Some questions, any input appreciated.

I made $50K my first year after paying $1k for an 8 week community college CDL program. I took a gamble with a newly registered OTR carrier for my first driving job. He had 2 trucks and I was paid 25% of total revenue to the truck on 1099 instead of W2. It worked out for me, but it may not be the right path for you. I worked for that carrier for 18 months, then leveraged that experience to land a northeast local / regional job that gets me home every night and weekends, and grossed $65K last year plus medical, dental, 401(k), including vacation and holiday pay.

 

The course was pretty comprehensive. 2 weeks of classroom, and the rest was driving. Even then, I was pretty nervous for the first few months. My first load was a beer load out of Williamsburg, VA that required scaling at the shipper and sliding both the 5th wheel and the trailer tandems to get it legal. Plus, the owner had replaced a low profile tire on the trailer with a high profile tire, and the load caused the tire to rub the underside of the trailer. He wanted me to pull it to the truck stop on I-95 in Ruther Glen, VA (80 miles or so?) to get the tire changed, and he fired me when I refused. The shipper let me take my 10 on site, and the owner re-hired me 2 hours later when he called to tell me that he called a tire shop to come fix it there. Steep learning curve, but that's the kind of thing that I thrive on.

 

Dunno why.....but your post reminds me of a day that I was sitting in "Whites" truck stop off of I-81 here in Virginia. I always liked to stop there when I was on a home run for breakfast. I am sitting there one morning when a young guy comes walking in with a cowboy hat, chaps, fingerless gloves, belt buckle, and fancy boots. He said he drove for SCHNEIDER NATIONAL and had just driven non stop from Charlotte, was worn out, and needed a good place to shut down? I was wearing a Jacket that SNI had given me for a safe driving award. Just a nice simple grey jacket with the orange lettering over the chest pocket. The guy see's it right away, sits down next to me, and starts a loud conversation that everyone could hear. I was cringing while trying to finish my breakfast and make myself disappear at the same time. The waitress and a few other drivers could see my Embarrassment. I made eye contact with the waitress and threw a 20 on the counter......she nodded and I was GONE!

 

Which is why you should wear "ambiguous" clothing!

I'd recommend a work out suit, but then all the foreigners will sit next to you too!

 

Attend a 160 hr. CDL school and get all the endorsements, TWIC, passport, before graduating. Submit job applications within a few days before CDL school starts. Lots of good companies hire in Portland. You can make $50K-$60K as a new driver, with some companies.

Trimac Transportation-$60K-$80K
Kelle's Transport Service
Leavitt's Freight Service
Trans-system.com
Jones Bros. Trucking
Decker Truck Line
Letica Freightlines
Indian River Transport
Reddaway
Pride Transport
Navajo Express

Start submitting job applications within a few days of starting CDL school. Submit as many as you want, then pick through the job offers so you can start work immediately after graduation. Most companies have online job applications.

Ignore "experience required" and apply anyway.

 

Yup... spot on....

 

$50,000 at Swift? First year,somebody must have smooth talked you.Dont expect to live large for at least ay year or two.Next time you fuel count how many Swift drivers are sitting around in the parking lot at the TS or hanging out in the local Costco parking lot.Just saying.