Anyone willing to be a "mentor" to a potential young driver?

Your son may want to possibly consider Central Refrigerated. They have a terminal in Conley Georgia, about 450 miles north of Tampa Florida. Their headquarters are out of Salt Lake City Utah.

Central Refrigerated does have its own training program, minimum age being 21. Their phone number is 1-800-777-0033. Their FAX number is 1-800-863-5286, (both out of Conley Georgia).

Central Refrigerated is over the road, OTR, all 48 states. I do not know whether or not they go into Canada. It would not hurt for your son to go ahead and apply for a passport.

NOTE:
Central Refrigerated was recently bought out by Swift Transportation out of Phoenix Arizona. There could be some changes in their training program and / or qualification standards. It would still be best to give them a call.

DRIVER QUALIFICATIONS

• Must be at least 21 years old
• Must possess and show a signed original Social Security Card
• Must provide three years of employment with phone numbers including area codes and addresses
• Must pass a DOT physical, provided by Central Refrigerated
• Must pass a DOT controlled substance drug test and alcohol testing in accordance with 49 CFR 382, provided by Central Refrigerated
• Must pass a wellness test consisting of various lifting techniques, as well an overall health assessment, including blood pressure and heart rate tests
• Must possess a clean driving record with:
  No DUI’s in 5 years
  No reckless/careless driving convictions in last 3 years
  No suspensions in last 3 years
  No more than 3 moving violations in three years from application date
• Must pass hiring and security interviews

 

First if, if your son wants to be come a trucker, he should be posting here, not you.

Anyways, If by "mentor" you mean share information, answer questions, etc, we can all do that including myself. If by mentor you mean, train, and eventually have him work for one of us, only the mega carriers are equipped to do that. Unfortunately, no one will insure a new driver. The mega carriers are "self insured" and thus they can hire whoever they want. Even if i had time and was in a location to teach your son to drive, my insurance would not allow a new driver.

 

Her son will be on soon, I believe there looking for info. right now, and trying to find out what direction to go.

 

Good post, I think this is the kind of info. they are looking for. Thanks

 

Perhaps your son could check into getting his CDL to drive buses for the city or county. Depending upon demand and location, city and county bus drivers have been known to earn a decent living. It may be worth a try.

813-449-4555 Hillsborough Area Regional Transit, (HART).

God bless every American and their families! God bless the U.S.A.!

 

what i always tell anyone wanting to join... make sure you have a plan. you get in, and next thing you know, you've done 10 years in it or more and realize you've been that long away from home, don't have a social life outside this industry and if you have kids, well, they're pretty much teenagers by then.

now if that's something that won't bother you, then dive in head in first.. things will fall into place. Keep your ears open and learn from not one but all drivers. don't consider shorcuts nor leases and 1st but above all, (after God that is) your CDL IS YOUR LIFE. don't risk it ever.
Good luck to y'all

 

I wouldn't put much trust in UPS. Yes, you might get a driving job after 10 years in the warehouse....but then it might be 15 years. For example: and this happened in Nashville, two UPS warehouses near each other, both had workers on a waiting list to drive. Then the union had the rules changed that only workers from one of the warehouses could move into driving and the ones at the other must transfer there, as openings became available, and start their 10 wait all over again.
The only decent UPS division is UPS Freight which is non-union.

 

Does UPS Freight go over the road, (OTR), to all 48 states with the overnight sleeper cabs, as other OTR companies do, example being Swift Transportation?

God bless every American and their families! God bless the U.S.A.!

 

They have regional and OTR running 48 states, Canada, Alaska. The Alaska freight trailers may be put on ships for transport to Alaska.
They have flatbeds & I've seen them running in the Carolinas and through Tennessee; not sure where all they run to.

 

If your son was a daughter instead I bet this topic would have a lot more volunteers.