Firefighter/EMT to OTR CDL Driver: input?

Your story sounds a little like mine.
Drove a 6wheeler box truck for 10 years, 3 states away. Job went downhill, only working 2 days a week in a small town with nothing much to offer.
Took credit card and bought used Mack, and flatbed trailer. Got my own authority, and have been doing my own thing for the past 7 years.

 

Your experience will essentially count for nothing, save having a verifiable work history, in the OTR driving world. Most companies only count class 8 (big rig w/ trailer) as experience. It's not fair, but that's the way it is. You will most likely have to start with a training company, and go through their training process, to get your foot in the door. That will include, depending on the company, 2-6 weeks on the road in a trainers truck. Some of the better ones (from my understanding) are Schneider, Prime, Roehl, Maverick, TMC, just to name a few. Spend a year or two at one of these outfits and many more opportunities will become available to you.

Maybe @Chinatown has some better ideas. Good luck and I hope you figure out something that works for you.

 

Pretty sure Schneider will hire you, but try these with an application BEFORE a phone call. Then call and say "I'm checking on my job application."
Clean Harbors
YRC Freight
Jim Palmer Trucking
Freymiller
Western Dairy Transport
Navajo Express
Titan Transfer
Amerigas
Ferrellgas
Airgas
Lily Transportation
Old Dominion Freight Line - apply in person
Staffmark - temp. service

 

Same boat when I jumped from FF to full time truck driver. Your experience, nor mine, in straight trucks i.e. fire apparatus and ambulances (I drove/operated engines, tankers, ladders, and ambulances) will not count for anything other than a stable work history. In my case I also had extensive driving experience (18 wheelers) hauling heavy equipment in the military but I went through a CDL school and was fortunate enough to find a regional dry bulk company that took 'CDL school grads'. Check with whoever you did your refresher with. They should be able to give some good advice and may have a lead to a local company that will hire you.

Mostly you will need a solid year with a 'starter' company before moving into something more to your liking or fitting your needs. My tip to a local company came this way and it came in handy as they ran local and regional which gave me the opportunity to gain experience and make it home fairly consistently. More importantly it allowed me to see the ugly side of the business. This allowed me to approach my following employment opportunities from a position of power (knowledge) rather than from one of weakness (I just have to have a job).

Good luck

 

Most people that get into truck driving only want to drive. They don't want anything to do with loading or unloading a trailer. Worst case would be moving someones house contents. Companies like Mayflower, Allied Moving and United Van Lines do this. Packing dishes and personal goods into boxes and loading them onto trucks is not what a 350 pound out of shape truck driver wants to do.

There are also FOOD SERVICE companies that deliver to restaurants where you have to unload trucks by taking a loaded 2 wheeler down a ramp and rotate stock into freezers. Most drivers just want to drive so someone with driving experience will quit this job in less than a week so this is a job that companies will train a no experience driver rather than take an experienced drive off of the road. Companies that do this are Sysco, Food Service of America, Reinhart Food Service.

 

I got out of trucking after 14 yrs and got into the local Plumbers and Pipefitters union. Best move i have ever made in my life.

 

@TROOPER to TRUCKER i know i'm kinda late here.. any input tho?