more questions from a newbie.

To begin with the bigest thing I do not see in your post is any felonies and the most part no DUI's. That is what most companies look for.

Unfortunatly you need to understand that in order to get a decent local job you should go OTR a few years to gain experience, otherwise you will not get a decent paying local position. You will need to show a track record of around at least three years if not more before you can see any good prospects.

 

McFatter Technical, located in Davie, Florida looks to me as if they offer a better than average program, because even the full time students train for 9 weeks. This is a good thing. They apparently focus on quality rather than quantity.

Their accreditation checks out, and the Council On Occupational Education in Atlanta is the real deal, and evaluates many different training facilities across the country. I'm encouraged even more by the fact that this facility is NOT apparently sponsored by motor carriers. That's another big plus. What this means is that McFatter is keeping it's independence and is not beholding to work with sub-par carriers. I'll bet my left arm that your tuition is not outrageous either.

So you're basically saying that by the time you finish training and obtain your CDL, you're only going to have a 3 point violation that will have been obtained in an automobile...right? You don't have any worries there. Some companies will look back 5 years, but it's highly unlikely that these things will matter, because they were non-commercial vehicle related.

Just be careful to read any questions on an application, and only offer information that is specifically being asked for. An MVR will be pulled on you by any potential employer anyway, and most are only concerned with your most recent three years, even if they happen to look back further.

The answer to that question is largely going to depend on the choice of potential employers that hire through McFatter, and the scope of their operations. Understand that local positions, desired by many drivers, are customarily offered to existing employees first, but it's not out of the question for there to be an opportunity available. Florida is one of those unique states, where there are literally hundreds of carriers that run within the state itself, or just outside of it, in a more regional fashion, where you can expect to be home on weekends or even more frequently. Once you discover the list of companies that hire through the school, do some online research to discover more about them, and what they do, and where they operate.

Now...I'm assuming that you live in in the Dade County area, and that being the case, it may present a little more of a challenge, because unless you hook up with a carrier that has a strong freight base in that area, getting you home will be more difficult. The southern tip of Florida is the end of the line, so to speak, so it does limit options.

When it comes time for you to talk to recruiters, stress the importance of hometime to them, and don't be pressured to take a job that will not be right for you, especially if you know you can't live with their terms. You need to do your level best to stick with that first job for at least a year, and keep your nose clean in regards to safety, and if you need to make a change at that time, you will have much wider range of choices to make if need be. Understand that as a newbie, you may have to sacrifice hometime in exchange for the opportunity to gain experience. As a general rule, companies will utilize newbies with a reduced amount of pampering, because they know that if you quit before you gain that precious amount of continuous experience, you have much more to lose. It's hard to find another job without a minimum of a years worth of experience, so keep that in mind, and set it as your number one goal now.

Realistically, expect to make somewhere between $20,000 and $30,000 in gross pay your first year. Florida based trucking companies pay a little less than those of the rest of the country, and unless you go with a nationalized carrier, which I don't think you'd be happy with, based on your hometime needs.

But, of course, this is something that will largely depend on the range of choices you have. I have no clue who hires through McFatter, and you might get a glimpse into this shortly after you start your training. Check back with the forum once you have some names of the companies, and someone might be able to offer some guidance to you.

In this day and age, the chances of you obtaining a CDL on your own are comparable to you being able to get a license to practice medicine without attending medical school. Those days are over, and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is about to tighten that noose even tighter, by requiring schools to meet requirements for training. This is in respponse to the CDL mill schools that are not filling the bill.

I wish you good luck, and if anyone can help you further, please feel free to post your questions.

 

If you dont go to mcfatter ,it was suggested to me to go to a tech school as the price is right , the time is ample ,unless you are in a hurry, and tech schools are there to benefit the community by training you to get a better job ,but Mcfatter sounded pretty good to me, good luck

 

Reading this makes me wish I had been in expediting. A quarter million dollar ride....9 MPG @ 65 MPH....I could go for that !!

Read the blogs :

http://successfulexpediters.com/Madsen/MadsenTruckSpecs.htm

 

Hi There, Reading your question, I just had to jump in with my 25 cents.

I grew up in the trucking industry and I am 60 now, My sons following in their grandpas footsteps, went onto trucking school to be able to drive and have all their certifications, and etc.
Sadly, I just lost my youngest son 3 months ago when he was helping a buddy out with his truck while coming down the mountain.
He was walking slowing beside the truck verbally guiding the guy down the narrow turn when the truck suddenly shifted its load of debris and rolled over right on top of my son crushing him to death. He was 35 years old, married with children. His heart was his family, and he was mine.

I just wanted to say that....The truckers of today have my utmost respect. Its not an easy job and its a thankless one. However if its in your blood, and your determined, go for it.
I was extremely proud of my dad and proud of my boys. Its a hard but honest living. Its long hours, very tiring, and takes tons of patience when people decide that your the bad guy for the moment and they cut you off, flip you off, scream at you, etc.
Then there is mother nature. If its sunny, thats good, If it is raining, snowing and ice, good luck. Many times in the winter, the other drivers would call in and say they weren't going out, and of course my dad, whom was nicknamed "Casey Jones" always went. They could count on him. He would tell us stories of traveling up and down the Columbia Gorge and the high winds were so severe, it would blow his truck and trailer all over the road, or that he would be going along, and look in his side mirror and his boxes would be passing him up and he would have to outrun them..Or the time when he met another trucker on a dark highway heading straight for him, the guy fell asleep. my dad jumped on his air horn and, the guy swerved back in his lane in time but took the whole drivers side out of his truck, glass was everywhere.
When he got home about 4-5AM we would get up and chat a bit with him,have a bite to eat. He never said a word. Mom noticed that his hair was glistening with mirror like shards, and dad had to tell her about his near fatal accident. Right then Mom, popped out a few more grey hairs. Or, when he almost froze to death when he truck lid into a snowbank and it took hours to get him out........

Each day is different, never boring but sometimes scary.
You newbies listen carefully to your experienced drivers and you will learn a lot. There advice is from the school of hard knocks. Trial and error. Time and experience is your only friend.
Don't be over confident and loose it all over pride. If you need help, ask for it. we all have to start somewhere..

So Hats off to all of you my friends, stay safe and keep the pedal to the medal...Thanks for the great job.
Blessings to you, Bradsmom60

 

Trucking is very much like being an airline pilot...as the saying goes...

Hours upon hours of pure boredom, punctuated and moments of pure terror.

 

Very True, and Very Sound Advice.

 

You may have a bit of trouble with the points till they do come off. Not a complete stopper, but may limit who will hire you. As far as OTR, you generally have to "pay your Dues", so to speak and start otr then find your way into a local job. Most local jobs want to see 1-2 years otr experience before most will hire you. I am not saying that you will, but this is mostly what happens.

 

He posted that in 2005........
And has not been on since that month. I do not think he will ever see your answers.