Needing advice on getting into trucking...

Have you considered working something out with your brother? Since he only wants to run part time you may be able to get him to help you get some experience so that you can get your license.

Other than your brother or some other owner operator, your options are somewhat limited until you have your CDL and at least a year or two of experience. There is little you can do until you get your license. If you go to one of the training carriers you will be away from home. Most likely it will be for several weeks and once you get into your own truck you will likely be out 2-3 weeks before they will get you home. It usually requires a 1 year commitment. CRST did have a 6 months commitment at one time. They train you and you commit to drive for them for a specific amount of time. If you leave early then you are responsible for paying for reimbursing them for your training. If you can't stand to be away from your family then you may want to look at a different career. When you drive otr it is rare to be home every week. Those who do get you home weekly usually only allow you 1 day before getting back on the road.

Even if you can buy your own truck, you will need to run in order to pay for the truck and earn a good living. You don't make money unless the wheels are turning.

 

you had better check on the expiration date of your permit....many states the permits only last for 90 days....one state i am familiar with, MASS, the permit lasts 2 years........

now if you cannot "stand to leave your wife and kids to go OTR, then trucking is not for you. trucking even LOCAL is NOT a 9 to 5 job. even LOCAL, you WILL WORK many hours per day, just getting home in time to get a bite to eat then off to bed.

as stated by the other poster, maybe trucking IS NOT for you.

 

It would be nice if you could just jump in. But unfortunately all newbies have to pay the piper to get their stripes.

If I were you, I would try to work out a deal with your brother. He can help you get your CDL and then go straight to OTR training with a company. Cost, zero. Get a year in and then you can get a local job. Or maybe put the wife to work and you go OTR for the experience and save you $5K for a down payment in 1 year.

You're gonna have to put one year OTR to reach your dreams.

 

Hey man best of luck to you! It will be hard to get exactly what you want but if that is what you strive for then there is no reason you can't acheive it.

 

times like this makes it harder but in time things change. Good Luck...!!!

 

Starting out most carriers will keep drivers out for at least 3 weeks, perhaps a little longer. Once you get into a truck by yourself, you will still likely be out for about 2 weeks at a time and then home for a couple of days. If you want a local driving job you may need to go otr for at least a year before most will talk with you. Some have gotten lucky and gotten local jobs right out of the gate, but those seem to be rare.

If you want to be a driver then you will need to be away from your family. It is part of the job. A local driver could put in 50-70 hours/week. Unless you can be away from the family, at least for the first year, you really need to find something else to do. We do our jobs on the road. There are those who start this business and simply cannot stand being away from home. Those usually don't last very long. Those who do well don't enjoy being on the open road and understand that they will need to be away from their family and friends in order to realize their dream. Unless you get with a local carrier, you will likely need to go on the road for a minimum of a year, perhaps two. There are carriers who train new drivers. Once you get a couple of years under your belt you should be able to go where you want and finding a local job at that point will be much easier as long as you keep your MVR and work history clean.

My advice to you would be to stay away from this industry unless you can be away from your family. Doing so would only set yourself up for failure.

 

As far as I know there is no rule or law that requires anyone seeking a CDL to attend a school or have a certain number of driving hours before being issued a license. Most carriers want to see proof of having attended a school or experience. The feds and ATA have been working to try to make it mandatory to have a minimum number of driving hours prior to receiving a license.

You cannot run interstate commerce without authority. Some states have intrastate authority for loads that pickup and deliver in the same state. Texas is one of those states. Federal authority costs $300. Texas charges $200 for intrastate authority. If you don't plan on picking up and delivering many loads in Texas, I am not sure that I would worry about it. When you cross state lines you need to have interstate authority.

You will need auto liability and cargo insurance to do business as a carrier. Most broker and shippers require $1 million liability and $100,000 cargo. The feds only require $750,000, but you may find it difficult to get loaded with the amount of insurance. Your biggest challenge will be in finding someone who will insure you without any experience. I believe that Progressive is the only insurance company that I can think of that will insure you without any experience. They have liability but don't write cargo. You will need to find another insurer for that part of your insurance. Rates are likely to be high with no experience. I would expect rates from $8-12,000 for cargo and liability, providing you have a clean MVR. Things do change and I would check other insurance companies, but my guess is that you will need to start with Progressive. My insurance company will not cover anyone who has not had their CDL for at least 2 years, but they give me preferred rates.