New to trucking

so you have experience with a box truck but not a tractor trailer... that is my understanding. Are you looking to do OTR or are you trying to get a local job?

 

Did you already try those I listed? If not, do an online application before calling.
Your odds are much better to be hired if you can call and say, "I'm checking on my job application."

 

Trucking isn't a very good job. (Im sure the trucking has been good to me it is what you make of it crowd will be spouting off any minute) The downsides can be very devastating. Hell, you could make 1 mistake and wind up in prison. Not to many jobs with that kind of risk. IMO it takes 10 to 15 years to figure this out. The big thing is you gotta figure out why you want to drive a truck. Once you figure that out, then you have to try and move on a path to get yourself there.
Take me for example. I like big fancy Peterbilt's. I also can't stand at least 80% of the people who are breathing.I also hate being told what to do. So, In my case a job with UPS probably wouldn't work, even though it pays excellent. I spent 9 1/2 years driving for a guy that left me alone. Sometimes I would go months without talking to him. He knew I knew what I was doing, and he left me alone to do it.
I got tired of low pay and no bennies, so I went to work for an outfit that had those things. But they also micro managed me. I couldn't stand it. 8 months and I was back at the old job. At that point I had been at it for 22 years. Now, a few years later, My boss, who was the owners son in law, quit because HE didn't want to deal with his father in law, the owner, anymore. Guess who is my new boss? Yep. The owner of the company. He came in and created complete chaos because of where he is on the spectrum. And he started micro managing everything. Im gone.
But, in the last 25 years Ive learned about MYSELF and what I need. So now I am pursuing that.
What Im trying to say in this long winded post, is that you have to know yourself before you know what you need out of trucking, otherwise you will just be a statistic hopping jobs looking for something and not knowing what it is.

 

Be honest! You can find companies that will work with you! But, you must be honest about things... they will find out...

 

Most companies don't care about that and bend their own rules for a good driver applicant. In the fine print "felons accepted on a case by case basis."
Since you're already set up for orientation with PTL, go for it and in 3 mos. more doors will start opening for you. As with any company, some drivers do fine at PTL and some don't. No big deal, just do the best you can.

 

I love trucking... I was so burnt out with Nursing... I needed a breather... it’s been a long breather...... Lol