So far I've been able to find nothing good who will hire me due to where I live.

Millis (who I really wanted to go with) - doesn't hire in my area
Roehl - doesn't hire in my area
Crete - doesn't hire in my area without 1 year OTR
Deboer - doesn't hire in my area

There were a few other companies that I contacted that I had heard good things about on here that don't hire in my area, but I can't remember exactly who now. I refuse to go on with the likes of Werner, Swift, JB Hunt, etc., but they seem to be the only people hiring around here. Can anybody give me any insight on any decent companies that I might contact (with me being someone without experience) who hires around here (10 minutes west of Tampa)? I guess if worst came to worst, I could move back up to NY, or a lot of my family has moved to SC recently, so I suppose I could go there. I don't think my fiancee would be very keen on moving however, and I'd really rather not either. Sorry about rambling, but hopefully someone will have some advice. Thanks.

I'm in the same boat. I'm in Tampa. I was planning to go with P.A.M., but they're hire in Orlando. I was waiting to hear back from them but sitting on the thought I change my mind at least about the contract/schooling part. They wanted me to go to Orlando for truck driving school. I'm paying for my school and starting Monday
I'm new to this Gr8 forum but only seen one bad comment about P.A.M.. And it seemed self inflicted. Research it and see if it fits for you. If you already have experience they may take you. If you just came out of school they may not, because they do not have you under contact.

I have absolutely no schooling or experience yet. I said that I like Millis so much because even with how fickle people can often be on here it seems, I couldn't find anything but good words for their company and their school. I've also looked into paying for school for myself, and that would be at PTEC (Pinellas Technical Education Center in St. Pete), but when I went there to check everything out they said that they are completely booked and wait listed through August 2008. On top of that, I couldn't even get them to give any information on the program because they said they were changing the curriculum etc. after the New Year so to call back then . The only other option I have is Roadmaster which I want to stay away from due to cost and what I've seen of their reputation.

Obviously it's true, but I find it so hard to believe that there isn't enough freight in Florida to get people home between Jacksonville, Tampa, Orlando, Miami, all of the agricultural area, etc. that companies refuse to hire from this state. I guess it's just really frustrating to know that you're qualified for everything besides where you're domiciled.

I'm going to check out P.A.M's website and check around on here about them after I finish typing this, and I may contact them depending on what I find. I'm also going to contact Willis Shaw's recruiting center and see what they have to say. I know that they're part of Comcar which is based in Auburndale, so maybe something will pan out there. The only downside to them is that they're a reefer division, and I wanted to stay more to the dry van side of things.

Like I said, if worst came to worst I could move, but I've been here for a good majority of my life, everyone my fiancee and I are friends with as well as immediate family live here (save for some in NY/NJ and a couple of people in SC for me and CT for her), so I don't really want to leave that for good and it wouldn't really be fair to ask her to leave for my aspirations, but ultimately it may come to that. I could also go back to school (I've completed two years of college), but driving is want I really want to do and something I've always wanted to do.

In the meantime, my fiancee's father is and O/O with Penn Tank Lines out of the Port of Tampa, and we've talked, and he's offered to let me drive and learn on his truck when he's not working (he was a company trainer for ~10 years before going local), so I got the state CDL handbook from the DMV a couple of days ago and have been reading it so that I can get my permit and start learning with him. I just want to get out and start making money and start a career. I don't know if companies are dissuaded by my age and think I won't be responsible enough to drive in a professional or timely manner or what, but I've worked full time while in high school, worked full time while carrying a full course load in college, right now work one full time job and another job that is often up to full time hours, working 18+ hour days in some instances, but obviously you can't really put all of that on your application to show that you're a hard and dedicated worker.

Well, I'm rambling now. Sorry for that kind of ridiculous harangue, but I'm just venting some about this life changing situation that I and I'm sure many others are facing, have faced, or will come to face. And to anyone who read it all, thank you for putting up with my long windedness

Woppin,

Have you tried talking to Schneider?

if you don't mind commuting to Tampa and have a good work history, try CTL. it's local and they train. I believe it is no cost with contract. I worked at the port of Tampa as security guard and talked with their drivers and trainees they love it. The job is payed per load. CTL assigns a certain amount of trips but if you want to do more trips you can (with in dot rules and regulations). It's good place to start because it's local and excellent benefits. After filling out their app they will inform you of job offer and school date within a couple of days .

I tried but work history disqualified me.

You're lucky you have someone to train you for free. all you pay is for test and license.

I just called them today, and they're not hiring in my area

I'll try calling them tomorrow, but I was really hoping more for an OTR van job. Regardless, I checked out their website and it looks like they're a pretty good company. I didn't however see any pay scale or anything listed on their site, so I'll try to find out about that when I call them. Thanks for the heads up though, I definitely appreciate any input on this that anyone can give me.

Did you get a job with CTL? I'm waiting for a call back from their recruiting department. Pay close attention to the online forms you fill out. As of 9:08 PM EST 2/08/08, none of the online forms I saw from Comcar and their daughter company affiliates were encrypted.

__________________
Bob
Unwilling Midlife Crisis Participant

I'm actually moving out of Florida in a couple of months, so my options will be expanding exponentially. I'm either headed to Seattle or SC near Charlotte, so I'll be in good shape either way. I'm planning on getting in touch with Roehl, Millis, Schneider, and Watkins Shepard to see what each of them have to say. Good luck with that call though.

Thanks for the reply. Glad to hear you're options are expanding. I'm certain any state in the nation except Alaska would be advantageous to Florida.

__________________
Bob
Unwilling Midlife Crisis Participant