1st CDL job - ready to grind, work hard and learn

@Chinatown can likely help here

 

Hiring is slow industry wide right now. THERE IS NO DRIVER SHORTAGE.

I lived in Holly Hill for 5 years during school. Life is easier if you park the truck at the company terminal when you take home-time. Company can do required maintenance while you are not working rather you babysitting the truck, making no money, during your work days. Therefore, google trucking companies and Daytona and central FL. BTW FL is among the worst states for trucking. FL makes little freight. Orlando, Jax, Tampa-St Pete are a bit better for trucking in FL, but that's like being the prettiest girl in the burn ward.

IMO, NOTHING is more important to learning about an employer than talking to current working drivers working for the account at the company you will work for and be assigned to. NEWBIES focus 99% of their effort online and company recruiters. Recruiters are "car salesmen" not career advisors. Their job is to say/not say what it takes to "close the sale." The answer to every question you ask is "I'll have to find out" before ignoring the question if the answer would point you away from the company. Assuming there are few or any companies around Daytona, look at areas within easy driving distance. Remember when you take home-time, you have to make a round-trip, not a 1-way trip in your personal vehicle.

You've done a good job defining some of the details you need/want from an employer. Dry van is the easiest and requires the least attention form the driver so it's a better option for newbies because truck driving requires a lot of mental horsepower at the start until the habits and procedures of truck driving are grafted into you habits. Flatbed is more work but less miles. Reefer (refrigerated cargo) is 24/7 appointments but the customers are awful and the waiting can be excessive unless you get into dedicated reefer with drop and hook ( it's not unloaded, you swap trailers). I would recommend you get 1 year of experience at 1 company, not 2 months each at 6 consecutive companies, and then try to enter tanker, HazMat or food grade. The pay is better and the customers are mostly great, unlike dry van and reefer.

 

Daytona area is a good location and no state income taxes.
Later you can move to another state with no state income taxes.
Coast-to-coast flatbed or reefer would be right for you.

 

Premiere OTR Flatbed Trucking Company - Melton Truck Lines

 

Home - Leonard's Express
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Stevens Transport | North American Multimodal Logisitcs Provider
Reefer running 48 states and hires new cdl school grads.

• Stevens Transport is a family-owned and operated company that provides temperature-controlled transportation solutions across North America. With over 40 years of experience.
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Drive Freymiller – Freymiller Truck Driving Opportunities and …
Learn how your life will change for the better at Freymiller. We have over 50 years experience in the trucking industry. Along with plenty of miles and freight.
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Flatbed Trucking, Hauling & Shipping Carrier | TMC

 

Consider moving.

You would have MUCH BETTER access to more/better opportunities for cool freight options (both now, & especially later) -- if you lived up in the northern half of GA, or AL.

The overall freight market sux pretty bad right now -- & even drivers with experience and clean safety records are having trouble getting jobs.

Many carriers....who normally hire drivers like you...now want 3 to 6 months experience from elsewhere....before they will bring you on.

Living in central Florida doesn't help. It's tougher to find carriers currently taking rookies with enough freight to consistently get you back home there.

One way to possibly defeat the above described issues: look into employment with Cypress Truck Lines:

Cypress -- hires & trains total rookies -- various local/regional opportunities to get you started with some experience

Run with them for at least a year...preferably 2.

Then look for opportunities elsewhere.

-- L