German guy needs help

there are companies out there that will take "student drivers"...big companies that most dont wanna work for once they have some experience. usa truck, roehl, pam, swift, schneider, list goes on but theres a start. i wouldnt pay 4 grand for another traininf class unless i got turned down by ones like that first...get hired by a "newbie" company like these, keep your nose clean for 6 months to a year, and then more doors will be open to you.

 

Most, if not all, applications will ask if you're "allowed to work in the US". Do you have a work Visa? If so, how long is your work Visa good for? If it's less than a year, you might have a hard time finding a job. Are you applying for citizenship here? That might be good enough to hold you over for a bit since you're going through the appropriate channels. I'd suggest talking to someone who distributes work Visas and see what they say about obtaining work in this field, although they might be pretty clueless, but on the other hand, they might be able to point you in the right direction of who to talk to.

 

If you look at the local school, ask which companies hire drivers from the school & then call the companies with your concern. The key for you is, you need to start work very soon after receiving you CDL, otherwise most companies either won't hire you or will require a refresher course. If you go to a local school, plan your graduation date to be after your one year of having valid US DL so you can start work immediately after graduation. Start a list of companies that hire drivers with only a 1 year US DL.

 

Hey, loved Mannheim growing up and often wish we'd stayed in Germany rather than coming back this way. Welcome to the states.

That said - I can't offer much other than a welcome, but can say a buddy of mine went the local route for awhile (they aren't as strict as OTR) and then worked into an OTR job after gaining some experience. He avoided the CDL school completely. Work for a company that does local, as well as long range, and then just keep asking "hey, when can i get one of the long trips" and go from there if you're unable to find an OTR spot immediately.

The school isn't necessary when thinking if you do local for 6 months while working for a company you can earn longer trips and the experience OTR companies look for, it could save thousands if that's a concern - though I do hear you Germans are all rich now (or at least that's what the Greeks, Irish, French, and Spaniards are saying). Ha.

I do know there are many foreign born drivers out there on the road and I doubt each and everyone waited a full year. Sorry if my answer isn't completely helpful or directly answering your question but just tossing out what I know. Hopefully an Aussie or a Pakistani comes across and can help better.

Best of luck.

 

Welcome to the US.

I'd say browse this forum for awhile until you get a general idea of how some companies work.
There a lot of info on this site, for sure.

Just don't get stuck with a company you end up hating after 3 months, but are stuck in a contract and end up having to pay thousands if you decide to quit...

 

Andre, I spent 6 1/2 years in Germany (around Wiesbaden) and ANYBODY that understands european driving will KNOW that your driving capacity will most likely walk circles around a typical US driver. Seems kind of stupid to require 1 year of US drivers license.

Good Luck to you!!

For those who have not driven in Europe, driving there requires a much higher attention and concentration level than stateside driving. You must maintain a much greater situational awareness about you. The dynamics of driving on German roads, with a far greater range of surfaces, width, geometries, etc require greater scrutiny and adjustment. In city driving, traffic congestion is much greater and the drivers are typically more aggressive and decisive. It requires greater concentration on EVERYTHING around you to be a good safe driver! Also, Autobahn driving requires more awarness and concentration. On Autobahns you have cars traveling at significantly different speeds and usually the autobahns are much more congested than our highways. The 'good' news is that typically drivers in Germany are MUCH MUCH more consistent! If a car puts on it's turn signal, you don't have to wait till they 'commit' to turning before you can react that they are turning. If a car doesn't put on their turn signal, they are not going to turn. Driving in Germany requires more awarness, concentration and skill than typical american driving!

just my 2 cents!

Terry!

 

I miss it too! It's been awhile since I was there last. Left in 1991. Had an 84 320i. Made it from Munchen to Frankfurt in less than 3 hours, including having to stop for gas once. Ended up driving all over Germany, Belgium, Luxemberg, and Italy. Anyway, I imagine the most difficult thing that you will have to get used to is inconsistant drivers. Heck U.S. drivers aren't even taught about how to do the basic zipper merge. Still drives me crazy how inefficient and problematic it is to watch U.S. drivers having to merge two lanes into one.