If you are looking for a career in trucking and you need the training to get started, the choices and options for student drivers can be overwhelming. Weeding through some of the nonsense and high pressure recruiting and sales tactics can be very difficult. We have put together a very simple list that we truly believe narrows down the process to the most basic fundamental issues that actually matter to a student.
- First and foremost is costs and financing options. Let’s face it, if you cannot afford to go to school, the rest is irrelevant. We understand that here at TTDS and that is why we have worked hard to establish several different ways to finance your tuition expenses, some requiring no credit check and no co-signer. TTDS does most student financing options in house, meaning we hold the student loan. How does that matter to you? By us holding the loan, we can keep financing charges low. We don’t sell your loan off to a finance company that charges $2000 or more just to handle your loan. This ultimately keeps your expenses down. Secondly, we invest in you. We have to make sure you succeed so that we succeed. We know we provide quality training and make sure that you have great job opportunities and as a result, we are not afraid to put our skin in the game as well.
- The next thing to consider is the quality of training that you receive while in class. Its one thing to get the training required to take and pass your CDL. Its is another thing altogether to get the training required to get and then keep a job in the transportation industry. Keep in mind, after being hired with the company of your choosing, you will be required to prove your driving skills when they assign you to an instructor for their company. We have had to retrain students from other schools that passed them through their course but trained the student on an automatic transmission or trained them with smaller 24 foot pup trailers. Schools do this because it makes it easier on them and they can graduate a higher number of students with less time spent on remedial training. That does the student little good if after they get to orientation they are fired because their trainer said they cant drive. Remember, at TTDS we have to make sure our students not only pass their CDL exam but that they succeed as truck drivers for great carriers that pay them well. We also strive hard to ensure that our students are placed with companies that do full tuition reimbursement as well. This makes it easier on students to fulfill their tuition obligations after graduation.
- That brings us to our final point, job placement. Lets face it, the reason for going to school and getting your CDL is to get a job. You want to start a career with a high quality company that is going to pay you well and provide you the benefits you deserve. Many schools will try to baffle you with certificates, accreditation and many other things that mean nothing in the long run to you, the student. These things mean absolutely nothing to the carrier that hires you either. The Tennessee Higher Education Commission approves all schools for their licensing in the state of Tennessee. They review curriculum, check backgrounds and credentials of instructors, recruiters and directors of schools and they also review the training facility to ensure that students have a safe atmosphere in which to learn. So all schools in the state of Tennessee have to meet the requirements to provide training, but that is where the similarity ends. As a student who is looking for a career in the trucking industry, the best thing you can do is call the carriers for whom you want to work. Check to ensure that the school you are looking at for your education has a training agreement with them and if not, will they accept a diploma from that school. Ask the carriers themselves; speak to their recruiters to find out where you should go for your education in your area. Ultimately the only thing the student should be concerned about is the opinion of the company that is going to hire them and give them a paycheck. Getting the self serving opinion of one school about another school is wasting your time and just adds to the confusion.
To summarize, when looking for a school consider these factors. How quickly and easily can they get you in class and meet your financial needs? How quickly can they get you to work with a carrier that will pay you the paycheck and provide you the benefits you deserve? Can they provide you with the quality of training you need to succeed in the industry? Here at TTDS we have graduated over 200 students in the last 8 months alone with a 100% succesful job placement program.
The choice is clear. Tennessee Truck Driving School offers the best and most successful options for CDL training in the state.