No CDL Experience, going for Coke?

What that guy posted is the biggest bunch of bull i ever did read. No employer is gonna say"oh my god, 48 foot trailer, ours are 53. we cant hire you. As long as you have a clean class A, you are good to go. Thats what insurance companies look at. They have no idea if you drove a cabover mack or a long nose pete pulling 53 foot trailers. I pulled both trailers. 5 foot isnt much of a squirt of piss. Tractor wheelbase makes a difference

 

Why start off with Coke? FedEx Freight has an apprenticeship program....

Fedex Freight Jobs - Driver Apprentice Jobs in United States

 

I’d forget Coke and go straight for what you want. You’re in STL, so you know, if you do get a route you’re gonna be low man and you’re probably gonna be gettin real familiar with Natural Bridge RD or East St. Louis or some other place you don’t wanna be ever. Head to St Charles and see what FedEx says. They might have a dock to driver program. Or check their website. Goin from FedEx Ground to Coke just to get to FedEx Freight seems like a lateral move but I dunno. Dayton has their nice new terminal on 370 and every once in awhile they hire for Non-CDL drivers mainly doing residentials and tight spots their trucks can’t go. They’d probably kick puppies to have you since you probably know your way around. Check their website. Good luck dude.

 

As the op stated FedEx has several different entities that are complete separate from each other so it's not like he could simply do a lateral transfer.

 

The only divisions within FedEx that offer any type of training programs are Freight and Express, and these are actual FedEx employee's. Ground and Custom Critical are Contracted.

FedEx Freight and Express is run similar to the way UPS Parcel and UPS Freight operates in that one is LTL and the other is Small Package. Both UPS and FedEx (Freight and Express) offer in-house training to obtain your CDL too (except for UPSF). FedEx Ground...although contracted...also tends to do both Small Package and LTL as well. I talk to a lot of FedEx drivers from all divisions on my run and you can't really tell who's who sometimes because both Ground and Express use Delivery Vans, Cargo Vans, Straight Trucks and Box Trucks. P&D I see both Freight and Ground doing freight and bulk pickups. Linehaul you'll see both Freight and Ground pulling doubles. Express doesn't seem to pull any doubles and I tend see them a lot over at Amazon. Custom Critical I hardly ever see them, so I don't know too much about them other than they're expedited services.

If FedEx Freight overall is your main goal, I would imagine starting off on their apprenticeship program or the docks would make more sense than going to Coke. The time that you spent over at Coke could of been time that you already invested over at FXF....JMO.

Edit...Oooops...posted too late. Just read about you already applying for the apprenticeship program.

 

i was going to suggest this as well. Since you work FX ground and you're thinking of going coke, then that proves you aren't afraid of too much work; You should be able to handle dockwork no problem, all while getting your CDL. Or do you already have one?

 

Yea I think I misspoke. I meant going from FedEx ground to Coke would be a lateral transfer in terms of your main goal which is FedEx Freight. I’m aware all the FedEx entities are related, but yet not really. I just meant you should apply straight away with FedEx Freight.

 

Beverage delivery in STL was the absolute worst job I ever had and I got very familiar with N County, which as you said blows. Backbreaking work that paid about half what I made running regional and never touching freight. One day just had enough, brought back my last 4 stops and never returned.