Hello all,

Sorry if this the wrong place to post this.

I decided to get my clas A CDL last Nov when I had to renew my license anyway.

(This was started because of a local ad I read for a snow plow driver for the city)

Got the book, studied a few days took the written for general, combo, tank, and air brake. Got my dot medical for 2 years.

Since then I have been looking for a truck to get into and practice with no luck!
I even have a relitive that told me "no thanks"

My permit expires in 9 days now which I can renew once, but I was just informed that the law has changed and if I dont get my license by July I will HAVE to atend a school. Which I think would be great but I am barely survining and in no way can raise the 3 grand or so for school.

Kids, wife no otr.

I had NO idea it would be so tough finding someone to teach me to drive.
I offered a guy I know $200 to show me the basics in his newer dump truck and let me use for the test, but he keeps puttin me off for some reason.
He has no cdl anyway just the truck so Im not sure I want him teaching me anything.
I live in a small town of about 5000.

I even called the guy that gives the CDL tests and asked him if he knew anybody that would rent their truck and give a few lessons....nope.

City, county. several local business are hiring CDL A drivers right now but no training. Couple business said they would train me this winter when there not so busy, but it will be to late.

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated!

I live in washington state.

38 yo male, 20/15 vision, PERFECT driving abstract never even a parking ticket, no criminal background, no drugs, no tobacco use.

Thanks.

Sammy

Sammy whats up man?

Call local colleges teaching cdl classes, maybe you are qualified for pell grant? Or call local cdl school and ask about tuition reimbursement, or school loan ?
Hope it helps.Wish you the best
Nefram

You've got a tough one for sure. I think you need to forget about the dump truck because DMV will want a trailer unless your friend has a truck and trailer. You're very limited right from the start because of the size of your town. There's really only two options.1. Get hired on with a company that will supply all the equipment or 2. You could find someone with a CDL and rent a semi. I'm sure that would cost alot but what choices do you have? You could move but I'm sure that's not an option. Good luck.

Yeah, he has an equipment trailer I would use, if he ever gets back to me.

The companies I have talked to 2 of them told me they would train me this coming winter. But the need cdl driver right now.

I even asked at the local truck repair shop. A few trucks there I could borrow but everybody is just too busy to teach me right now.

I hope I am NOT coming off sounding like I am whining!

I know these people are busy and MY timeline is not their problem.

Just trying to figure out a way to get it done.

Small town is a big draw back. There schools in Spokane 70 miles away, I could drive back and forth (I just talked to National transportation driver training in spokane and they would credit me 40 hrs and $700 for allready having my IP and dot card. But that still leaves about $3700!
Probably not bad but I just cant do it right now.

Anyway, thanks you guys for the input, a fresh perspective is always good.

Sammy

Bump, Anybody?

Times a runnin out and I still dont know what to do.

Employment office says I been out of the job market for too long whatever that means.

I guess it means since I havent been able to find a job (other tham temp labor) they cant help me with a grant.

Nobody that I have talked to has time to teach me to drive.

I have the money, (to pay somebody to spend a few days in a truck with me, not to go to the school) I can find trucks, but still no driver.

Comunity college here doesnt have any classes.

Companies I have talked to will not train, at least till winter.

City and county are not interested.

I thought about trading my box van for a tractor and just teaching myself and using it for the test, but I would rather learn from someone that has been driving for a few years.

I never had a clue it would be this tough to find somebody when I got my written out of the way. Course I didnt know last Nov. that the law would be changing and I would HAVE to get my cdl by July OR go to school either

Maybe I should have just saved for the school.

Oh Well

Anymore ideas still appreciated someone out there figured out a way without going to school or ojt.

Sammy

Hey you "old" timers .............

I'm just a little ol' wannabe/newbie/student so it really isn't my place to tell this guy the facts of trucking.........

but.....

.... what are the chances he is going to be able to get a job (and insurance) if he just has "some trucker" teach him how to drive???

I have lots of friends who drive.... and yet here I am.... sitting my butt in one of those oh-so-wonderful driving mills 5 nights a week right now because everyone I talked to said it was necessary if I wanted a decent job.

