Advice on being a Trucker..

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Iron Jaw, welcome to 'the boards'.

I'm fairly new here myself but one thing I've learned is that a lot of the experienced driver-type folks here tell newbies that they should look for some type of community college in their area to get trained and obtain their CDL that way. They are usually cheaper than private schools (the one in my area only cost $800 for an 8-week class) and you won't be be indebted to a particular company by using that method. Then you may have a better choice of companies with which to apply.

Just some food for thought. Are there any community colleges in your area that teach a truck driver training course?

 

Your home town has a lot of steel and there are lumber loads in that area. Have you considered flats?

 

Speaking from personal experience and hindsight, I would not attend a CDL mill school if you can help it. They are highly overpriced and the training is more for those who have already been around the trucking industry. I'm a female, so it may be that I wasn't smart enough to pick it quickly enough; I'm just giving you my opinion. There are many others here that are much wiser about all this than I am.

And welcome aboard.

 

Hello IronJaw and Welcome

IMHO, I would suggest that you contact your local Community/Technical Colleges and check out their Truck Driver Training Programs. There are grant and funds available, if you qualify (unemployed, dislocated worker...). Your training could be paid in full with these grants and NO contracts to sign!!!

If you would like,when you do choose a school, start a thread under, "Schools", so that we can follow you and your journey.

To research the trucking companies that you are interested in do a search on the tool bar at the top of this page You will find plenty of information to help guide you.

Best of Luck to You and Your Success

 

Iron jaw go to ripoffreports.com type in the name of any trucking company and start reading Good luck or just type trucking in the search at ripoffreports

 

think again. They usually dont LOOK like as much cargo, but generally they will weight as much or even more than dry van. When I drove for Schnieder, I got a couple of heavy loads, but the VAST majority of loads I hauled for them were lucky to weigh 30,000 lbs. Besides, heavy loads are a little easier to control, IMO. *except on steep downhill grades if you are not a good shifter. The ONLY thing I would think to be easier about flatbeds for newbs would be not having to back up to docks. They are harder to load, harder to secure the load, harder to scale, etc. For instance, you have to basicaly know where you want the load at, because once you set it down, you normally can not slide axles and such. The DOT is harder on flatbeds and securing of loads. etc, etc, etc.

I have 3-4 years dry van experience (including 8 axle dry vans that haul 94,000 lbs of cargo) and I will be pulling flatbed for the first time later this month. Flat bed doubles, actually.... Hauling steel coils out of Canada, across Upper Michigan, across Wisconsin, and into Minnesota. Ought to be interesting, to say the least.