About to sign up for Greenville Tech's program. Need guidance.

I drove nine months locally with a 24ft. box truck, and learned that trucking is the career path I want to take. I'm in my late twenties, married, and am about to sign up for the truck driver training program at Greenville Tech, which I've heard good things about. I've read plenty on here about the industry, but I'm hoping to gather some input on here.

I can add a few caveats to help narrow the search considerably.

1) If I choose to do OTR, I will only do it with a company that allows me to take my wife with me as a passenger. What companies allow this?

2)I'd prefer to drive tanker, and would consider working a local route up in the oilfields in North Dakota, as I heard they will hire drivers without experience.

3) Is it possible to find a local route anywhere and get hired even as an out-of-state driver? Currently I live in Greenville, SC but would be willing to relocate for a solid opportunity.

Lastly, do you have any good advice for what to lookout for when searching for a company? Before accepting anything, I'm going to research their feedback on here first. With my box truck job, I kept a running list of all the local company trucks I saw out on the road. The list has about 30-40 different companies. I'm thinking about calling each one and asking if they would hire a recent grad.

I hear the piece of advice thrown around a lot here: "Choose a company that fits you." Well, what factors go into determining that? Say for OTR, aside form allowing my wife to travel with me, what other specific factors are important to inquire about?

 

Lots of companies will allow passengers. ND Bakken oilfield is no place to raise a family. You need to find company housing there and they will not allow a non employee to stay there. Im sure others will be along soon. Texas Eagle ford oilfield is much more developed and there are san antonio and laredo each about an hour away. Still will be paying higher than normal. And there aint nobody allowing no passengers in the oilfields.

 

Since you want your wife to ride along; choose a company with nice trucks and are set up for driver comfort such as Direct TV hookukp, refrigerator, etc.
Here's some that hire new cdl grads and have rider program:
Schuster - nations largest ice cream hauler
Navajo Express
Abilene Motor Express
Freymiller
Magnum Ltd.
Melton Truck Lines
Keim TS
MCT Transportation
Jim Palmer Trucking
All these hire new grads with zero experience. If website has "experience required" then the website hasn't been updated.

 

Contact Danny Herman Trucking and ask if they have rider program. They don't run northeast or NYC and sometimes hire new cdl grads from good schools. It's worth a phone call.

 

Thanks for the advice on companies! I really appreciate that kind of feedback.

If I went the oilfield route, we would rent an apartment, and my wife would work somewhere part-time. We don't have kids, nor are we planning to in the near future.

Still though, it sounds like the whole oil price situation will be up in the air still by the time I get my CDL. I doubt it will soon boom like it did in 2011, if ever. Gone for good are the days of $25/hr for rookie drivers?

On the other hand, my wife surprised me the other day by telling me she wants me to choose the OTR option for a year, so she can spend the time with me seeing the country.
I'm like, "honey, do you understand what you'd be signing up for?" So I've tried to paint a more accurate picture in her head about what it would be like.

Do any of you all know of any YouTube channels or other resources that give a balanced account of what life is like as a female passenger?

Also, if we choose OTR, I'd prefer doing it primarily in the western states as it would be easier to rack up more miles. I definitely like the idea of avoiding NYC and most of the east coast for that matter.

We're not from Greenville, and don't feel tied to this area whatsoever. I understand a lot of OTR truckers change their address to states that don't have state income tax. I have family members in FL and TN that would be willing to let us use their address and park our car there. But, would I then be limited to applying to just the companies that run through those states? I have family in southern California that would let me use their address too, if it would make it easier to drive out in the western states. It just wouldn't be the first choice with the exorbitant CA taxes.

Hey Chinatown, do those companies run tankers? I'd like to run tankers with hazmat to maximize pay if that's doable for a rookie. Also, I don't like what I constantly read on here about dry van situations where you have to pay lumpers, so anything to avoid those situations would be preferred. As I rookie I don't assume it would be easy to get these alternatives, but at least I can try.

 

You don't have to pay lumpers, the trucking company pays them. You get a Comcheck number from your company and give that number to the lumper and he uses that number to get paid.
Another thing, you don't have to live in the same state as the trucking company headquarters; you just have to live in the hiring area. You're probably in the hiring area for all those companies I listed.

 

Since your wife wants to ride along and see the country, go with a company that has APU and is set up for driver comfort. I don't know of any tanker companies that have a rider program and also hire new cdl grads.
Escapees RV Club can set you up with a legal address in Texas or Florida where there's no personal income taxes. Don't know the details, just that some drivers on here have done that.
Maybe have to register an old pickup truck with a camper shell on the bed at the minimum; don't know for sure.

 

The ND oilfields are not hiring like they used to when oil prices were high. Williston is much more developed now though and plenty of housing available. You probably need experience now though to get a job. If interested in Flatbed Maverick allows you to take your wife as a rider. They are a good company to start out with. Good luck and God bless!

 

Hey! I live in the Greenville area. GTC is a good school. You'd be hard press to find a tank company to hire straight out of school. N.D. is not as great as it sounds. I don't know if you've ever been there in the winter, but it's rough to say the least. That wind cuts right through you. I'd also be willing to say your wife will not ride with you for long. Mine made it about a month. She hasn't wanted back in the truck in 15 yrs. There are a bunch of companies local to us that hire fresh grads.