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Trucking Employment Contracts

When an employer offers company-based Free CDL training under an employment contract, they do it in one of two ways in most cases

In-House CDL Training

In-House training is training that is provided directly by the employer themselves.  The training will typically be on the same equipment that you will be using after graduation.  In addition, you also do not have to pay the tuition costs upfront.

Company Sponsored CDL Training

This is similar to In-House training, except that instead of receiving training directly from the employer, you will receive it from a local truck driving school and the company will pay your tuition for you while you attend or have you pay it back in the form of a temporary pay cut when you start working.

Pros and Cons of an Employment Contract

When you take up an employment contract, you are pre-qualified for your new job before you start your training. This makes it so you won’t have to deal with the stress of finding a position after you graduate.  Everything is set in stone before you even take the first class.   You can skip past student loan applications and get straight down to getting your CDL since your future-employer will be paying for your tuition and handling that whole process for you.  From that point on, you will receive your CDL training from a trucking school where they’ll teach you everything you need to know to maintain a successful career in trucking.  After you graduate, many companies will still train you over-the-road for a few weeks, just to make sure you’re completely comfortable with all your new responsibilities.  Company sponsored training from an employment contract is usually quite quick, around 3 weeks. In less than a month, you’ll be trained and ready for a brand new career as a truck driver.  https://cdlboards.com allows you to search among thousands of local truck driving positions across the country and is sure to have a position that will fit your needs.

While there are certainly benefits to taking this approach instead of attending a CDL school directly, it doesn’t come without its’ share of cons.  First off, most employment contracts last for 6 months, making it difficult, if not impossible for you to switch employers for that time.  Taking an employment contract can significantly lower the number of options you have at your disposal, which can be a disaster if you find that you don’t like your employer, or they don’t pay enough.  On the topic of not paying enough, drivers under contract will often start out making less money per mile versus those who attend a truck driving school on their own.  Non-contract drivers, however, will have to make monthly payments on their student loans.  For contracted drivers, This is taken out of your paycheck during the duration of the contract by your employer to cover the cost of their tuition that the company provided.  New drivers under an employment contract can expect to receive around $60k per year in their current position or roughly $3k-$4k per month.  However, once a driver pays off their student loan interest at a CDL school.  More often than not, most drivers can move up to a higher position after 6 months and makeup to $93k/year in some cases, and possibly even greater.

It’s important for you to understand exactly what you’re getting into when you sign an employment contract.  You should always read the fine print before offering your signature.  The appeal of zero-dollar tuition is huge, but you should always keep a sharp eye on the long-term ramifications that an employment contract can hold, and always, ALWAYS read the fine print. Always make the correct decision based on your needs and wants.