The
free schools provide you just enough training to be able to operate the
truck and might not get similar the in-depth understanding and
knowledge as the paid training. The companies that sponsored these
schools might absorb you and that too at a lower scale pay than the
regular one. However, there is nothing "free" in this world and
everything comes at a price. Therefore, the so called free truck
driving schools are not really free, however, their fees are so less
compared to the approved schools that they can be considered as free.
The commercial trucks are huge, gigantic vehicles and
one equals a
number of cars. Therefore, the driving, manoeuvring and parking of
these vehicles is not easy. So, you would need proper training from
specialised schools which are expensive. So, in order to meet the
demand for qualified drivers, a number of free driving schools have
come up. Moreover, you need to know more of these "Free truck driving
schools" and the actual realities.
On the average, a truck driver with 6 months experience
can make
$35,000 annually, and tractor-trailer drivers make even more. This is
the reason why truck driving schools have sprung up like mushrooms to
accommodate people who want to get their commercial driver's license or
CDL (required to drive trucks, tractors and buses) pronto. A good
trucking school will provide a student with a good, solid, basic
knowledge of rules and regulations of trucking, avoidance of truck
accidents, maneuvering, emergency procedures and other realities of the
"big rig" world. Shoddy ones will just provide you with the reality of
a slick scam, some posing as free truck driving schools.
It is considered that the annual average earnings of a
truck driver
amount to $35,000, while drivers of tractors/trailers earn even more
(considering a 6-months experience). Moreover, to be a driver, you need
a commercial driver's license/CDL which can be obtained after an exam
(written and road). Therefore, to cater to the needs for tuition
classes, a number of truck driving schools have come up. Although, not
all are reputed and certified and the training obtained can be useless.
Good ones help you to get a clear understanding of the driving rules
and regulations, how to handle road emergencies; avoid accidents and
other main considerations for handling theses trucks. However, the
above schools are costly. Hence, free truck driving schools can be the
solution.
Since, the reputed driving schools have high fees not
affordable by
many. Therefore, the options available are to take a loan either from
the school itself (interest rates high) or from outside (like banks
with lower interest rates) and repay the loan while earning. Yet
another option is to join a free truck driving school, like the Roehl
Honor Program, that provides free training programs without any
conditions for honourably discharged military personnel.
There are some free truck driving schools sponsored by
some companies
on a condition that you join them after completing the course. However,
the pay is less (generally based on cents-per-mile) than those who
graduate out of those paid driving schools. Hence, it might be a better
to join the approved truck schools with fees as high as $3,500 and get
a higher pay.
Another alternative for the financially challenged are
community
college based programs. While not exactly free truck driving schools,
most community colleges provide the necessary vocational education
needed for qualifying for a professional CDL at a fraction of the
tuition of a private truck driving school.
One solution for those that can't afford at the time the
fees is the
community college programs. These aren't what you can call a free truck
driving school but in their trainings you can find guidance and
education for obtaining a professional CDL permit. Also the tuition is
much lower than in truck driving schools.