School offers to pay tuition for CDL training

[SpartanBob]

Does anyone have any advice for me (or possibly "buyer beware" caution) regarding companies such as Pam Transport that offer to pay your tuition to train you in truck driving school? I'm thinking about taking the plunge, but there's got to be a catch, such as a contract locking me in to that firm for X number of years. Thoughts, comments?

 

[Injun]

Be careful of the type of contract offered by sponsoring companies. There are two types of contract.

Companies like FFE and CRST offer a contract in which there is no out-of-pocket costs. They expect you to work X number of months in return for paying for your class. If for any reason your employment ends before your obligation is met, you owe the entire amount regardless of how close you were to fulfilling your end of the contract. If it's $4,000 to train you and you work up to one week before your contract is up, you owe $4,000 payable immediately. Complete your contract and owe nothing.

Other companies. like Swift, offer a loan, which they will collect bit by bit through payroll deduction. In most cases, the company reimburses you at the same time so that when the contract on both ends is fulfilled, you will have paid nothing. If you leave these companies before the end of the contract, you will only owe the outstanding balance. Some will expect it immediately, others are willing to work with you.

You have to decide which type of contract suits you. There is no such thing as free training. There will be a trade-off one way or the other.

 

[ariqs]

What about Central Refrigerated service? I noticed that Swift bought them a bit ago so it's probably pretty similar to Swift? They're hiring noobs aggressively in my vicinity lately.

Edit:

Anyway, my general hunch is that any company that trains you for free as long as you stick with them for a set amount of time is going to use it against you. Since they figure they have you, they'll use that to exploit you. Perhaps they'll give you the worst loads or hold you to a lower CPM, and in the end, that 3k you didn't have to pay for got paid for many times over.

 

[SpartanBob]

What about Central Refrigerated service? I noticed that Swift bought them a bit ago so it's probably pretty similar to Swift? They're hiring noobs aggressively in my vicinity lately.

Edit:

Anyway, my general hunch is that any company that trains you for free as long as you stick with them for a set amount of time is going to use it against you. Since they figure they have you, they'll use that to exploit you. Perhaps they'll give you the worst loads or hold you to a lower CPM, and in the end, that 3k you didn't have to pay for got paid for many times over.

Thanks for that warning -- you may well be right; I will need to proceed with caution.

 

[SpartanBob]

Follow-up question: Which type of pay is more common, a straight salary or cpm?

 

[Injun]

CPM.

 

[Rigjockey]

Be careful of the type of contract offered by sponsoring companies. There are two types of contract.

Companies like FFE and CRST offer a contract in which there is no out-of-pocket costs. They expect you to work X number of months in return for paying for your class. If for any reason your employment ends before your obligation is met, you owe the entire amount regardless of how close you were to fulfilling your end of the contract. If it's $4,000 to train you and you work up to one week before your contract is up, you owe $4,000 payable immediately. Complete your contract and owe nothing..

Amazing that that type of deal is allowed. One would think it would fall under usury laws. It is not. It is like servitude, Not sure servitude applies to signed contract.
I guess doing due diligence is the only protection for some one that has no idea of what they are getting themselves into in OTR trucking.

 

[THBatMan8]

Your OTR jobs will either pay a CPM or a load percentage. You only see salary and hourly paid jobs with LTL.

 

[merlinhenry]

Get suggestion from your seniors before you decide...

 

[BigRiggin]

If I were you, I would look into applying for the Pell grant and grants given out by the state you live in first. Not many truck driving schools accept the Pell grant because their program is too short to meet the requirements but, if you are able to go to a school that does accept the Pell grant and you qualify for the full amount of the Pell grant, it should definitely be enough to pay for your tuition.

 

[Ernst]

I went through the Roehl school in January. Recommend it highly. Good training. It is "free" after driving 120k miles for them. if you leave before 60k miles you own them 2800 and if you leave after 60 but before 120 you own them 1400 prorated

Hotel cost are included in the 2800. You pay for your travel cost, your food and for some minor admin fees. It is a 3 week program. After that 2 weeks with a trainer on the road, but then you get paid a daily rate.