SoCal Trucking School Pricing

I have shopped trucking schools and all sorts of other portions of the "how to pay for it" part including Workforce Development and Pell Grants.

What I found is that the higher cost schools will help with the receipt of the Pell Grant (abut $2,400) and they offer payment deferment along with helping you get hired at a carrier that will provide Tuition Assistance. All that to say I have done much looking into this and this is what I found:

American Institute of Technology Trucking School
Cost: $8,217.00
Length: 10 weeks classroom, 6 weeks road training

Personally, I say WTF ?! They basically train you up and send you to Swift. Swift will offer Tuition Reimbursement up to $2,000 paid $100 per month. You have no special "I paid too much status".


The next place I went was Roadmaster
Cost: $6,400
Length: 6 weeks total

Lots of Werner drivers start here. I have heard good things about this school but I cannot quote any of it. I still think this is still too rich. The $2,000 you may get from an employer (at $100 a month) and the $2,400 grant still leaves you with $2,000 out-of-pocket.

So I went over to Skyway Trucking School
Cost: $1,500 - no grant you cheapie
Length 4 - 6 weeks, as needed

So guess where I went? That's right. In five days they had me prepped to pass the DMV tests ($66). Now I am practicing with a very good Instructor for my Skills and Pre-Trip. I'll Road Course starting Wednesday. The equipment is good, the coursework is thorough and overall it's a great ride.

What I like the most is that there is no carrier with a leash on me because I had to get in their pockets. I have 3 Letters of Intent from the major players and I feel that I could handle Orientation just about anywhere.

More money doesn't mean a better training experience or a different Letter of Intent. When you are a rookie you are all the same.

My point, shop hard and look at all the schools. And then make the choice that is right for you and your wallet.

I'm happy where I am at and I hope that you are (or, will be) also.

Keep the rubber bits down mate

 

Both good schools also. I test next week. Using as much Yard Time as I can to get my Alley Dock and Parallel Parking down just right.

Driving is good. Not too many students and I learn alot from watching others and checking their shift habits. It just seems like so much to learn all at once.

Werner comes tomorrow to tell we are all beautiful and we smell nice. I'm hoping to get on with SN and make my way onto Tankers.

I'd be very interested in hearing where you cats end up working when you finish.

 

There is a fantastic company here near where I live that has a solid reputation and amazingly cool equipment.

The trade off: They haul explosives.

I'd do that in a heartbeat. Anything that pushes me to be better is what I would like.

I've searched hard but every company around here wants 1 yr exp or they cannot insure you.

Let me how it happens for you. I'd like to know what other folks do at the end of school.

Werner said some things today that almost closed the deal for me. I talk to May Trucking tomorrow.

 

OK, So I went to the DMV today. This is what happened. I'm not making this up, this is what took place.

As we (students) were watching each other move around the tarmac and such the AIT Volvo made it's way onto the skills course. Someone said how nice it looked and another said that the school is expensive. So I said, "Yep, like $8,217" expensive. Then I added that it was a 16 week course.

Well I was corrected by their Instructor who says it's not 16 weeks it 18 weeks.

Then the Instructor start trash talking every other school out there. Including the school I went to and all the while that Volvo just cannot seem to find it's way into the Alley Dock. FAIL.

Then the Instructor goes on to trash talk Mexicans. Oh yeah, now it's getting good.

The Instructor then goes on to trash talk AIT staff, sales people and course work.

Now the Volvo has a new student in it.

Instructor goes on to talk about how crappy our school is (Passed 3 of 5 this day) and how we suck the ducks butt and on and on ....

AIT Volvo is in the 100 ft straight backing lane ....

More about Mexicans, other schools, mostly RoadKill (his name not mine) and again all the while the Volvo is nearly sideways on the back up lane. FAIL.

AIT - $8217.00, 18 weeks and 2 out of 2 students FAILED.

It was probably because they were not Mexican.

This is the truth. It is what it is.

 

Don't get me wrong, I'm all for AIT. If I had the dough, the time and lived closer I'd do it in a heartbeat. I can see they offer so much for their students and I would hope that it is one of those places where the more you put in the more you get out of it.

I was just appalled by the arrogance and trash talk. When the students failed it was the students fault, they were "dumb######" according to him. I do not agree with this statement.

If you are gonna talk the talk you better be able to back that up and have your students shine out there on the tarmac. AIT wasn't sold that day, he was loud and the other students heard him also.

The Volvo all sideways on the back-up lane was a terrible sign that the Instructor had not taught the very basics of backing.

I'm not trashing the school, I'm trashing the school's Representative, who performed poorly in public.