Hello Everyone. My friend and I are looking into team truck driving. We are both 19 years old and hope that when we turn 21 we can get our CDL's and spend a few years seeing our country and being part of the force that keeps our country moving. From extensively reading different forums on this web site I have pretty much figured there are three ways to go:

1.) Trucking school - My friend and I are going to visit the school in Liverpool, NY next week to see what they have to offer. The person who contacted me said that we could learn how to driver tractor trailers on their private property and also work to obtain our CDL B license. With our CDL B license, my friend and I could work for a local trucking company to build experience so when we turn 21, we have something to show for ourselves when we get our CDL A. They obviously help with placement and seem to have some good possibilities.

2.) Community College - I have a local community college that provides CDL training although I haven't done much research into it. From what I have read many have stated that it's a great way to go. Besides that I don't know if they help with placement or how the cost would compare to a trucking school.

3.) Training through a company (ex. Schneider) - From what I have read this is a really really bad way to go just because so many people don't make it through the training, or through the employment time necessary to have the company cover the training cost.

I am looking for any input regarding these three choices and if what I have stated is overall pretty true. Questions, comments, and anything anyone has to offer are appreciated. 8)

 

Community Colleges generally offer excellent training at an affordable price.. So save some of the money that you make driving local to pay for this in cash.

Getting your Class B will give you plenty of practice shifting and operating a large vehicle. So when the time comes to upgrade to your class A cdl you will have an advantage over most of your classmates.

 

You may want to check around on the age thing. Most carriers won't hire you until you are at least 23 years old for otr driving. Some require 25 years of age. I think starting out with a straight truck is a good idea. You may even want to go ahead and get your Class A to start with so you will have it when the time comes. You may be able to drive some intrastate if you can find a company that will hire you. Good luck.

 

As far as #3 that is a very true statement!! Many companys have "crash courses" and they try to train you as fast as possible and they take no shorts. When it comes to operating an 80,000 lb vehicle that can kill many people very easily it baffles me that companys actually expect you to learn how to drive them in 2 weeks.

Community College is the best bet here, even if it may cost you out of pocket. You may may qualify financial assistance or many companys will pay you back once you are hired with them on a monthly basis.


IF you never drove a semi before I will be carefull of companys like Schneider :sad: :sad: