Start now or when I'm 21

Lots of insurance companies make you be 23. I would look into working for Home Depot or something like that. You do not want to go through school and then sit or you have to retake the schooling.

 

do what WoolyRhino says,....to which I add in Texas intra-state ( not interstate ) regulations allow 18 y.o. to drive so see what the regs are for your sate, be careful of the "start with local" as it makes a lot of sense but you have to know how to jump ship to make it do it

 

They say the brain Stem isn't fully developed until a person is in their mid twenties. I started trucking at 21 (actually 18 if you count military time) I've got away with doing some really stupid xxxx. Not saying you're going to but it's a rough road at a young age and many have ended their careers early by doing something foolish.

 

good work - perhaps get greater depth of fact by asking for citations in the regulatory questions here at T.T.R. ..... it is not unusual to have conflict of laws though for trucking seems as though regulatory is better synchronized,.... if it is as you say and holds up for "combination" -{ tractor & trailer }- then start job search for a company that needs drivers,....one avenue ( what I am doing getting back into trucking after decades in construction ) is to hire at temporary services ~ that is sometimes harder due to being sent to companies that do not appreciate what your value is but teaches "hard-lessons" faster than you will get with a cushy position, just dont get stuck on that if you want to move to the bigger operations

gotta go as I work 7x14 and have to complete what I left yesterday before boss gets there - consider going to oil-shale somewhere as that is intra-state and very likely enough work find some company that will hire anyone who will not damage the truck

 

Get your cdl, and go work for a custom harvester on the harvest run, they have a exemption for under 21 yrs old driving out of their home state, don't let anyone tell you different because I did it for 3 years after I turned 21, or work for a big farmer in illinois that has plenty of instate trucking work, keep track of everything and make sure your boss does (for your verifiable experience) then if you wanna drive OTR find a company near you that recognizes your experience smaller the better, or save your money and buy your own truck and trailer like I did

 

Most OTR companies don't recognize local experience. Some want five states and some seven states traveled from my personal experiences. They also want completion of an accredited school.

Local companies want experience also, but not saying there aren't jobs out there. You might hook up with a beverage driver job like Coca-Cola. They might start you out as a merchandiser. I had fun working there.