Advice on CDL Training and Employment *Noob*

After Truck School, its Entry Level Company Time. Stay with them for a year. NO tickets, NO accidents. Keep yer driving and CSA Score clean .. Then look for work with an erperienced only company.

Stay away from C.R. England .. You will basically buy the truck for THEM! .. Its a big "newbie" scam.

 

One thing you must consider carefully is driver turnover which is over 100% for starter carriers . That means a carrier with 5,000 drivers will need to hire 5,000 replacement drivers in a year .Over 4,000 of those are recent CDL school graduates and many like you thought a 1 year contract would be no problem . There are many reasons a carrier can terminate a driver . The contract obligates you . The carrier isn't obligated to keep you employed .
How do you plan on supporting your family through the training phase ? No pay during 4 to 6 weeks at school , no pay while waitng for an application to be accepted , no pay while waiting for a trainer after orientation , no pay waiting for a truck after training , and for at least 4 to 6 weeks while training your pay will be $300 a week .
A responsible man with a family to support would never go this route .

 

Thanx @Paloma for the input!
@ rickg I am a family man and would not leave my family to fend for themselves. I have money saved up ( which we have been living off of so far. The money that is left will suffice for at the most 3 months. That is why I am trying to do this career change sooner than later. My retail management experience is now overshadowed by the 19 to 20 year old managers companies want now to run their stores for lower pay. So right now is a good time for me to look at my options and make a move before I dont have a choice in the matter!. Thst is why your opinions are REALLY HELPFUL to mr because I want to do this right the first time!

 

What company would you suggest to startvwith and acquire CDL?

 

FamilyMan, I understand your situation, it's tuff, REALLY tuff! I, too, am looking into getting my class A. If you have not already done so, I strongly suggest you read the thread by OpenRoadGuy that is docked and locked near the top of this subforum. It's docked and locked for a good reason! Think VERY carefully about getting into trucking. I would also like to point out, that there are other areas you can get into besides OTR. You could get your class B which would open up more local possibilities for you without such a burden on your family. LOOK BEFORE YOU LEAP! There is a LOT to take into consideration with this career path. It's not at all the same as a regular "9-5" type job.

 

All the people telling you how bad the job is and you will starve your family, etc.; have you wondered, if it's so bad, why are they doing it? Why aren't they following their own advice? There is no excuse to not make a decent living in trucking, with a great website forum like TTR. I didn't have this advantage when I started, and made some costly mistakes, such as no endorsements & starting with dry van. With a family, wife & 4 at the time, it didn't take me long to see the error of my ways & do something about it. Within about 3 months or so, if I remember correctly, I jumped to OTR boat hauling then to OTR flatbed, making real good money. Eventually wound up in tanker/hazmat. I used the mail-in applications at truck stops, because didn't have online apps. at the time. Drivers that have been driving a year & making only $30K or $35K per year aren't using the resourses available to better themselves. They should be making at very least $50K and with all the endorsements, passport, TWIC, the potential is there for over $60K.

 

Hopefully, some others will pitch in here and help. If you must go with company training, maybe Roehl flatbed, TMC flatbed, or Central Refrigerated reefer. I haven't worked for these companies, but those are what I personally would consider if it were me, starting out today.

 

familyman2013, read carfully what Chinatown said in the post," if it's that of industry,why do so many do it?" the big thing to remember is you get out of it what you put into it. if you dont really enjoy or love what you do,your wasting your time. I love what I do even after all these years I still love it.you need to keep an open mind,it is so easy to see all the negative and fall into the negative flo in this industry. it is only as bad as you allow it to be.there is no reason you cant support and provide a good living for your family,like Chinatown i did it as well and also started when things werent as easy to get info on.follow chinatown's advice it's the same I would give to you.being a new driver is hard at frist you will be gone longer but put the time in and it gets easier more freedom,with the managment experience you have you know that hard work,detail,and dedication to to the job at hand is what makes the difference.flatbeding does have a few more long range opportunities to offer,Im a flatbed driver and do heavy haul/oversize now also with a small outfit and love it. Good Luck

 

Sure , there are good jobs . But very few good jobs for newbies . If it's good for them how do do you explain the turnover rate at over 100 % ?

 

You should heed the warnings not to take "free" company training . Many that took that route failed to complete the employment obligation and were billed thousands of dollars , denied a training certificate , and given a negative DAC which pretty much ended their driving career .
If you have to pay a few thousand for a driving school will you still have enough savings to support your family for 3 months ?