Jeraza Posted August 28, 2014 Report Share Posted August 28, 2014 I'm 56 years old and having a very hard time finding work to support my family. I enjoy driving a lot and am seriously considering Trucking as a career choice until I retire. Wife isn't crazy about the idea but she understands that I need to do what I have to in order to support the family & pay the bills. I live in the L.A. area of So Calif and would like to know which Driving Schools (both Company Sponsored & Private Schools) that are well run and respected out here and can provide job placement after the training ( if private ). I have read quite a few reports of scam schools out there etc... I also understand that the pay for the first 6 months is going to really suck - $300 to $450 week ? Incredibly low to start but is there light at the end of the tunnel ? I've heard that if I choose a Co Sponsored school I will more than likely be OTR with a trainer for the first few weeks/months ? Is that true ? for Any words of wisdom and recommendations would be much appreciated ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leadfoot McGee Posted September 11, 2014 Report Share Posted September 11, 2014 I lived just north of L.A. (Santa Clarita) for 12 years before moving to the east coast... and trust me, it wasn't by choice but, it was just too expensive for me to live there any longer. Not to rain on your parade but, are you sure you'll be able to survive in L.A. on $300 - $450 a week? Anyway, if you are looking for a trustworthy truck driving school in southern Cali, I would go to Truck Driving Schools Info and check out the list they have of truck driving schools in California that have been rated by the Better Business Bureau. A truck driving school is a business, and like any other business, they should be held accountable to a watchdog so potential students can get a good idea of who they can trust with their tuition money. Ideally, you want to go to a trucking school that has an A+ rating and good reviews. I hope that helps. By the way, they also show you how you may be able to go to truck driving school for free or at a heavily discounted price using a state or federal grant. You'll definitely want to get in touch with the California Student Aid Commission. Hope that helps. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bthomforde Posted September 16, 2014 Report Share Posted September 16, 2014 I'm 56 years old and having a very hard time finding work to support my family. I enjoy driving a lot and am seriously considering Trucking as a career choice until I retire. Wife isn't crazy about the idea but she understands that I need to do what I have to in order to support the family & pay the bills. I live in the L.A. area of So Calif and would like to know which Driving Schools (both Company Sponsored & Private Schools) that are well run and respected out here and can provide job placement after the training ( if private ). I have read quite a few reports of scam schools out there etc... I also understand that the pay for the first 6 months is going to really suck - $300 to $450 week ? Incredibly low to start but is there light at the end of the tunnel ? I've heard that if I choose a Co Sponsored school I will more than likely be OTR with a trainer for the first few weeks/months ? Is that true ? for Any words of wisdom and recommendations would be much appreciated ! Check these web sites for great info, Professional Truck Driver Institute, PTDI, http://ptdi.org/ PTDI works with carriers and schools with minimum training requirements. Not all schools have the same requirements to "pass" as a truck driver. PTDI does a great job with this. Another one is National Association of Publicly Funded Truck Driving Schools (NAPFTDS) http://napftds.org/ this is an organisation for publicly funded schools, Vocational or tech schools. Both of these are great resources for truck driver training and can give you options for training in your area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leadfoot McGee Posted January 13, 2015 Report Share Posted January 13, 2015 Bthomforde makes a great point. PTDI certified schools do hold themselves to the highest quality CDL training standards. I'm not going to leave another link because there is already a link in my previous post above but, Truck Driving Schools Info's directory of truck driving schools shows you which schools are PTDI certified. Just look for the schools that have a small cross symbol next to the name of the school. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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