LTL Trucking/Should I Work the Dock?

You can also ask at those companies' individual forums at www.truckingboards.com . It is more LTL specific and there are more drivers from each company on there.

 

If you can actually get your foot in the door with a dock to driver carrier, I would 100% recommend this over private schooling. I took private schooling and can tell you some genuine reasons why:

1. The carrier will pay for your tuition

2. You will in most cases get paid to go to school.

3. Even if you already have a CDL, most companies make you work the dock anyways.

Only downside is you have to sign a contract stating you will not quit or you have to pay back your tuition ...this is money you would have payed out of pocket anyway.

Get the OJT experience and focus on finding a dock to driver position. Most companies are hurting for drivers.

 

I got my CDL from a school. Primarily so that I was not obligated to any one company. But here is the kicker with the grant. Well at least when I used the grant 12 years ago. They required you to drive OTR for at least 1 year, they even called and checked. Now this may have changed. I am a new hire at OD, I start in a few weeks. The guy that gave me my road test is a driver trainer. He told me how they have a driver training program. There is a driver at the terminal that went through it. The trainer made it seem like it was a good program. They send them to a school at a bigger terminal. Then they come back and drive with a trainer for a while. How long the OJT with a trainer is, I'm not sure. Everything I know about OD and everyone that I know there and have met absolutely love the company. If I was in your shoes... I would get my CDL through a school, if they do not require OTR anymore. Otherwise, I would look into the OD program. Just my 2 cents

 

Get your license on your own if you have the means to pay for it as it will put you ahead of the game.

Once you get your license get all the endorsement and apply as a right now everyone is hiring.

Also check out this Estes thread there you can ask questions to current Estes drivers.

Good luck.

ESTES Express (1 Year Review)

 

Just my 2 cents i recently got hired at OD within a month after getting my CDL because I have no experience I was told I have to do the driving school and work some dock. Now I wasn’t excited about working the docks but I also knew how fortunate I was to even get a offer nevertheless hired by a good company(read every review I could find). So heres where I’ll give my input I would suggest getting your license first only reason I say this is yes you’re gonna have to go through there driving training school as I’m currently in but guess what!! I’m basically getting paid to relearn everything I already know on top of that one of the main benefits of having your license before hand is I don’t have that pressure of hoping to pass the DMV test as most of the people in my class because I already have my license. Now the biggest con is those guys are getting a free CDL granted they sign the contract for a year BUT.....OD has a reimbursement program for new hires fresh out of driver school so you can actually get some money back from going to school......hopes this help

 

I’d definitely choose school over company training. Primarily because you can bounce if you don’t like the gig. Way more options.