New and Upcoming Truck Driver - SoCal

First off, I live near San Bernardino/Fontana/Jurupa Valley, an area with a very strong distribution industry.

My Story:
So, after years in middle management I decided to go back to school, build my own home, and have a kid. Well, there was a bit of discussion with my wife, but this was the end result. There's a lot to this story, but after 3.5 years of very hard work I completed my B.B.A. Management degree, my PHRca certification, our home as the owner-builder, and helped childcare for my son to get him to full-time school age (3.5 yrs old). I left my job of over 6 yrs in the right way with a 2-month notice and stong professional references.

I felt the new degree I had attained would position myself for better opportunities; but I was wrong! Leaving the job market for over 3 years was like voodoo on my career. Not sure the details matter that much, so I'll leave that be. Since the area I live in has a very strong distribution industry, I jumped into forklifts (forks, clamps, EPJs) without ever really driving them before. After 8 months of loading and unloading trailers, I've decided to get my CDL and look for a regional or semi-local driving job...home most weekends at least. Since my company didn't have their own fleet of trucks, I decided to leave and find a company to start with (maybe stay with?).

We were able to afford my training out-of-pocket to stay out of any binding employment agreements. I'm starting a 160 hr CDL program (United Truck Driving School in Riverside, CA) in a few days that graduates on Nov 9. I plan to certainly attain my CDL and all endorsements. I've pulled boat trailers for years and always seemed to get the concept of maneuvering trailers easily, so hopefully that translates well. I'm in my early 40's and doing my best to make a thoughtful transition into the trucking industry. I've been lurking here for awhile and finally made an official account. I appreciate all the experience shared by those who have come before me!

I've started to make a list of companies who have terminals near me as well as strong work here in this area. Our CDL school has recruiters from 2-3 companies per week coming through, so maybe one of those will be a good fit, but I'm not relying on that. I'm keeping my eye out for recommendations and will exhaustively go through the list and contact each company over the next few weeks. Again, thanks so much for such an informative truck driving forum!

 

Thanks Chinatown! I really appreciate the suggestions and will add them to my list of potentials to checkout. I'm cautious in employer selection and want to make sure I can stick there for a full year or long-term even. Since I'm green I'll want a company that will work with me, and visa-versa.