...... and I will STILL have to be with a trainer on the road before most insurance companies will consider me "trained"...........

I just don't want to see this guy spend his money paying some trucker and then end up having to pay for school anyway...........

A little guidance???..........

__________________


The definition of stupidity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. — Albert Einstein

I see what you are saying and thank you.
I suppose for going otr with some outfit or even working for DCT chambers (their big here) or even puget sound, hauling chips, also big here I would have to have schooling OR a couple years experience.

I have no desire to become a trucker. Can I even say that here? lol

What I want to do is operate heavy equipment, but they all require a class A cdl before they consider hiring. I have been told by a few here they will even train me to run the equipment...if....IF I already have a CDL.

Two business's here in town that told they would hire me if I just had my CDL, they didnt say anything about experience.

One is a well drilling outfit, and the other is a site mix concrete business.

Both like me, both even said they would train me to drive and let me use their trucks for the test....this coming winter as they are to busy right now.

So atleast with them I could get my foot in the door with just my CDL, and I suspect there are probably a few contractors around here as well, but Im not positive.

Sorry looking at my other posts I did not give this little bit of information (not wanting to be a trucker per-se)

Sammy

I'd say join the Navy and go into the Seabees but you missed the age cutoff by a couple of years. I was an Equipment Operator before I retired from the Navy and I can tell you that if you run heavy equipment for a company that has dozers, excavator, or more than just small backhoes the experience will be judged harder than any trucking company. They do that because of the cost and it takes more skill than you would think. However, you have a better chance there of OJT than any trucking company. I don't know why they would require a CDL except for small companies like your friend with a dump truck and a small equipment trailer so you could move from job to job. The companies that I would go for would be bigger and then you could operate the big stuff. The bigger the equipment the easier to operate.

I know you live in a small town but have you looked to work for the government? Sometimes the town or cities hire or maybe the state. One of the first steps would be to go to the Operator Engineers Union and see if they have a apprentice program so you can start. I wish I was close because I'd love to train you on everything except a crane. And to tell you the truth, I'd much rather operate a dozer than drive a truck any day.

Thank you gh!

I suppose all the companies here are small, I think they 1, want to know you are serious (having a cdl already helps with that) and 2 need you to be able to haul whatever you will be runing to the sites.

The few I have talked to said they would be happy to train on their equipment thats no problem, if I have my CDL of course.

I check with the city and county every day (online) but so far nothing.
Here they will not hire you and give you x amount of time to get your cdl.
You must have it at time of hire. Problem is, they wont even TALK to me, I wanted to find out what I had to do to get all my ducks in a row, so when they ARE hiring I would be ready, but they dont work that way, at least here.

They dont accecpt applacations unless they are hiring, and then its been too late for me.

Position opens need cdl for consideration, position closes.

Its only happend twice since last Nov, once city, once county.
Caught both on opening day but no cdl yet darnit!

I did talk to the IUOE this winter and I missed the dead line by 4 days! can you believe that?
He said the window to join is a small one and it had JUST closed till next year.

He did tell me to check back in a few months (its been that now) as they always have a few drop out, so I am VERY glad you reminded me, thank you.

Before whenever times have been this tough here, and they almost always are, we move into a bigger city, Spokane is only about 70 miles away.

We were both born and raised here (my wife and I) and got a great deal on grandparants house AND my wife has a job here that she really loves.
Problem is, its not enough to live on.

That is why we dont get out of this podunk place and find someplace easier to find work. I could almost hear you guys asking lol.

I ask myself that every day that goes by trust me.

Thanks for the help.

I think Im going to have to start focusing on HOW to get training in a school, time is runing too short now for me to learn enough on my own I think.

Im off to the emlpoyment office again so they can tell me that they cant help me , but at least they can refer me to somebody else that cant help me either.

Sammy

Storyteller, I think you're doing it the right way. There are big companies who offer these training programs to people who finish and then say 'no, thanks' and walk away. What a waste of everyone's time that is... but it's no excuse to run a CDL mill either. I think you're doing the right thing; pay your dues and in a couple of years you can choose a better job, a great job. Good luck to you buddy. cj.