Anyone here got their CDL and got hired on without school?

Was train from a company, who sign the paperwork and boom got my cdl for free....well $50 for the permit that's it. But I wasn't train properly, didn't even know how to couple. I was train to just do the job. From day 1 I had to self teach myself with books and youtube

 

This is off topic but how do you start a new thread?.....

 

Go to the sub forum you want to post in. Click on create new thread.

 

They offer something similar called WIOA for schooling, covered me 100% (and then some)

 

A good many drivers take the test every day here in Virginia Beach. Most of them work for some local company who need a driver for their daily work.. (construction, metals, farm use, etc. etc.)

 

I never went to school but when I started driving there were no schools. I was trained a couple of different ways. First was in the Navy hauling nukes on base then crossed deck into the Seabees as an equipment operator where I hauled a lot of heavy construction equipment. I got a part time driving job while stationed in FL because the Navy tried the 10 hour day 4 days a week with every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday off. Drove 7 southern states for almost 3 years there. My last duty stationed before I retired I drove a Ryder tractor ( because finding a Navy tractor with a sleeper is almost impossible) pulling a Navy 60 ton single drop deck flatbed hauling specialized heavy equipment used on bombing ranges all over the U.S. Did that for another 3 years. Then when I got out I just applied at jobs and they had no problem with my military OTR experience because it was OTR driving. Now days most companies want a school for insurance but I have seen drivers get hired with no school when the company was self insured. But you have to prove you can drive and you've got to be up on any school trained driver to save that company money.

 

That's on a state basis though isn't it? Federally supplied but state distributed

 

Oh yeah, I believe so, but I would imagine most states would have it.

 

Got my CDL around 18 months ago with no school. Trucks themselves werent anything completely new to me as I had worked in the clearing, logging, and grading industries. I trained 2-4 days per week for 3 months on a working log truck. I learned to shift by floating and only double clutched on the test. I then drove a log truck part time for a few months.

It wasn't until I decided I wanted to use my CDL for a non logging career that I realized it is pretty hard to get a job without school and little experience. It isn't impossible though. I drove a class B CO2 tank truck for a while and then got a job pulling a reefer around the southeast for a local brewery. I'm coming up on a year working for them and even though I have no plans to leave, I like knowing I have built up the experience to get another job if I want.

 

Got my B last summer while working for a roll off dumpster outfit. When the shop caught on fire there and burnt I moved over to Dr pepper and got my A while working for them. Now I run nights pulling doubles Monday through Friday for a regional fed ex and ups competitor.