Hello board,
As some of you may have seen in other threads/posts, I'm another noob who had problems securing a decent job with no experience. I had applied at all the mega-carriers and got turned down because of 2 minor accidents I had in my personal vehicle back in 2010. While I understand the reluctance of companies to hire someone with driving record blemishes, I was devastated and began to wonder if I was wasting time and money getting my CDL.
Well, this past Wed. I took my Skills Test and passed. Great, but I still didn't have a job. After my test, I was in the office at my school waiting for my paperwork/certificate,etc., and one of the gals in the office asked if I had secured a position yet. I said no and explained my situation. She responded by telling me that she had just spoken with a HR guy at a local branch of a Big Box Hardware store who needed 2 drivers and that I should call him. So after I went to the DOL and got my CDL I decided it couldn't hurt to try, so I called and left a message, figuring I wouldn't hear back.....An hour later he called back and asked me to come in the next day (yesterday) for an interview. I went in, met with him, the store manager and the delivery manager for about an hour and they said they liked me and my experience (driving live trucks for a TV station) and offered me the job on the spot @ over 18/hr! I know it's not big money, but the position was advertised as 14/hr., and the manager said he'll pay to keep me around. So today I had to go back and do my drug test, and I start my new career next week delivering building materials on a flatbed with a moffet forklift. It's M-F with some OT on weekends during the spring/summer.
Moral of the story: Don't give up if you get turned down, try to keep positive, and make calls. Eventually you'll get a chance to prove your worth, and it'll all pay off. I just spent the last 5 weeks thinking I wouldn't be able to find any job, let alone a local gig, and here I am 2 days out of school with a shiny new CDL and hopefully great career.
Thanks to everyone here for all the info and positive reinforcement! Stay safe out there!
You CAN get a local job as a noob!
Discussion in 'Questions From New Drivers' started by bumpa, Dec 21, 2012.
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Excellent advice. Also be mindful of how the soft the ground is when considering doing things like trying to save time by off loading two bunks of OSB at once instead of doing them one at time. Remember the pavement where you're picking it up off the truck is hard while the ground where you're going to have to put it down may not be. Which means the out rigger feet will work fine when picking it up off the truck, but not so much when trying to put it down on the ground thereby causing the Moffit to tip over and spill the load. Don't ask me how I know this.
Edit to add:
As a noob going into this sort of gig, THE most important thing I can tell you is to always remember that no one ever got a ticket and no one ever got killed by using too many straps. The same cannot be said for using too few. They WILL loosen up once you start rolling down the road. And the load WILL come out from under them if you leave them too loose or use too few.bumpa Thanks this.
Trucking Jobs in 30 seconds
Every month 400 people find a job with the help of TruckersReport.
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