Advice for a prospective new driver?

Thanks for that. LOL

 

I dont have a contract with the company. I started with them fresh out of school. I happen to be thoroughly happy with my company. They arent perfect, and I could probably get better pay elsewhere, but they have so many points where they are awesome, I could go on for hours about the benefits of my company.
There is a govt grant system that will retrain ppl into certain highly needed careers, of which trucking is one. I got school fully paid for, and my company still pays me 100 bucks a month. We found out about the program through a trucking school, but its run through the local unemployment office.
Almost all companies have a noob training period, where they send you on loads with a trainer. My company's was a month, with a week of orientation on the front, and a week of finishing on the end. They dont just hand you a truck and set you free to roam the country. But that's after you get the cdl.
I just never liked the idea of contracting with a company for a year or even two. Recruiters lie. They talk all big about how great they are, and bonus this and pay that and hometime yadda yadda, and then you get there and its oh that was max pay, and bonus over time, and hometime is hard to schedule. You hate your dispatcher but you're stuck owing too much to just quit. At least with no contract, you can leave for greener pastures if it sucks.

 

I think that the website CDL Training Advice And CDL Test Prep For New Truck Drivers probably would have good information for the OP. The author seems to give good advice and apparently knows his stuff.

I did things very differently, though. I got a seasonal driving job with an agricultural services company. Originally, I was going to drive on an agricultural waiver (class B), but the boss liked me and decided to let me get my real CDL (class A) on company time (no school). At the end of the season, he gave me a great reference that helped me land a day driving job for a building materials distributor. Things just worked out very well for me.

I hope things work out well for you, too.

 

As many newbies feel ripped off from doing no research as do from listening to recruiters. Many newbies seem to be willing to do nothing beyond a quick Google search, MAYBE a phone call, sign some paperwork AND THEN ASK ABOUT THE COMPANY HERE.

CR England and CRST aren't getting plenty of "fresh meat" because careful research shows them to be great companies. They pay to have their company placed highly on search engines. There is a reason why the majority of their drivers are brand new drivers. For every "I just signed a contract with CR England and was wondeing if they are a good company" post we have 3 posts saying "you have to start somewhere."

There are trucking companies in every city in America. If an outsider can't be bothered to do some research they deserve WHATEVER the company gives them. Nobody can care more about your future than you.

 

I highly recommend you find the place you want to work before going to school. The company may have their own school, may only hire newbies from certain schools, or may have specific requirements the CDL school you attend may not meet. You will not have time during CDL school for real research. EVERY CDL school will allow a few companies to make presentations to students. 99% of the students will think those are their only choices. You wouldn't start driving in some random direction and hope that leads you to the right destination. Pick the destination, then pick the path to it.

 

Then why don't boomers start standing up for rookies and each other and try to make a change to this industry?