private schools train you on old equipment that you’ll never use again, and teach you nothing about the communication systems, logging systems, or company policies at your first company.
Private schools try to profit from your training. Their biggest expense is the time their students spend behind the wheel. So the less driving time they give you, the more likely they are to be profitable. Paid CDL Training Programs know that the more driving time they give you, the more likely you are to succeed. They don’t make money from your training; they make money only if you succeed in your career with them. You will get more seat time with a Paid CDL Training Program.
Those are some of the big advantages. There are many others, of course. For instance, the Paid Training Programs will often pay you while you’re in training, rather than charging you.
People who worry about being under contract have it backward. They think, “Oh, I’ll be a slave to the company.” A slave to the company that invested its money to train you and then guaranteed you a job? Didn’t you go through training to get a new career in the first place? Now, a company wants to invest in your career and only asks you to drive for them in return for that investment, and you consider that slavery?
Ok, so instead you want to go to a private school and be a ‘free agent’. Sounds great. What leverage do you have? How much demand will there be for someone who has exactly zero miles of solo driving in their lifetime and statistically has a 75% chance of failure anyhow?
The power of free agency comes from proven talent. You have none at this point. You’re a rookie with no experience, and companies know most rookies don’t survive their first year anyhow. Not to mention, you showed up with that ‘free agent’ mentality like you’re the boss holding all the cards. Who the hell wants someone with that attitude? Then, to top it all off, you went through inferior training at a private school instead of the company training that was done right.
You fantasize about being that powerful free agent holding all the cards when, in reality, trucking companies see you as someone who is almost certainly poorly trained, has the wrong attitude as a rookie in a demanding and dangerous career, and statistically will likely fail to make it in this industry anyhow. So good luck with those free agency negotiations.
I wouldn’t want to pay for my training and then become a free agent with no talent, no experience, and no job. I’d rather be paid while I train and then be under contract with a company that has a financial incentive to make sure I succeed.
I started in this career in 1993. I have 15 years of driving experience and 18 years of mentoring experience. I’ve watched the success and failure of many thousands of drivers over the years. That’s where this advice comes from.
Thanks so much for taking the time to provide such a well thought out and detailed response. You make some very good points. I can see where the big companies would have a lot more skin in the game if they have an investment in you via their training program. I’m certainly not big company adverse, just don’t really want to do OTR if I can avoid it. With a good trainer, I’m sure team driving/mentoring during the training process is invaluable. I’m more than a little nervous about that though due to the sort of pot luck nature of the trainer assignment.
As far as free agency goes, I am aware that my value as a newbie with no experience is virtually zero, so checking my attitude at the door won’t be an issue.
I’ll back up Brett on the company/private school debate. I got my start in instructing with Swift’s “academy” CDL program. Yes, they had all the trucks they needed on the practice range as well as a different batch for road practice. Private schools might have one or two trucks you need to wait your turn on. (Note: the best class size there is four students so it ain’t so bad as you might think.)
Private schools make their money on tuition, not new drivers. At a private school you pay up the $6 grand and best of luck in finding your job. At a company school, the truck company has already done the background work for the job, and that OTR truck seat is yours to lose.
The contract issue is really a red herring - a fake argument. If you have your own cash to invest, go for it. If you have to borrow from anyone (government/bank, etc.) you are committing to pay the loan back over time (the contract). Here’s the bottom line: #1 you have to work to earn to pay off the loan either way and #2 it’s best you stay with your first hiring company for a year to show stability. (Brett & others say so and I agree) so going to a company school and staying a year can be the same as borrowing the money. Result: we say go to the company for the no-out-of-pocket tuition & training.
Good question and solid thinking. You’re pretty much on the money — for most people starting out, the mega route just makes more financial sense. Why pay upfront when you’re likely heading to a big carrier for your first year anyway?
As for why some folks push private schools so hard, a few reasons I’ve seen: some had bad personal experiences at megas and project that onto everyone, some private school grads feel like they got better behind-the-wheel time, and honestly some of it is just pride — nobody wants to feel like they took the “lesser” route. There are also a few guys out there who had a rough time with contract terms or felt stuck at a mega they didn’t like.
That said, the contract “trap” argument is overblown IMO. Like you said, if you’ve got the cash for private school, you’ve got the cash to buy out a contract if things go south. And most people end up finishing their year just fine.
Do your research on which megas have decent training programs and reasonable contract terms, and you’ll be in good shape. Welcome to the forum and good luck with whatever route you choose.
