Looking for a school/company to start with in SoCal

I think you have to be 21 before you can haul interstate. So, at 20, you'll only be eligible to haul intrastate (within the state of California in your case) freight and that really narrows down companies that would be interested in hiring you.
They've made noises about lowering the interstate age requirememt to 18. But, so far only made noises about it.

 

Learn a trade Its a better future then trucking. Trucking isn’t what it use to be and it’s gonna get a lot worse as it turns into a minimum wage job.

plumbing electrical or hvac

 

When will you be 21 yrs. old?
Menzies Aviation in Long Beach hires 18 yr. old drivers.
That's a long drive from Fontana though; 67 miles.
3355 E Spring St, Long Beach, CA 90806

 

Schedule cdl school to start when you're about 3 mos. from your 21st birthday.

 

If you need a job right now, Bellhop is hiring. The trucks are non-cdl, but it's something you can do while waiting for 21st birthday.

Bellhop Moving | Your Smartest Move. | Bellhop® Moving
Los Angeles
Oakland
San Francisco
San Jose
The Bay Area

 

You assume it's a better profession. Grass is always greener until you do it. The trades are not as easy as you make it sound or everyone would be doing it. Union scale is great, you'll live out of your suitcase, no per diem and your body will be done by the time your 50. If you're lucky you will qualify for nuke plant work or other large projects like power generation. The rest of your gigs mean your on your own and worse. Sleeping in cheap motels fighting bed bugs,roaches and pimps. Not necessarily in that order. Granted i havent drove professionally yet so i'll reserve that opinion for October 2023

Chinatowns advice is solid, experience driving is what will look wonderful on your resume!

Good Luck!

 

i assume it’s a better profession because not one plumber, electrician, hvac, or welder I know has ever gone through that. In fact all of them have their own businesses. I’m not sure how your doing it or did it but I can assure you they don’t travel and sure as hell ain’t union and never even been in one. Maybe that’s the issue. The unions.


On top of that all are immigrants with broken English.


Plumber 4th million dollar house he just purchased.
Electrician just purchased a 8 unit complex
HVAC guy has 4 crews
And welder is charging $600 minimum for 2 hours work.


They all have their contractors license.

 

Lmao, you don't get into the trades without a Union Apprenticeship just like you don't drive a semi legit without a cdl. INSURANCE trumps all. Welding and HVAC aren't trades unless your bending sheet metal or the company that hires you really reclaims & recycles refrigerant. They don't. They snip the line and it goes hiss.

Not to say you can't own your own business with all of its headaches, that's a whole different matter and that point is moot.

Mastery of any language isn't an indicator of your particular disciplines mastery. Your trade craft and application of all applicable rules and regulations as judged by your peers coming after you or the insurance adjuster is. I've met many Eastern European Trades guys that are absolutely incredible, Electricians and Painters. Many Polish and Czech skilled trades people in Milwaukee and Chicago, i cant speak to where you are from LoneRanger but the NEC, NBB, NCC & NSPC don't care. Lots of contractors run fast and loose but they will never work in the high pay settings i mentioned and why they hide their assets/businesses behind LLC's.

You know the luckiest Welder alive! Have him purchase some lotto tickets for you! My dad started welding after coming back from Vietnam with just some community college. He could set up tack a Pielstick oil pan mold on one side without going to the other side and be off a 1/16 or less. He welded a new inner fender in my 70 Mach 1 with a Lincoln stick welder and burned through once. I was making more money than him after 5 years at a UAW plant. The only real money he ever made was welding underwater when he thought about moving to Tennessee in the 80's. My Uncle repaired farm implements and anything else he could make money at in Spooner, WI. The farmers sure appreciated him however the prevailing wage for good non-union welders here is $45 an hour flying solo.

Knowing a few people is one thing, working day in and day out with skilled trades in manufacturing and two different hospitals is a whole other.

UAW Local 95 (retired, ok we got laid off in 08 and i wasn't moving)
IBEW 364
IAMA 1377

 

Good luck with that my friend. Keep thinking the same way your still thinking. Since it has brought you so far in life.

The examples are a few I mentioned, I can name more than that. All immigrants all making it in this Country. But you do you and praise the unions and trucking.