I'm planning to be a Trucker.

I'm not exactly sure what CFI is doing today as far hiring new drivers. You can call and ask their hiring requirements are. Some trucking companies have their own truck driving school/training and it's free. If you take that deal. They will train you and hire you. Generally they pay less and you have to sign a contract saying you will work for them 1 or 2 years.

You can also pay for your own training and then try to get job but it's very hard to find company to hire a new driver without any experience. The trucking company might still require you go with a trainer for a month or two.

If you pay for own training some companies will pay you extra every month basically to help you pay the training loan back and it keep you working for them.

 

I would suggest going to your local community college or a private driving school to get your cdl. Some states offer grants and tuition assistance. Signing a contract with a trucking company is signing a CONTRACT with the Devil. Get your cdl on your own and there are plenty of companies that will hire you with no contact to sign.

 

You'll have to go out with a trainer for awhile but at least if its not for you, then you can quit without legal and financial recourse. DON'T SIGN A CONTRACT!! GOOD LUCK!

 

I'd say get your CDL on your own first.

As far as jobs, figure out what kind of truck driving job you want. If it's OTR (over the road), you're not going to get a high-paying job with no experience, so you'll have to do a year with a mega carrier. I suggest one that will reimburse you for driving school. You have to dance with the devil for a year to get experience anyway, so it might as well be a company that reimburses your tuition. After a year, you can move to a better paying job, and after two years, move up again. Keep your license clean!

If you want to be home every night, then you need a local job. The driving school might have some suggestions there, but Indeed and Craigslist are where I'd start.

Just remember that OTR driving is a lifestyle. You're rarely home, and basically live in a truck. I love it, but it's definitely not for everybody.

I just remembered a company that pays better than the mega and hires new drivers. Melton is a flatbed company that hires all over America. They'll train you on flatbed work and keep you rolling. You have to do three weeks on the road though. I hope this helps. Keep asking questions as they pop in your head to fully understand the industry.

 

You also asked about age. I'd bet the mega carriers will hire anything with a pulse, so don't worry about being 21. Getting hired on is as simple as a phone call and an online job application. Go to their website and fill out the application, then call the recruiter if they haven't called you first. They'll accept or deny you over the phone. If you get accepted, they'll start setting up your orientation.

 

The question is why specifically CFI?
As a young person, you have a lot of options. If you are absolutely set on trucking as a career, you have a few choices. Your age will restrict you interstate only. That could be a P and D or other local type work until you are of age to run intrastate. Another option is to look at some of the LTL companies, like Old Dominion, they have a dock to driver program. You start working the docks, then train for CDL and driver positions. Once you have your CDL, you can do local or line haul work. Some of these are good jobs.

 

When I was in high school, I wanted to be a dentist. Instead, I became a trucker with missing teeth.

The moral of the story is that you won't always get what you hoped for. Life will do that to you.

You are so young. Keep your options open. Dentists and accountants retire early. As do those who excel at selling furniture. No joke.

 

Depending on your state go to a local driving school at 18 drive intrastate for a few years you can usually get on with dump trucks or refuse companies staying in state.