Brett and Errol make very good advice on obtaining your CDL training. Even if you are financially comfortable in going the private route always remember that no company that you decide to go with has any “skin in the game” so to speak. At least with company training and a year experience you owe nothing and your choice to gain seniority or move on to greener pastures if that is your choice. Keep us informed on your choice.
I’ll add one little fact that can help someone. If you are a US Veteran, trucking companies can give you a boost one way or another. Not counting converting your military CDL equivalent into experience, a company on their own could let their own tuition slide (I got that free ride from Swift) or maybe bump your seniority by 4 years (which could bump your CPM by some seniority points). Just ask.
I just turned 56 coming from a completely different occupation, so my wiring & viewpoint is probably significantly different.
My plan is to get a CDL and go work for a carrier, probably OTR. No need to reiterate how one doesn’t mean the other is a given. I’ve always understood that. I may last a year or maybe into retirement in 10 years (give or take!). No idea, but I expect I will have to do additional training with them as I see driving like any other journeyman’s job. The only reason I would choose a carrier would be for the matching of the equipment or for some sort of specialties (ex. heavy haul hydraulic trailers).
The main reason (not the only one) I would do a CDL school is because I’m from the belief that loans and such are borderline predatory. That is just me and how I was raised. I know a lot of people that have a lot but own nothing. I have no interest in being like that, have avoided it pretty good for a long time, and would rather not start. Having the basic CDL out of the way will allow me to focus on the carrier portion of the journey which is a lot more than just driving from what I’ve researched.
Anyways, back to the carrier option: what if you fuddle up something bad during their training? Say that happens on your final weeks of training. What if you have some sort of personal accident bust up your leg or arm? What if you fail some other random uncommon carrier requirement? What if you screw up your CDL road test? You still have no license and will be sent off home. I can be stated that these sorts of things rarely or do not happen, but stuff happens. Am I too cynical or jaded? Maybe, but the other side of being blindsided with no plan or forethought at all seems worse.
So why I would pay for a school? No debt and I control it. I’m sure I can request or purchase extra training as well should I feel it needed. I’m not a fan of the rationale for going with the company if I have the means to not be under the boot of someone/something. And yes ‘under the boot’ is accurate because you must pay it back….or else. Might seem a bit overly negative, but I’m just planning for the worst because that’s been my experience.
My apologies if I’m a bit of a downer. I’m trying to be better, honest!
No reason to apologize for having an opinion. Some make a living asking the question “what is the worst thing that can happen”, so I don’t think you are a downer at all. Respectfully though, I don’t completely follow your logic. Of course there is no guarantee that you will finish a carriers training program and get your CDL, but that applies to a private school as well. The difference is that the carrier will send you home and it cost you nothing but your time (I’m making some assumptions here). If you don’t complete the private school training and get your CDL, then you are out several grand and still don’t have a CDL.
The loan/debt adverse stuff is really just personal comfort. If you don’t like to owe anyone, I can certainly respect that. Do what makes you comfortable.
Best of luck to you. Have you picked a school yet?
This conversation has been a microcosm of my life over the past 20 years.
You can sum it up like this:
Me: I’ve been in the industry as a highly-successful driver, mentor, and recruiter for decades, and I’ve watched many thousands of drivers succeed and fail. Based on my extensive knowledge and experience, here is what you should do: (I give a detailed explanation containing a long list of facts to back it up)
Rookie #1: Thanks, Brett, that was great! I’m sure you know what you’re talking about, but here are two dumb reasons why I’m going to do the opposite of what you said. I know you said my reasons have no bearing on anything, but I’ll ignore that too because I feel like they do.
Rookie #2: Yeah, me too. I liked what you said, but I think I know better than you, so I’m gonna do the opposite too. Thanks for taking the time.
Rookie #3: Well, that was great for most people, Brett, but I’m sure I’m different than any driver you’ve ever come across, so I will ignore you as well. But see, my reasons are special and different than the others, because I’m special and different.
Don’t worry, you guys. I don’t mind a bit. It comes with the territory. A man spends 30 years mastering a trade and an industry, only to be ignored by almost everyone.
That’s why my motto is:
I’ll tell you what I know; you do with it what you like.
By the way, the failure rate for new drivers reaching their one-year mark in this industry is about 95%. Almost no one who starts CDL training lasts a year in the industry, but I’m sure it has nothing to do with the fact that no one listens to any advice they’re given.
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