| I've been driving an 18-wheeler for 11 years. People | | | | When I went to trucking school, there were 4 ways to |
| always ask "is it hard to drive that thing." The answer | | | | pay. |
| is: yes and no. Once you're used to driving an | | | | |
| 18-wheeler, it's not hard. But it takes a lot of practice, | | | | 1. Pay cash up front. |
| patience, and paying attention to get good. You know | | | | 2. Get a loan, pay the trucking school up front and pay |
| a guy has been trucking a long time when he can blind | | | | the loan back to the loaner (whether it's a bank or a |
| side it into a hole between two trucks without having | | | | relative). |
| to pull up once. For the rest of us, it's a good idea to | | | | 3. Take a loan from the trucking school and pay them |
| have an extra set of eyes watching from outside the | | | | back with a lot of interest. |
| truck, go slow, and not worry about looking dumb | | | | 4. Government funding through unemployment or |
| when you need to make a correction. | | | | military programs. If you opt to take a loan from the |
| Trucking schools teach you the basics. They teach | | | | trucking school, be aware of the interest they are |
| you what you need to know to pass the test in your | | | | charging. Also, read the contract on the loan carefully. |
| state. They teach you how to answer the questions | | | | Some loans penalize you for paying them off early |
| the right way and how to turn the wheel to put the | | | | and some require that you pay all the interest whether |
| trailer where the examiner wants it to go. They do | | | | you pay it off early or not. |
| NOT teach you trucking. I'd call trucking school "Intro to | | | | If you opt to work for a company that provides the |
| Trucking, 101," if you will. Don't get me wrong-trucking | | | | training in return for your commitment to drive for them, |
| school provides you with a good base of knowledge | | | | be aware of what the going rates are for new drivers. |
| about trucking. You can learn the physics behind a jack | | | | Say that trucking school costs $3,500 and the going |
| knife and some basic tips to avoid trucking accidents. | | | | rate for a solo driver is 30 cents per mile (cpm). If you |
| You can learn the basics of maneuvering. You can | | | | opt to go through a company's trucking school and |
| learn the rules and regulations of the trucking world. | | | | they want you to drive for them for a year at 20 cpm, |
| The more you know when you leave trucking school, | | | | that's a 10 cent difference. In a year's time, if you drive |
| the better equipped you are to handle the realities you | | | | 100,000 miles, you have made $10,000 less than you |
| will encounter on the road. | | | | would have working for 30 cpm. You need to decide if |
| I don't know of any reputable companies that don't | | | | the original investment in trucking school is worth the |
| require trucking school. Some companies provide their | | | | loss of income you may face. |
| own trucking school and teach you for free so long as | | | | However you pay for it, trucking school is a necessity |
| you drive for them for a certain period of time- usually | | | | in most cases. It is the gateway to a good paying job. |
| 6 months to a year. | | | | |