Which company would you recommend for a new driver?

I'll tag onto this thread rather than start a new one. My son is thinking about going to school. There is a Roadmasters school nearby. He would be learning in Florida. So a few questions if you don't mind.

• Is Roadmasters a good enough school to get started? Looks to be 4 weeks long. Tuition seems high at about $7k but it is close (Jacksonville) and doesn't require a GED. Any thoughts? Any better school suggestions that don't require a GED? Smart kid but some stupid decisions early on...
• Looks like they have relationships with 4 companies. From what I've read here, none of them seem great. They are Werner, Stevens, Covenant and May. Any thoughts? Obviously time (speed) is money so if they speed limited the trucks too much it could really impact your earning potential.
• Supposedly they'll have something lined up before he starts school and some sort of tuition reimbursement from whomever he goes with. I assume there is some sort of back-end financial relationship with the school to feed the newbies who don't know any better. Any advice or suggestions?
• Any tips or suggestions about how to approach this? I need to get him the hell out of my basement so to speak and with his life. He is over 21, has no tickets, and no drug issues.
• Is Florida a good place for him to be based out of? Looks like the governor is trying to drive more ships to the ports so that should drive up demand for trucking and wages along with it.
• From what I've read here, basically, the first few months will probably be pretty low pay, maybe 600-700 a week. If he sticks with it a year or more, he should have a lot more options. Is that pretty accurate?
• Would it be better for him to go as an OTR team or maybe do solo to start? Obviously have a good partner is like finding a good wife/husband, it can be pretty challenging. What is the best way to start?

He has got a knack for this. We've moved cross country a bunch of times and took turns driving one of the Penske 26' box trucks with a tandem car hauler and did great. Probably did a good 30k miles with that setup and no incidents. Just need to find a good place to get him trained, out of my house and with a decent company. Thanks for any advice you might have.
-DT

 

Roadmasters is too expensive, but if a company reimburses the tuition that helps.
He can get a lot better costs with a tech school or community college. Sometimes as little as $1500 to $2500
~
Stevens, Covenant, May are ok, but there's plenty more to choose from if he attends the tech school or community college.
I don't know of any companies that want to actually see the GED or High School Diploma.
There's ways to get either one quickly along with transcripts.

 

Stevens Transport has their own cdl school in Tampa. It's free and meals and lodging are provided.
New class starts every Sunday afternoon.

1. CDL Training Locations | Stevens Transport
   CDL Training Locations
   Company Sponsored Truck Driving Schools Stevens Transport has partnered with the truck driver training providers listed below to provide a company-sponsored CDL training for new drivers.
2. 

 

Commercial Truck Driving - J-Tech Institute - Jacksonville …J-Tech Institute’s 4 or 8-week Commercial Truck Driving and CDL Program is helping students acquire the skills necessary to prepare for the Class “A” Commercial Driver’s …
~

• Jacksonville Truck Driving School | 160 Driving AcademyJacksonville Truck Driving School New Student Services At 160 Driving Academy, Jacksonville, we take pride in offering local students the first-class CDL training classes and trucking courses they need to …
  • Location: 9527 Regency Square Blvd. Suite 104, Jacksonville, 32225, FL

 

Swift Refrigerated | New Trainee Pay Package
Swift Refrigerated – Sign On for the Trucking Career of a Lifetime with Swift Refrigerated
Earn Your Permit and CDL With No Upfront Costs and Job Placement.

 

Speed won't impact earnings at all. If he has an appointment at 0700 in the morning, it won't matter how fast he drives, the appointment is still at 0700.
Trucks are governed because of fuel economy. A truck running 65 - 68 mph and using an automatic transmission gets the best fuel economy. That means thousands of dollars a year in savings.

 

All first year trucking jobs suck. But you are better off to go to a trade school instead of a mega carrier for your training. Mega’s will make you work there for several years to payoff the training. That would suck worse.

 

Thanks for the ideas. He checked with J-tech in Jacksonville and they require a HS diploma or GED. Not sure if they actually check it though.

 

1. CFI Temp-Control – CFI
   
   
2. CFI Temperature Control, established in 2021, is the official carrier of CFI freight requiring controlled temperature environments due to varying factors. With the enterprise of CFI behind them, CFI Temperature Control provides a professional, dependable and safe experience for our customers freight from pickup to delivery.
3. Company-paid Tuition
   With a 12-month commitment to drive for CFI, qualified students can now receive fully paid tuition to attend driving school in Missouri. We’ll even cover your room and board for the duration of the four-week course.

.

 

Well, he can go to Roadmaster then. May Trucking is good out of Roadmaster. So is Stevens Transport. He'll make more money pulling refrigerated freight because the runs are long and can run coast to coast.