Chicago Student Seeks 7-21 day 'permit holding' 2nd seat gig

Best wishes to you in your endeavor. If you decide to pay for CDL school, make sure you ask which companies recruit from that school and see it in writing. If you don't have money , I recommend going to a trucking company that provides schooling, even if you must pay some or all of it back , it's payroll deduction anyway. Some of those companies have several types of trucking; reefer, flatbed, tanker, van. This will give you a chance to find which interests you the most. The best pay is tanker/hazmat & that also keeps you out of the grocery warehouses. Tanker /hazmat isn't for everyone though. Just grit your teeth and go for it, whatever it takes to get started. This recession is predicted to last another 10 years. No matter which route you take to get started, there will be those that will fault you. Remember, they have a job, you don't. Just get started and take care of yourself and your family.

 

Yes he may have asked an unrealistic question, but that is what this forum is for to ask questions. The newbies don't have the experience or knowledge that you guys have, but it would have been better to tell him a realistic answer without insults. In Chicago they have 53 ft deliveries to facilities along with agents that accept loads in their warehouse to deliver in 24 ft trucks too.

It is not fair to tell someone that they need to go get a minimum wage job, and that they are not cut out to be a truck driver. Stop and think about how you would feel if you were a newbie, and you were trying to better yourself and the situation you are in. We all know that people go to cdl schools or mill companies in order to get their cdl, and yes some discover that it is not for them and others go on to work and like it. You were all new drivers when you got your cdl's, and you made mistakes with backing, shifting, down shifting, breaking, and so on, but you learned from your mistakes and you listened to gain the knowledge not to do it again. So, he was wanting to get with someone that had experience that he could learn from. Yes, I agree that an o/o would not be able to take him on because of the insurance issue, but not only that the permit is only good within the state and not out of the state. I would suggest that the newbie ask his instructor if he has extra time available to drive to get it down with the backing and shifting. If the instructor does not, then I think the better question would have been to ask for a Intra-state driver that could help with him learning. Now I also read that other people in his class knew of people that they could ride and drive with to get the experience, so why not ask them if he could ride along with them on a weekend to gain experience.

As far as the pay goes the average for most new drivers will make .25-.30 cents per mile, not .10-.15 cents per mile. You can get .33 cents per mile after you get your year in with a company, and then you can go to another company that will pay you more. Everyone has to put their time in to gain the knowledge and experience. I also read that he rear ended someone, and that may hinder a company from hiring him because of the Preventable at fault accident. My suggestion would be to go to an agent in the Chicago area, and see if they could hire you on as a straight truck driver delivering intra-state until you get passed the 3 year mark. Then go to driving a truck for the company. These are all honest answers to what should have been said without taking your frustrations and anger out on someone who is just trying to ask a question to gain experience.

 

If you have a permit the O/O has to be ON DUTY in the seat next to you so he is gaining nothing putting you behind the wheel . He would be more relaxed and his truck would be operated more efficiently with less wear .
Why should an O/O take the time to do the required employment checks , drug test , get the long physical form , etc. required in the driver file . There have been many inquiries here from newbies trying to get in an O/O's truck . I have yet to see a positive response .

 

Me personally I think it would be a better option for you to do the straight truck, and be home every night or every night with your family. I would hold off on the straight truck lease because there is alot of insurance requirements involved and you need backup capital. Check with the freight forwarder, and keep positive because there is always opportunities to better your situation.

 

Closing the thread per Admins request, if you cannot keep it civil then this is the end.