Almost One of You

You still live in Phoenix?
Mountain Valley Express
ABF - dock to driver
YRC - dock to driver
XPO Logistics

Here's some Mountain Valley Express truck photos:

 

Companies like Saia and Estes Express don't cut any slack on experience required; they won't hire someone that just got a cdl or just graduated from cdl school.
Try those 4 companies I listed; they all hire new cdl grads and sometimes even with only a cdl permit.
McLane Foodservice will probably hire you. Some of those drivers are making $70K after they complete all the training period.

 

If you really wanna do LTL, I highly suggest going with a LTL carrier that is not well known (smaller LTL carrier) and do your experience there, after all used them as a lever to achieve your experience and move on. Again this is only If you really want to pursue an LTL career, If that doesn' work do beer (budlight)at the end what employers want to see is P&D experience at least 1 yr safe driving clean record and up you go to the premier league of LTL.

Good luck.

 

@speedyk It's been my personal experience and based from knowledge by talking to other prospective drivers around the country that your job opportunities are determined more by location than experience. Even the same LTL company could vary their hiring requirements from terminal to terminal based on need and the available driver pool. Where are you located?

I went straight from trucking school to being a linehaul driver for Old Dominion. And as @Chinatown mentioned, there are programs that certain LTLs offer where a prospective driver can get paid to earn their CDL while working at the company doing temporary dock work, or directly as a driver trainee - it all depends how the respective company has their program set up.

Don't give up until you've tried every LTL in your area. LTLs huddle together in the same strategic location usually. A lot of our terminals have Fed Ex Freight, UPSF, Pitt-Ohio, ABF, SAIA, YRC etc. within a mile of the same location ... sometimes in the same business park. My point is that you should apply to all of them if you can't afford to be choosy. You can get a list of LTLs and go on their web sites to search for terminals near your residence. I know ODFL offers such a feature under Tools / Service Centers / and then you can search by State, Zip Code, etc.

 

FXF dock to driver, with two yards in Phoenix.

 

Patience is a virtue. We all started somewhere, don't get to discouraged.

 

Did you try those companies I suggested?

 

@speedyk - my advice is to not shoot for LTL just yet. What you need now is experience, period. And to tell you the truth, I don't think drivers straight out of school are cut out for P&D positions. The skill level required is very high, as well as the pressure. Sure, some people luck out and get in where there's an extreme need, but unless it's a linehaul gig, you'd be setting yourself up for failure. Very few new drivers will pull off P&D efficiently and without hitting something.

I had 12 years experience before getting an LTL job. I could've handled it much sooner, but when I started most LTL companies wanted 5 years experience so nobody was interested in me back then. Instead, I gained a wide variety of experience in other local jobs and learned a ton of tricks that prepared me for it later.

It is a supply and demand issue. LTL companies can afford to be very selective even though they've lowered their standards over the years due to the driver shortage. They'll hire someone with 2 years experience that they wouldn't have in the past, but to hire someone with zero experience is very rare. Even though there's a high demand for drivers, there are still very few LTL jobs out there in the grand scheme of things. There might be a handful of new hires each week in all the Phoenix LTL companies put together, whereas there are probably 100 starting at Swift in that city alone.

If you're dead set on LTL, the dockworker suggestion is good. In no time, they'll put you in a yard truck and you'll be backing more trailers in a few days than most OTR drivers do in a year. It would be a good way to get your foot in the door as well as get some practice in under controlled conditions. Good luck, and keep us posted!