After much research (3+ years) I finally have decided to enter the world of Professional Truck Driving. What I did was pick a company I wanted to work for and then contact them about schooling. They didn't offer schooling but the recruiter told me of a school nearby and also to mention that he referred me to the school. I contacted the school and the school recruiter said that if you are prehired, you only have to pay a small amount of money down and nothing else until you start working. So, if you don't want to attend a "CDL mill" and want to look into a private school, this might be the way to go. I hope this made sense! Good luck! Steve

 

Read the fine-print.

 

Meaning??

 

Meaning, sometimes when you sign these type of contracts you are also signing a work agreement with that company who "pre-hired" you. Also there may be clauses in the payment contract that state that if you do not go with the pre-hire company or start work by so many days past graduation the balance becomes due in full.

Then of course you could have only "X" amount of months to pay off the balance and if you only make the minimum payments you may find a huge balloon payment at the end or you may also find the interest rate is extremely high. The possibilities are endless, that is why a person needs to always read and understand everything in any type of contract.

 

Okay, I got ya. That makes sense. So basically, this way (that I suggested) really isn't as sweet as it sounds? Damn! Burst my bubble! Thanks! Steve

 

by all means check it out, just make sure you READ EVERYTHING if its not in black & white don't believe it! I hope that it works out for ya.
Also be very careful about signing a work contract with a company it can really turn and bite you in the azz a couple of months down the road

 

It is possible you may have stumbled upon a good deal. All we are saying is to be 100% sure of what you are getting into.

 

People in this forum have come from almost every school and worked for almost every company. If you care to mention specifics like the company name and the school, they can probably tell you what to look for. If not, just read and re-read everything before you sign it.

I know, for example, that some people have gone to school in Oklahoma through some kind of arrangement with CFI. They paid between $1,000 and $2,000 out of pocket and were required to haul one load for CFI after training. Beyond that, they were free and clear. That's probably not quite as cheap as what you seem to have found, but there are options out there that won't make you an indentured servant for a year or longer.

 

This would be a pretty good deal if the company has tuition reimbursement.

 

There is no such thing as free training. You will pay for this, in the long run. Call the school recruiter back and ask them for a copy of the payment agreement - their reaction should tell you what you need to know.