Newbie

welcome to TTR ,roadmasters is a good school but you can also get company sponsored training at Schneider or prime.

 

Welcome to the party!

 

Your best money and benefits will be with tanker/hazmat and second with flatbed.
Yes, tanker/hazmat companies do hire new CDL graduates; they usually don't advertise it & their websites will say "experience required." With tanker/hazmat you can plan on making, within 12-24 months, over $60K per year; some drivers make much more than that.

 

A few of many tanker companies:


Clean Harbors
Foodliner (3 divisions)
trans-system
Miller Transporters
Thyssenkrupp Steel
Tankstar
A&R Transport
Quality Distribution
Indian River Transport
CTL Transportation
Tribe Transport (tanker division)
Bulkmatic
Superior-Carriers
Pyles Transport
Groendyke
Prime (tanker division)
Florida Rock & Tank Lines (terminals in NC)
Schneider ( tanker division)

Trimac

 

One reason tanker/hazmat drivers make more money is they rarely sit waiting for loads or unloading. You will rarely see tanker or flatbed trucks sitting at truckstops waiting for the company to find a load for them. Most hazmat tanker trailers are dedicated to a certain chemical company because that company doesn't want any other company using a trailer they use for fear of contamination. So, you arrive at a receiver, take maybe an hour to unload, then deadhead(empty) back to your home terminal, still being paid the same, empty or loaded. Get your next load, then rolling again making money. Usually with refrigerated or van, you arrive at the receiver and may be there one hour or eight hours unloading, then go to a truckstop and wait for your dispatcher to find another load for you.

You can prepare early and be ready for your first tanker job. Study for tanker/hazmat endorsements, TWIC, get a passport if you want Canada runs also.

 

Greetings and Welcome. One of the first things I did was get my Hazmat and Tanker endorsments. One less thing I will have to pay for when school starts...

 

I am new myself, but I researched myself for several months like yourself then took the plunge and got hired on by a company sponsored program. There are quite a few good companies out there from what I've read, but some really bad ones too.

As far as endorsements, be careful what you get before you attend any training. For example, HAZMAT endorsement is not valid from state to state, so don't bother getting it until after you've returned to your home state with a CDL to get that endorsement. Get your CDL permit only. Worry about endorsements after you've been hired.

As far as company sponsored training programs, I can only speak for Prime who I joined with. They seem to be a very good company. Every company has their pros and cons. When I have time (am OTR at the moment and getting ready to go pick up a load), I can list some of the pros and cons I've found so far.

Good Luck to you, but I wouldn't wait so long. Do your research, but then jump in!

 

Yeah, I talked to a couple of companies offering free training and according to what I read here they were among the good ones. At this point in time I cannot be away from home for an extended period, so I will attend the local school. Didn't know that about the Hazmat endorsements. I will look into it..Looking forward to your posts...