Another wannabe with questions....

If you live in NC give a call to Watkins Shepard. Their recruiters actually seem more honest than most. They hire students providing you are able to get your CDL yourself at one of their approved schools. Watkins Shepard is a company you don't hear too many bad things about, and on the forum and in this industry that's rare.

 

1) I have been self employed for about 10 years now. I have filed taxes and have the forms. Is that going to be 'verifiable" employment?

A: For me, it was good enough. In fact, the first company I started with only asked me to give them copies of the 1040 and Schedule C main page for two years previous. That was good enough for them.

2) I have a clean DMV record for last 5 years. No accidents in over 15 years. I did have a suspended licence for many years before that (18!!). I had several driving while suspended tix and a couple speeding... but no problems for 5 yr after I straightened out my wreckage from the past. I have NO DWIs. Is this just too much 'history' or is the 5 years what they are going to look at? I did get a speeding ticket 3 years ago but I went to driving school and it was dismissed. Its not on my NC driving record at all. Nothing on it for 5 years, like I said

A: The time frame you listed should put you in good position

3) Is North Carolina a good place to be based?

A: Don't know.

I guess thats a good place to start. I have other questions that I'll ask as I go. I am looking to go to Truck driving school either this winter or next spring. What is a good time to start applications?

 

What did you make as a carpenter on NC? Do you have tax records that go back 10 years? (a few years back should be enough, but you never know what they might ask).... Do you have kids at home currently? If you plan to go over the road, this is a real deal breaker with many many wives. They say they support you, however, when they have to do absolutely EVERYTHING, cause your gone... and gone ALL the time. Quickly becomes an issue.

With this said, what are your goals? How much do you need to make? If you think deal with customers is bad now, wait until you deal with some that don't even consider you a human being... You will not believe it at times.

 

There are no DOT standards or requirements for the training of CDL drivers only testing. You can walk into the DMV in your hometown and pick up the study manual, study the manual, pay the fees, and take the test. You will however need a truck to do the road test in and that's it.

Most companies that hire student drivers have a standard which is normally 150 hours from an accredited school. Every company is different so call around to a few companies you are interested in and see how many hours they require.

Why the short course vs. the long course:

Some students already have their class B and have been driving for sometime.
Some students are laid off or unemployed and need to receive min. required hours to find a job and return to the work force.
Some students have jobs and take the longer course to work it into their schedule
Some students want the full training and practice to have more jobs available to them and feel comfortable with the skills

Company sponsored training vs. non-company sponsored training

Their are far to many reasons to explain here why company sponsored/paid training is a very bad idea, if you really want to know there are a lot threads on this web site alone explaining the down falls and horror stories driver have been thru fulfilling those contracts.

So I will explain some of the benefits of attending a non-company sponsored schooling path.

1. Most accredited schools have FASFA and other financing options. Some state labor agencies even have free money.
2. Most schools offer lifetime job placement and normally know who is hiring locally before it is even advertised.
3. Most schools will have you pre-hired before you even finish schooling
4. If you attend a non-company sponsored training you receive all of the tax credits and deductions and NOT the company. Like tuition, books, maps, clothes, pens & pencils, notebooks, cost of a laptop/computer, cost of a printer, ink, paper, cost of the medical exam, permitting fees, meals, travel expenses, etc..
5. Normally you will start with a higher CPM rate than drivers coming out of their own school.
6. Most companies have tuition reimbursement up to $10,000 which is paid directly to you weekly or monthly with no contract.
7. You can leave the company anytime you want because you owe them ZERO!
8. When you are in school you may find you like hauling something different than what you thought or you may receive better job offers. You are not locked into one company for the next 12-15 months so you can do whatever you want.

NC is a good state to live in unless you live East of I-95 with Wilmington being the exception.

By law the first company you work for only needs to verify the last three (3) years and your tax forms should be more than enough and on the application just put self employed.

As far as your DMV Record you should be fine but I would get a copy just to make sure there is no thing on it. I had someone using my CDL without my knowledge once.

Keep in mind driving OTR is a culture unlike any other job you have experienced or even heard of in your life, trust me on this one.

Good Luck and I hope this info helped.

 

Hey tarheelMickey, kinda have the same scenario except couple years older. I've applied to a few companies that asked either for a notarized letter from people

I were subbed out to or just a few clients bills of materials. Wasn't nearly as involved as I made it out to be. Also went to college sponsored school and FAFSA

was available for some of it. Sounds like you might be interested in flatbeds like I'm pursuing. Have offers just waiting for Labor day weekend due to wedding on the

31st. Good luck and just go for it.

 

Once you finish CDL school you can get a local, regional or OTR coast-to-coast driving job. There are no dues to pay, it's just a matter of what's available when you start your job search. Careebuilder website is good to look for local jobs. For me, I preferred the OTR coast-to-coast, but that's a personal choice. With your work history, you would probably prefer flatbed or tanker work.

 

Howard Transportation has a terminal in Kenly, NC.
They hire new CDL grads. from approved schools.
Check their website & also contact them. You can apply as soon as you start school.