Florida??

IMHO
I would suggest that you check out the Truck Driver Training Programs at your local Community/Technical Colleges.
Free grant money is available, if you qualify (unemployed, under employed, dislocated worker). The funding is offered through the Employment Security Commission (ESC).

This way you will have the option of choosing a company to work for. No contracts to bind you to stay either.

Best of Luck to You and Your Success!!!

 

Your part of florida is tough. Most have a cutoff line along I-4. But call them all, ya never know..... After training will come the hardest part. Finding a driving job !! Good Luck.

 

Hello and Welcome to the Forum

My region is out of funding at this time as well. It is unfortunate that the funding is down right now. When the funding returns to that region you can attend a training program for free. That is worth waiting for, imho.
No contracts obligating you or loans to pay back.

Best of Luck to You and Your Success!!!

 

I live in florida. I paid for my school at what thank was just a cdl mill. But I got a cdl. I call day and night on the internet filling out app. I finished school in 8/21/09.There is only two that said the y will hire me. I have a clean back ground and hasmat on my cdl.But each of them i got to go to there school and do the same thang I did in the cdl school with a contrat saying I willl work for them for a year are so.Thats a lot for money just to drive a truck!!! good luck!! You got to make your own choose. About the school. Just read some of the threads at the start about schools. JUst take min. and read to see what other people have already been threw. I'm glad I found this fourm, great stuff!!

 

I have receive mine and theirs still people enrolling with the WIA at Roadmaster in Tampa. Its at 5k, go in the location and ask to speak with some one.

 

First thing you need to do, is move to another state because there are very few, if any, companies hiring out of Florida these days.

Some companies to look into would be:-

Prime Inc. (do not get suckered into the Lease program, they have company drivers and for a new driver it is the best place to start)
Swift
Werner
etc.

I do not even know if the above companies are hring in Florida but no harm in calling. Personally I would look into companies that will train you..Yes you do have to stay for a year and as long as you stay for the year then it costs you nothing. Do some research. Forking over $5k to get a CDL these days is, in my humble opinion simple not worth it.

If you are serious about getting into trucking then what is a year at a company..? It will give you the experience you need to move onto a better company if you are not happy there. It is a good place to start and it will also give you time to truly assess whether the trucking life is for you, surprisingly enough trucking is not for everyone and I know as most other drivers do, you just cannot explain the life of a OTR Driver - you have to live it to fully understand and giving one year of your life to a company is not a lot in the long run. It will go very quickly as weeks blend into each other and months disappear.

This is my opinion...thats all.

 

comcar.....

 

After calling them....put peanut butter on barrel...insert barrel into mouth....then scratch roof of mouth while pulling trigger.
If you do in fact call them and decide to go to work for them be preparred to literally work for free. They pay their drivers about $90 a day to run beer from Jacksonville to Ft. Myers and back. That is F'IN insane!