New CDL class A with lots of questions

Unions are much more prevalent out west, and up north.

Here in the southeast...not so much.

What they pay is also largely a function of location--and the relevant area cost of living.


Your biggest problems with cryo duty--you need to build up some real seat time elsewhere, first; & given where you are living, a daily commute with that will very likely be just too much.

Thus: I would refer you back to post #33--your employer will probably want you to be able to park a hazmat tanker rig behind a gated & locked fence.

Unless there is a terminal not too far away that you can park at for weekly (or whatever) home time.

--Lual

 

Basically.....as a new CDL "class-A" driver....your first 12 to 18 months will pretty much suck.

Why?

Because...you're getting used to....& learning.....so many different, new things. Change (on that level) is hard.

The first-year drop-out rate for new drivers is something like 80-90%. There's plenty of reasons for that.

Be advised: your first year to 18 months, as a new driver....will truly test your mettle.

Especially if you start out driving in California.....

Once on the "other" side, however--you'll thereafter think differently about yourself, because you will have accomplished something truly unique and valuable.....that most other people can't (or won't) even try--much less, do.

That first couple of years as a driver....is really (also) an investment in yourself (which, honestly....is of course the best kind)....so choose your first carrier wisely. Pick one that trains, and trains well.

Schneider was a tough first gig. There....your time out on a trainer's truck is VER-RY short.

Some people may actually like that. But....as a general rule....I would advise much more time out with a trainer--at least 3 weeks.

Having said all that--I think that now is an EX-CEL-LENT time to get into the industry.

Why?

Well, all the older, seasoned guys and gals....are starting to retire, or otherwise leave the industry.

And they're not being replaced fast enough.

The simple, cold, hard truth is....no one (generally speaking, of course) really wants to work, anymore.

This set of above conditions opens a BIG door of opportunity for those who bring the right inner strength and work ethic with them.

Given all the above--this set of circumstances has indeed created a true "driver's market".

Also--these new(er) trucks ride A LOT better than their predecessors. Their interiors are also MUCH NICER....than earlier models.

Most fleets now have gone to all automatic transmissions--so "double clutching" and/or "floating" gears is (at this point, anyway) almost in the same boat as the slide rule, the 8-track tape player, and tube television sets.

Since the tractor is now shifting gears for you--you, as the driver, can now focus that much more on what is going on around you (aka, "situational awareness")....and this of course makes you a better....& safer....driver.

In truly hectic situations--this advantage can indeed prove to be one factor that makes the difference between success and failure.

Anyway....others here may disagree with parts of what I have said above.

But that's ok--that's (in part) why forums like this were created.

--Lual

 

When I first started driving the big rigs--I felt the same way you did about shifting.

But....after CDL school.....I've always been assigned a tractor that didn't have a shifter.

Then I got to thinking....those few fleets that still (at the time of this writing) have a fair number of manuals....don't really pay a driver any more to shift.

So.....if the pay is the same.....shifting vs an automatic--then why bother?

"Work smarter--not harder"

--Lual

 

Not that i have much experience to share but one local tanker company here only purchases manuals. The tanker outfit i was hired on with has mostly automatics with a few manuals used to tow stuck vehicles/trailers or run the routes where they expect issues.

Two niches you certainly have in Northern Cali right that you aren't considering? Dairy and logging?

 

Why do you want to do logging? It's a rough way to make a living.