Assessing The True Cost of 'Free' CDL Training

There Is No Such Thing As 'Free' CDL Training !

 At Trucking Careers of America we talk with individuals every day that are interested in becoming an otr trucker.  Most of the time they are looking for company paid cdl training and often they refer to this type of training as "free training".  Uh-uh....no such thing.....



'Free CDL Training?"

The idea of 'free training' sounds great; actually it's almost too good to be true...and that's because it is too good to be true.  You need to know that in all cases, your "free training" will obligate you, under contract, to work for the trucking company who is providing you with that 'free cdl training' for a specified period of time.  That obligation can vary from 8 months to more than 12 months, with 12 months being the typical time frame.

You will be required to sign a contract agreeing to work for that company regardless of pay or working conditions.  Let's repeat that:  regardless of pay or working conditions, which can be poor in both cases.

If you quit or are fired before your contract is up, you owe the company for your alleged "free training" - plus interest.  And the penalties for breaking that contract are huge.  The worst part is that you will have a Class A CDL License, but you will have no physical certificate or diploma and no verifiable actual real world driving experience.

Few, if any, trucking companies will hire you at that point.  So now you are stuck with a HUGE student loan bill, you have no job, you have no income to pay off that debt, and your CDL Class A License at this point is pretty much worthless.

If You Fail Your Training Period ....
You Owe The Company The Entire Tuition And You
Have To Fund Your Own Way Home !

A large trucking company that offers paid cdl training (and most of the few remaining companies offering paid cdl training are large companies) has no interest, vested or otherwise, in your career.  They are training as many as 50 or 60 students in each class.  If you fall behind because you are not getting enough one on one time with the instructor, or enough seat time behind the wheel, you can count on being cut from the class and sent home with a large bill for all your time, effort and troubles.  Not only will you owe the tuition and various other related expenses, but you will have to fund your own way home.

Trucking companies are very aggressive in their attempts to collect on a loan, and your loan may be turned over to a collection agency.  Sadly, there are many trucking companies that rely on high profit margins from just this type of business practice. 

Your credit may be wrecked, you may find a lien placed on your home and that company may even seek to garnish your wages from any future job if you do not pay the loan for their "free training" class that they failed you from.

How Much Did Your  CDL Training Really Cost .....
A Non Contract Driver Can Make As Much As
$15,000 To $20,000 A Year More

How much did
your CDL paid training
really cost you ?

Most people new to the industry don't realize how much less money you will make when you are under a contract.  Most student drivers who have graduated from a private CDL school with a clean driving record and no criminal history can make anywhere from .31 to .34 cents per mile, approximately $850.00 to $1,000.00 a week and even more.  Hard working drivers that work for top tier carriers, while not under contract, can make as much as $60,000 in their first year.

Compare that to a contract driver making .22 to .24 cents per mile and making $600.00 to $700.00 a week.  That's only $32,000 to $35,000 per year.

A non contract driver can make as much as $15,000 to $20,000 a year more than if he had trained for "free" and worked for a contract carrier. 

Another very important difference between private cdl training and company sponsored cdl training is home time.  Typically, contract drivers get less home time because the company works them harder.  It is not uncommon for a contract driver to not be home for week after week at a time.  The same driver working for a quality carrier NOT under contract will be home 3 to 4 times more often.  And, the driver not under contract still has the freedom of choice to move to another carrier that pays more money.

Most private CDL training schools have job placement assistance. And usually the trucking companies that these schools place you with offer tuition reimbursement. The company will usually reimburse you for the money you spent for your private cdl training over the course of one year of employment.

Many schools accept WIA Grants or other types of federal or state Grants.  Some offer in-house financing but that is the exception and not the rule.  An extensive listing of reputable cdl training schools is available in .pdf form in our Truck Driving School Guide.

It's important to remember that before you enter into any agreement do so with your eyes wide open, and read your contracts before you sign anything. Often the need for a job can cloud your judgment but you need to be careful what you are committing to.  There are other options.  Check into getting your CDL license from an independent cdl driver training school.

Remember .... if you are planning on getting your CDL training through a company paid cdl program, you will go under a contract.  Take responsibility for knowing your facts.  Protect yourself as much as you can and read those contracts carefully.  Because ....

There Is No Such Thing As Free CDL Training !!!

The Biggest Decision of Your Truck Driving Career

For many, your first year as an otr driver is going to

bring many new opportunities, exciting changes - and

perhaps a few serious challenges.

There is no way around it - you have to pay your dues to earn the right to move up the career ladder as an experienced otr driver. Perhaps the second biggest career decision you make is selecting the right company to work for after graduation from cdl training school.

So, what is the first biggest career decision you will have to make?

The first biggest
decision ....

The biggest and most important career decision you will make is sticking it out no matter what company you went to work for, and no matter how tough it gets! Get that all-important one year (or more) of OTR driving experience under your belt no matter what it takes!

You've heard the expression "forewarned is forearmed"..... doing you research and diligence can make a big difference, but if you have not done diligent research on cdl driver training and trucking companies, and you went to work for the wrong company, don't leave and become just another statistic.

If you leave before you've completed that first year, you may be sabotaging your professional truck driving career. If you couldn't go the distance on this job why would any other trucking company believe that you will last with them? These are just some of the repercussions that can occur:

Choosing the Right CDL Training School

The Choice You Make Will Determine the Quality of Your Education and the Amount of Money You Spend for That Education ......

When we began Trucking Careers of America more than 10 years ago, our mission was to help CDL Class A drivers become successful - and not just another statistic.  It took time and a lot of hard work to weed through the good, the bad and the ugly, but it's been a very worthwhile journey.

We have placed thousands of drivers in good paying jobs with trucking companies that we feel good about.  We make it our business to remain informed about trucking companies, training schools, and the overall trucking industry.  And unfortunately, we often hear horror stories from our drivers, and often it's about the abuse from CDL training schools.

It's all too easy for new drivers, new to the industry and its inherent pitfalls, to fall prey to unethical schools whose primary objective is financial gain.    

So, for purposes of this article, we are concentrating on the new driver, the student, the applicant that is looking for the best way to get his  or her CDL Class A license.