Question:
I would like to know if there is a "normal" maximum length of time between graduating from a driving school, and working with a carrier, where the carrier will no longer reimburse you for your schooling.
I have an opportunity to go to driving school over the next few weeks to get my CDL. However, I also would like to continue doing my sound and concert work through the busy part of the summer, before looking to hire on with a carrier.
Why not wait till the end of summer to get my CDL? Well, there are opportunities a few times a month where having a CDL will put me on a sound gig, not having it will keep me off of the gig.
So, if I get a CDL at the end of March, pay for my school, and then start driving for a carrier (hopefully) in late August, is there any chance a carrier would still reimburse me for my schooling???
Thanks in advance for any info and advice!!
keef

Answer:
Your plan of going to school now and not driving until after August will require retraining before going with a carrier (insurer driven). You will have no experience.
Why don't you suck it up, go to school, hook on with a carrier, drive until late spring next year then do your concert/sound gig.
You'll have the experience, you'll probably have been with a carrier that does tuition reimbursement, and you will be able to write off your training using Hope Scholarship or lifelong learning credits.
As a trucker you'll be able to file long form with the deductions truckers are able to get due to being OTR (don't forget per diem write-off at the rate of $45/day for every day you're gone from home). BOL

Answer:
I am not sure if carriers have time limits per say, but as pointed out there are time limits imposed on how long you have from graduation to the time you hire on with a carrier before they will require you to take a refresher course. Also carriers that offer tuition reimbursement only do so if they are the 1st carrier you have hired on with (or they are the first paying CDL job you have had) after graduation.

Answer:
With a longer than normal period between school and your actual driving career, most companies will require you to "retrain"
As far as reimburesment goes companies will usually fork over 125-150 bucks per month toward your tuition. With the average school costing between3 and 5 thousand dollars it'll be a long time before you get ful tuition reimbursement. After you quit the first company the next one will not pick up the tab. So if you want full reimbursement you have two choices.
1: Stay with that company a looooooooong time.
or
2: Go to company sponsored school, like Schneider. They will teach you for almost nothing, for a year of your services.
Free is better than 3 grand!
You can do almost any job for a year.

Answer:
Thanks all for the replies -
I have a pre hire from a carrier who will do 1/2 the tuition after six months, the other half after a year, so basically covering the $3k in a year. Of course, if that falls through, I'm on the $150 a month plan.
Have a pre hire from Schneider also, just checking out my options.
Sealord, could you give me a quick set of brains on the writeoff for the Hope Scholarship and life long learning? Not aware of that one.
Also, does the per diem writeoff go on a schedule A, along with my other deductibles? Or is there another form needed? $45 per day x an average of 300 days, that's about $12, 000 - pretty good chunk of change. Most people here say it costs them from $100 to $150 a week on the road, $5 - $7k a year. Sound right?
Thanks again.

Answer:
Also, you may want to check and see if the company witholds another benefit when you accept the tuition reimbursement.
The carrier I drive for witholds the first and last doc bump pay ($10 PER) if you take the tuition reimbursement.

Answer:
Keef;
I have counciled students on this issue many times. If you do not get a job in the industry within four to six weeks of graduation from school, you will need the refresher course.
There are several ways to pay for school, one is your local Workforce Investment Office located at your employement office, tuition is offered for driving school, if your laid off from your employement . Having worked in the entertainment industry I know that the work can have it's seasonal adjustments. This might make you availabe for those funds.
Another source of funding is the V. A Administration. If you or your parent are a vet, then your eligable for tuition from them also, Of couse you can also look for driving schools that are linked with a tech. school because they are accredited , they qualifiy for the student school loan programs from banks.
The last source of tuition I would use are the companies themselfs. You will have to sign a contract and agree to work for them for a period of time to get them to pay your tuition. I would never sign an agreement with a company and lock yourself in like that. There are to many other companies that will hire you without a contract.
Also I know , that u should look at several companies before you go with one. Being Pre-Hired means that if you pass the Drug Screen, Physical and Driving Test then your hired. Shop around and do your research get several Pre-Hires before you choose one.
I hope this has helped,
Catch you on the flip!

Answer:
Usually, you have to drive for a year with a carrier to get the reimbursement. I guess I don't see the problem with that. You drive for a year, you do your job--you get reimbursed. The other poster was correct though--a prehire does'nt mean you're hired. Check out Roehl, Schneider, possibly Werner, or some vo-tech schools also have some very good programs. I know at Roehl, you will have a one year contract, and it is paid on a mileage scale. (www.roehl.net)
Other companies have different deals. Check them all out. BOL/Razz

Answer:
Keef,
Any tax preparer will know about the Hope Scholarship and Life Long Learning Credits and how to claim them. One or the other can be claimed but not both during the same tax year, I think.
Ditto per diem for transportation workers. BOL

Answer:
i tryed to e-mail you. if you give me a good e-mail address, i will e-mail you my phone number if you would like to talk about it. DAVID

Answer:
Hey David, thanks for trying again.
remove "no spam" from the following address:
keef14nospam@chartermi.net
hope this works.
if you want to, give me a call
616-847-2057
would definitely like to talk to you
thanks again!!


Answer:
Not necessarily. I was out of school for 6 or 7 months and it was still okay with my company.

Answer:
Fatty;
Your carrier must not care what their insurance rates are, a majority of carrier's will not hire a driver due to the madates of the Insurance Industry. I have students taking refresher courses all of the time ,due to their time lag of being inactive with there CDL.
Maybe in your case which is rare, a carrier will need drivers for their fleets to the point that the higher insurance prem. is out weighted, by the loss of business.
Catch you on the flip!

Answer:
I've checked around in October '03 for newbie employment. I got my CDL in July'03, and all companies told me I would have to take a refesher course, or have additional training. One company out of Nashville told me they didn't hire "refresher" training grads. Werner was the only company I found that would reimburse. The good thing overall, I got the $2500 tax credit for my taxes. (Community/technical college training)