any advice for me because i would like to enter the trucking industry?

How old are you? Most OTR companies won't hire you till you are 23. Some require 25 yo. If it is just an issue with your states DMV, I don't think they care how long you have a license before you upgrade or add endorsements. With the exception of an initial learners permit of course. Also, just my humble advice. Go to an accredited school if possible. Like a community college or vocational institute. Do not go to a company sponsored school. They sound cheap and great and all that. But they are usually very expensive if something happens and you can't fulfill your contract with them and they bill you for the cost of your training.

 

No problem getting into trucking.
As for unemployment periods, get an notorized affidavit signed by family members or neighbors that you were unemployed and doing odd jobs/handyman, or whatever while looking for fulltime work.
If you can afford a private CDL school or community college, that's OK.
If not, contact Central Refrigerated ( a refrigerated company) or Prime Inc. (refrigerated/tanker/flatbed). There are others also, but these two require no money up front.

 

Just getting a CDL on your own isn't going to help you too much in getting a job. Almost every company is gonna require you to go to a school. Either an accredited school, or a company sponsored school, like Chinatown recommended.

 

You will be working 10-12 hours a day...7 days a week, get used to public restrooms, and spending your nights in noisy/stinky truck stops most of the time.

 

It gets ALOT better and easier with experience and time. Just develop a lot of patience and good time management. Some days it's 10 hours of sleep and others it's 4. Learn to live in the truck not the truck stop or money will disappear fast, especially in the beginning.

Comin up on 3 years this year and a lot of doors have opened. I found a job that fits right in with how I like my home time and where I like to run. Out 1-2 weeks at a time with 2-3days off in between. Alternate between my siblings and the mrs each time. Just run central US and maybe the SE if freight is slow. CA if it's just flat dead and there is nothing else.

Typical day:
0300 - wake up walk around
0400 - drive to shipper
0600 - depart shipper
1200 - fuel and pit stop
1230 - back on the road
1700 - park & PTI
1730 - food & shower
1930 - news weather
2000 - sleep
0300 - wake up walk around
0330 - depart
0900 - park PTI
0930 - attempt to go back to sleep
1700 - wake up if I managed to go back to sleep
1730 - head to receiver
1930 - finish delivery
2100 - arrive at next shipper
2300 - depart and drive all night

just a rough guesstimate of what to expect.

 

above posters sounds like a reefer driver....
I'm a van driver and rarely make deliveries before 7am or after 7 pm.
I would strongly recommend staying away from reefer work.
Those suckers are noisy and make you work terrible hours.