It is wise to read this entire page. Company sponsored CDL Training is not so simple and not so free. There is a tradeoff for going this route. It is a good route for the right person and if you know what you are getting into.

The reason for this homework is simple. You need to do everything possible to stay at that first company that trains you for the contracted period of time in order to have your CDL training fully paid for by that company.

Plus, staying at the company looks good on your work history which makes you a more likely candidate for highest paying trucking companies, for your experience level, after 1 or 2 years of driving.

Oh, let me back up a minute for those who got here and don't know what company sponsored CDL training is exactly.

When a company says they will sponsor or pay for your training to get your CDLs or they tell you they will train you for free, it means that you will sign a contract to work for them for a specified period of time after you are licensed.

Some trucking companies charge way too much for CDL training, others may be reasonable. Some charge a larger amount if you break the contract. Some companies run a great training program and others could care less how effective their trainers are. Some companies will charge you a certain amount each week for the truck driver training. Some won't charge you anything unless you break the contract by quitting, then your credit is hit up and you probably will have something put on your DAC Report. Other companies will charge you per week for their training. It comes out of your checks. This means that you will make even less money than your already 'lower than expected' weekly amount as a trucker. If you fail to complete the training period you owe the balance of what they charge you for training.

If you complete the training and if they hire you, they will then add that same amount back to your check until what they took from you is paid back to you.

Notice that I said if they hire you. Some companies will let you go through all of this training before doing a thorough background check. If you are half through when they discover you lied on the application and you have stuff on your record that will not allow them to hire you....you owe them the prorated amount for the time you spent training. You now have a bill that is due without that job to pay for it.

Don't lie on the application or it could bite you in the end.

Beware though, some drivers have told the truth, get trained and the company still doesn't hire them permanently because of the criminal or driving record that they should have been aware of.

(Note: If your record is bad and the promise to hire seems to good to be true, call trucking companies and see their response to your record. Do this despite what you are told by the recruiter.)

You want to make sure you read the contract. Call many trucking companies that offer free or company sponsored training to compare the length of time you must work to pay off the CDL training. Also, see how much they will charge you should you quit or get fired.

You will hear a lot of negative information about trucking company sponsored truck driver training programs. Some of the negative feedback about company sponsored training is accurate and stems mostly from people/personality problems and/or incompetence in dispatch resulting in low miles.

Some of the negativity comes from unrealistic expectations or misunderstandings. A lot of the negativity comes from our perception and the way we view life. The process is not designed specifically for each person. The program simply is what it is. You choose to enter the agreement or you don't. You can't know what your getting into and then be mad because it isn't what you would like it to be. You also can't sign it and not know what your signing and get mad because it is not what you want it to be.

It DOES cost money and time to train you to become a trucker and so the word free is great for marketing but the reality is someone must pay for this expense in some way. In life very little with value is actually free. Always read the fine print. Company sponsored CDL training is strategically designed to enable a person wanting to become a trucker with no resources to do so without money but also without costing the company more than necessary. Some companies may even view their training itself as a revenue producing operation instead of producing loyal and professional drivers.

That being said there ARE some shady players in the trucking game, another reason to talk to drivers, ask questions and reading the contract. Try your best to get along with people (dispatch, other office personnel) and work for the company who trains you for the contract period. Less problems, less drama, less stress.

However, if they abuse this arrangement by trying to manipulate you into consistently running illegal or taking abuse from a trainer, or seem to not really care about you getting trained properly....don't let it slide without taking action to get things corrected. Always do it tactfully because you are not in the position of leverage.

If they are actually shady as opposed to just not being aware, they could retaliate because you are causing problems by not just going along with what is dished to you. This shouldn't be. You know as I know that there are bad people in all job sectors who shouldn't hold their jobs.

Protect yourself as best you can. Keep a journal of these incidence as they play out. Take snapshots of qualcomm messages that go back and forth from people trying to get you to do things illegally.

Retaliation for you reporting the trucking company trainers unsafe behavior is a crime. Contact the EEOC, DOT, Labor Board

Look up trucking companies and report the unsafe.

Local Free CDL Training

Type in company sponsored CDL training

if you have a location preference type it in afterwards.

Ex. Atlanta free truck driver training or Atlanta Company Sponsored CDL training, etc.

Also check and see if there is a community college teaching

CDL training in your area.

Ex. Atlanta Community college CDL training or Oklahoma City Community college truck driver training, etc

Below is a common horror story scenario you will often hear about this type of training. Though it is called a scam, the terms as far as I know, in writing which means that it's a scam mostly to people who don't read or understand what they are signing. (It's not a cakewalk, It's not for everyone) Make sure you know what you are signing.

Know that there are no free rides.

Most common complaints (all in one) about company sponsored CDL training
Make sure you read the response to the complaint afterwards.

If any drivers have gone to a company sponsored truck driver training program please list it below and tell us how it worked out for you so that the visitors can have good reference for good company sponsored programs. Thanks.

Below is some feedback from drivers that have already gone through some company sponsored CDL truck driving programs. It's a good place to get information to base a decision but you still must judge how fair, accurate or possibly one sided the feedback can be.

Company Sponsored CDL Training Top
CDL Training Main