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