Training contracts and what you owe
If a carrier pays for your CDL training, you will sign a contract. It is a loan that you repay with time instead of cash.
Read for these terms
- Length: how many months you must stay. About a year is common.
- Amount owed: the tuition figure if you leave early. Compare it to what a local school charges.
- How it shrinks: does the balance drop each month you work, or is it all-or-nothing until the last day?
- If you are let go: do you still owe it when the carrier ends the job?
- Training pay: what you earn during the weeks with a trainer, which is often a low flat rate.
- Team driving: whether you are required to run team after training, and for how long.
Fair questions to ask
- Can I have a copy of the contract to read at home before I travel to orientation?
- Will my license or training record be held back if I leave owing money?
A contract is not automatically a bad deal. For someone with no savings it can be the door into the industry. Just treat it as the financial commitment it is.