Can someone tell me how this works?

You cant go over the road until you are at least 21. Depending on your home state, you may be able to get a cdl for in state driving only, at the age of 18.

Martin

 

Find a job driving a small box truck after highschool. I worked for a lumber yard and ice house using a chauffers license . Then got my cdl drove a trash truck and then a class b flatbed for a different lumber yard. Finally starting driving class 8's

 

You might find a tow company that would hire you, would probably be in road service jump starting cars, changing tires, etc. my guess is you probably won't find anything until your 18.

 

Try the agricultural route. The biggest killer is insurance... a lot of commercial insurance companies don't like to insure anyone under 21 or 23, even if it's intrastate and not requiring a CDL. Agriculture seems (at least, to me) to have a little more leeway in this regard.
Of course, there are ways to get into the trucking industry that don't involve driving, as well. I don't know if you've read up on the turnover rate in this industry, but it's high... a lot of people get into it and find themselves disappointed. When I was a teenager, I know I didn't want to spend a month at a time on the road... Friday and Saturday nights were spent hitting up the stores which would sell us alcohol out of the back (PBR and Mad Dog 20/20... that's all they would sell us) and then we'd... well, I don't really want to get into that. I have a clean criminal record, and I prefer for people to believe I managed that by always being an upright citizen, rather than just by not getting caught.
Instead, I graduated at 17, joined the Army, and hit the ground running when I got out at 21. Looking back, I find myself in two different minds... on the one hand, I've worked hard, I've made an honest living, and that's the way it ought to be (or, as we'd say back in my hometown in Mississippi, "otterbe"). On the other hand, you late teens and early 20s are the times when you're supposed to sort of find yourself, get wild every so often... I look at what my friends did in their early 20s... backpacking across Europe while I was trying to keep people from bleeding out as a Combat Medic in Afghanistan and Iraq... and, while it's easy for me to get on a high horse and profess what I was doing to be more noble than what they were doing, I would've enjoyed doing what they were doing infinitely more. So consider that. You're young, you're approaching what are supposed to be the best years of your life... how would you prefer to spend them?
But, like I was saying, there are other functions in this industry other than driving.. as you can see by my status as an ex-driver, I got to a point where I didn't love it anymore... I love being behind the wheel, I love that my experience was primarily in the construction industry, rather than the freight hauling industry, I love that I got to do more than just drive a truck... at the same time, there are aspects that I don't love, and it got to the point where I figured I'd rather try my hand as a mechanic, and do a little driving on the side. And I found that I enjoy what I do. Now, had I gotten into that when I was 21 instead of driving, I think about how much further along I'd be, but I'll get there... I do think that age and experience in life does give me an edge over these twenty-somethings in some aspects.
Anyhow, a two year vocational school and a job turning wrenches.... just think about it. I'm not saying that driving is totally the wrong way to go and you'd rather be doing this, but it's good exposure.. you're working, you're making money, you're learning a side of the industry drivers often don't pay enough heed to, you're getting some exposure to drivers, and, you're building a skill which will be crucial to you if you ever become an owner/operator one day.
Just a couple thoughts, anyhow. Best of luck to you in whatever you do.

 

So you want to be an over the road trucker. It is nice to hear that you have given some thought to what you want to do later on in life. Most folks have no idea. This is a good place to start. You will see lots of post from people. The first thing you have to remember is that when we have time to post, we are usually tired so or posting are more negative then what we would be if we had rested.

You will be getting your first license soon. It is important from the start that you guard your license. I wanted to be an Air Traffic Controller at one point but I had 3 speeding tickets and that kept me from being hired. As a professional driver you cannot afford to get your license suspended for any reason. Practice driving the speed limit or a mile an hour less. You need to get use to folks passing you and not needing to get back ahead of them. Trucks get pasted all the time.

You have to learn to think about those around you. As a trucker you are responsible for cars and trucks on all sides of you. You have to be aware of your blind spots. A trucker can lose his job if a car hits us. It doesn't have to be our fault. All that has to happen is that someone can say we could have done something to prevent the accident. A car can run a red light but if they can show we could have done something different, we can get fired.

You should also take a mechanical course. You will have times when being able to do the little things around a truck will save you time and money. For example, we pull trailers. Not always the same trailer and we are suppose to do a pre trip inspection. One of the things we look at is the self adjusting brake system. The brake handle should be in a least the 90% angle. To adjust it, you need a wrench and a straight edge screw driver. It is a simple thing but unless you are use to tools, you might just overlook doing it. That can lead to big fines and put you out of service. Out of service means you sit and wait for someone to come and fix it for you. Hours wasted.

Take a basic business course. You need to learn that without a profit there are no jobs. Learn what you can do to increase your value to the company that you are driving for. One of the biggest cost that we as drivers can control or limit anyway, is fuel cost. If you drive just as hard and fast as you can, you burn more fuel and the profit on that load goes down. If the load has to be there by 9 AM Tuesday, there is no reason to push the pedal to the medal and arrive by 8 PM Monday.

Remember, knowledge gained is never wasted.

Welcome to trucking and ask us anything you want.

 

Watch some youtube "Smith System" videos. Then drive that way in your car. Also, UPS hires guys to load and unload trucks, they can work their way up to driving. Knowing about a company from the inside can be very helpful.

 

Not being a trucker (yet) I only have this suggestion : don't drink and drive. Not even a drop if you have to drive four hours later. You don't want to regret it later on in life. I have seen so many people ruined that I believe a beer it's just not worth it. And I am telling you this being Italian... I was drinking wine when I was five back in the old country. But I NEVER had a drink if I had to drive later... even if that was MUCH later.
Good luck.


PS: Of course, same goes with drugs.

 

ditto #9. Today, one accident or dui charge can ruin your hopes for driving as a career choice. Be a teen and enjoy this time in your life because it will be gone in a flash and you'll long for these years, but don't be an overly stupid teen.

Develop a good work ethic now. Work wherever you can find a part time or summer work. If they have anything to do with trucks, that's all the better. Then things will fall into place when they're supposed to but don't push it and learn to accept what is available to you in terms of work and continue to work toward your [current] goal. Your goal may change in years to come and that's ok.