Attention all rookies and wannabes: Local Jobs for New Drivers

I have a CDL A but only have operated straight trucks. Having a hard time finding a company that will hire me. I also have a felony conviction for Armed Robbery 2003. What advise do you have for me?

 

This is all bs. If you believe you can go to a truck driving school and immediately go anywhere and start working locally, chances are you will be wrong.
If the truck driving school tells you that you will have no problem getting hired locally, they are lying.They just want your money.

Dock work- you will be stuck for years doing part time job waiting for a driving position to open up.

Coke, Pepsi- jobs hard to get, mostly seasonal, back breaking.

Even trash haulers are hard to get, they want experience.

 

My company hires new drivers out of school. When i applied out of school, they puton their website a minumum of 1yr experience and i still got the job. Also there's been warehouse workers that get their CDL on their own and then become a driver. We do regional work. There's different bids so you can either do local and be home every day or do the long runs where you stay out a couple nights a week. I am a trainer and some guys I train went to one of the major carriers to get their CDL and experience because they were under the impression that's what they needed to do to get experience for a better job.

 

What you have stated is BS!! There are many local driving company's in CT that I know would hire guys out of school. The driving school I went to told me that I would have to start OTR with one of the big company's to get the experience. I was going to work with swift but after the orientation I got sent home and waited 5 weeks for a mentor, in that time I was waiting I decided to just put out applications at local carriers and hope for the best. I finally got assigned a mentor and went out with him and the second day out I got a call back from one of them and ended up going to them. So you are right by saying the schools feed you lines of bs, but you are completely wrong by saying its nearly impossible for a new guy to get a local gig

 

A new guy is not going to be able to pass a road test for a LTL, he's not going to know how to back up in tight docks or to drive in the city with traffic and small streets.
It isnt impossible but most people can't get it.
Roughly 90% of trucking school graduates don't last a year in otr trucking.

If u see tractor trailers hauling trash to landfills you would think thats easy to get but its not.

 

I was new and passed. And also most guys coming through now are new. As long as you show basic knowledge and common sense, we are willing to train, and we have an excellent training program so many new guys do succeed and do well.

 

That is some great information. I think a lot of the information out there about how people have to start with the starter companies comes from the starter companies themselves.

 

What company do you work for??

 

Anyone knows about AZ Star Transportation out of Bridgewater Nj. I'm a new driver with a lot of suspension on my licenses as well as a 6 1/2 yr old felony. I've been turned down by a few companies due to these setbacks. And no callbacks from a few as well. I'm reading LTL gives chances yet I NEED MONEY/WORK NOW!!!

 

Just curious, two questions: U. S. Foods, are they in the same division as Kroger with the Teamsters or what? I know there are more than one division, such as Freight, Grocery, Construction(*dump trucks etc,,)_ also Do you happen to know what the pay is for Coca-Cola as of when you posted or as of now?