LTL Trucking/Should I Work the Dock?

It's really not about what's preferable to the employer, it's more about cost.
You go to school, you pay.
You do the OJT, they pay you.
Good luck.

BTW, personally, I'd do option 2

 

I’m no LTL expert, but I imagine it wouldn’t hurt to get the dock experience, always good to know the “inner workings” if you know what I mean.

 

Go work the dock and take the class at the LTL. Easier to drive for them using their school.

 

I don’t know how every LTL does it, but FedEx Freight has a specific job called “Driver Apprentice” where you learn to drive and transition into a Driver position after about 2 months. Minimum requirement is having your CDL permit and they’ll help get your CDL. If you already have a CDL when you start, it’s still the same training, but it does give you a leg up over other applicants.

I would not recommend taking a regular dock work job at FxF in hopes of eventually becoming a driver. Your terminal might not do driver training or they might not even need drivers for a long time.

 

some driving schools will provide enough training just to pass the dmv test.

You will still be taken on an initial road test for any company you’re trying to get on with and if they feel that your knowledge and abilities up to that point aren’t enough for what they want from a driver, you’ll be out luck.

Some companies may still bring you on as a driver apprentice/student to send you through their own company training program to get you up to the level they want.

going through an ltl school will likely be much more thorough and you will be trained properly with all the various equipment that you will be using from day to day.

 

If the school doesn't cost you anything, that might be the route to go. An LTL company won't put you directly into a truck without further training, but they may put you into the later stages of their training program quicker than another dock worker who has to go through all the training and practice required to test for their CDL.

Regardless, my advice is this: don't be lured by the prospect of "quick money" and go with a training OTR company. It will cost you in the long run. LTL is where the real money is and I promise you it will ultimately take much longer to get a good job if you go that route.