17 years old soon to be 18... what kind of trucking job can I get?

Are you in Montreal itself or out of town in a rural setting?

 

Don't know about a class 5 in Quebec but out west you can run a single axle straight truck without air brakes on a class 5. Air endorsement will let you run one with air brakes. So you could have options for driving for a lumber yard or an expediter type position.

 

You need to do some research and get information from the source. Govt wants to get 18 year olds behind the wheel they will be offering subsidies to companies who hire you because without incentives there is no work for someone your age.

 

Young man get rid of that dumb mentality hating school and wanting to be on the road to make money.

Truth is I relate 100% to what you said, I thought the same way as yourself. I finished highschool and gave up school in general even when I passed qualifications to enroll in law enforcement.

Here I am 26 years of age and till this day regret not continuing my education further. I wish I had the time to go back and finish school but it's tougher down the road when you have endless bills coming in and a family to support. "Everyone told me stay in school, it's better than working with no education and I never listened" now I preach to others about finishing school.

Go take a nice business course for 2 years or so, it will help you once you decide to move into the real world.

Goodluck buddy.

 

I hated school and quit after 1 year of university. My parents were not happy when I told them I was done with school. I was 18 at the time.

I am 29 now, been trucking for 10 years. I like trucking, but it sure does have it's moments... I sometimes think if I had stayed in school I would of made a great lawyer. I consider myself lucky because I have successfully put together my own small business and am doing well and have a good work life balance. The same could not be said when I was a company driver. Few people make it to the position I am in. Yes that is touting my own horn a bit but it is the truth.

At the end of the day do you want to spend maybe 50 hours per week away from the house at a higher paid job making probably at least what's truck driver makes? Or work way more hours and be away from way more for about the same money? I did not learn this until somewhere between age 27 and now.

Don't discount school. Maybe college or university isn't for you. Also consider a skilled trade if you are more of a hands on type person. In trucking if you have one big accident or other (dui?) You are suddenly unemployable. Shtf can happen real fast. Different if you are a plumber or electrician or hvac etc.

 

There are companies that will hire and train new commercial license school grads for Canada-only runs. I work for one, we have a couple guys who started at 19 and 20, the latter of which just turned 21 a couple weeks ago and is going to start going south.

Find a good training school and start calling companies to ask about job opportunities. You won't know unless you get out there and find out.

 

I Strongly agree with this.

 

Call the Quebec trucking association maybe they can put you on the right path for your province which probably has different rules then elsewhere in Canada

 

Go to ups package start from the bottom until you can get your CDL from them. Then you’ll be set for life making the best money in trucking as a company driver.