Advice for a prospective new driver?

yeah and here I am wanting to move to OK. Tells you how dumb I am, huh.

 

You might luck out!

 

Now isnt the time to get into the oilfields, I'm working here now and its slow slow slow, not enough work to go around. Most of these guys want you to have at least a year of driving experience. My advice is to work for a mega carrier, let them pay for your license and then you can tear their equipment up while you're learning to drive. A year at a mega carrier can be a hard hard year, but after that you can literally go anywhere and maybe oil will have picked back up.

 

I was self employed for years before I got my cdl, everyone I have worked for told me to list that period as unemployment and a 5 year unemployment span hasnt stopped anyone from hiring me.

 

Unemployed, doing odd jobs for cash; painting houses, landscaping, auto mechanics, etc.

 

There is always a company for every situation, it just takes a little more googling. And don't be afraid to send many applications!

 

That school with the 45 day delay in payments is in Las Vegas, Phoenix, Tucson.
Truck Driving School & CDL Training | Southwest Truck ...
Truck Driving School & CDL Training | Southwest Truck Driver Training

 

Find the company you REALLY want to work for before you decide about CDL school. CDL school is just to get a license, not to give you everything you need to know. You will get 90% of what you need during the training period at your first company. Worrying about which CDL school is like obsessing over whether to write a book using an electric typewriter or a computer. It's largely irrelevant to the quality of the story. One reason to pick a company and then pick a CDL school is some companies only accept newbies from certain school. Or certain companies have their own school. There is nothing wrong or dangerous abut signing a contract for 1 year of work in exchange for a "free CDL", IF YOU PICK THE RIGHT COMPANY.

Half of trucking companies offer Tuition Reimbursement. Their TR is additional pay you can use toward repaying any loan for CDL school. EVERY CDL school will find a loan for you. Also, states administer a program called WOIA or just WIA. It is administered through the state unemployment office. WOIA/WIA gives grants to pay for school and expenses.

The key to getting the real story about a trucking company is talking to drivers currently working at the company. My rule is never work for a company until I have real answers from real drivers at that company doing the job I am considering. You cannot get enough info from a web page or a want ad to decide. Ads can say their drivers average 3,000 miles per week and you can still starve to death while another driver is getting a divorce from never being home. Averages mean nothing. Talk to drivers.

There is a huge difference between some big companies, where most of their drivers have 180 days experience, and other companies where their average driver has been with the company 10 years.

You may have tough time with not having a real job since 2001. Or you may be able to provide tax forms and submit a statement explaining everything.

I would warn you to never, ever work for CRST or CR England. You do what you want. The average newbie leaves the industry before 1 year of experience. This is mostly because they do ZERO research, ignore warnings, and they cannot stand being alone/away from home. Do your research and you can have a fairly easy first year.

Working for a company that has a terminal near your home makes EVERYTHING easier. But, I would prefer to work for a slightly more distant good company than a nearby bad company.