Professional truck driving is a major force in today's economy. Presently, there are over 8 million licensed CDL drivers in the United States today. For the thousands of "new" drivers breaking into truck driving, they find themselves in a tough dilemma: few companies will hire you without at least 6 months to a year of driving experience, so how do you get the experience once you've achieved your CDL? This is where the companies come into play.

Many trucking companies offer a "school" that usually last around three weeks which will get you your CDL license. After finishing, you will be asked to sign a one year contract stating that you will drive for that company, and that company ONLY! Thus, getting your one year of experience. After that, you can go anywhere and find truck driving jobs. The problem being: this company "school" or any of the many truck driving schools can end up costing you thousands of dollars and MORE! Going through a company CDL program is a very dangerous thing in this author's opinion. If you have no driving experience and are contemplating getting your CDL, then you are in a catch 22. After paying as much as $5000.00 through one of these company "schools", you will find yourself at their mercy: facing low pay, low miles and much aggravation!

The cheapest route to getting your CDL is through a Vo-Tech school! A real, honest college-training program that will end up saving you thousands of dollars, plus offer you much greater training! I would much rather pay $1200.00 than $5000.00! Of course, now you are probably asking yourself, "OK, but then how do I get the experience?" That is the easy part!

There are MANY trucking companies that will hire newly CDL graduates. Just check out the hundreds of ads by companies needing drivers and you will find those that state "students welcome" and "we hire CDL graduates."

Take it from someone who has been there! Save thousands of dollars by not falling for these company "schools." Check around for the nearest Vo-Tech to you and see if they are one of the many which offer the professional CDL program. You will still have to start at the low end of the pay scale, "pay your dues" so to speak...but you will have saved a great deal of money by attending the Vo-Tech training, and as your experience builds, many better opportunities will open up for you!

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