Career Pathway - Need help!

Hi everyone. This is my first post ever, and this forum inspired me to get into trucking!
So, I am 22 and I've been driving for my 3rd month solo with Western Express. I don't have a bad record or any accidents or a felony, they were the first company to contact me so I went with them.
Well, I am going to try and get all my endorsements in April/May, since I don't have any. I also don't want to work for them longer than six months, and by then it will have been that long (time goes flying!).
Would it be considered enough experience to try and land an OTR LTL job?
Also, I really want to travel but everyone tells me that it isn't really possible as a trucker. I want to work for 2-3 months then go abroad, but I don't want to ruin my career by resigning, only to find that I will be considered a job hopper.
Sorry if the questions are dumb, just that my family is in another country and not seeing them for longer than that really is a strain on me.
Thanks in advance)

 

@Chinatown will give you a list of companies. Welcome to trucking and good luck.

 

Probably work for a cdl temp agency. This way, you work when you want and don't have to look for a new company when you return to the USA. Just let the temp agency know you've returned and ready to go back to work.
You're not job-hopping either because you're employed by the temp agency.
Try this one:
Trillium Staffing - Driver Staffing Solutions
See more

 

Answer to your 1st question: no, 6 months is NOT enough experience to land a good LTL job afterwards -- particularly in the current CDL job market.

You'll need AT LEAST 12 MONTHS -- along with a very good safety record (no accidents/incidents/tickets) -- to get & keep their attention.

You will also need ALL the relevant CDL endorsements -- tanker, hazmat...& doubles/triples -- to be considered.

Suggestion: stay where you are now (with no accidents or tickets) until you have 12 months or more driving time.

The CDL job market is pretty mean right now for those who are new, or have less than a year of driving.

-- L

 

There was a guy on YouTube that ran flatbed for maverick for years, he would work for a few months and then go overseas for vacation. His truck was always there when he got back, the possibility for that schedule exists, you just have to find it.

 

I did the same and went to China for around 3 months each trip. Temp services are ok with that.
Had a few drinks with some Russians in China. The ones I met were nice people and no different from us here in the USA other than the language barrier at times.

 

You can have my job! I’m officially retired!

 

How do you like Western Express? I saw people on this forum suggesting to others to apply there so I did. I currently have a recruiter from there speaking to me, but they are only offering .40 a mile for new drivers and no sign on bonus which seems really low to me compared to other job opportunities I have seen. Not really sure what to think of it. What was training like with them? How did all that go?

 

Here's the thing with Western. I broke in years ago with them. The flatbed side was a good experience for me. The pay was low then as well, but with Western, you're going to run....a lot. They dish the miles out of you can prove to them that you cans turn them. The low cpm sucks but they made up for it with a lot of miles. I'm not necessarily telling you to go to Western, but I will advise you.....look at what a company can offer you in terms of miles and nothing else. Don't get hung up on bonuses and accessory pay. If a company needed to cut costs, that's gonna be the first things to go. As a new driver, it's a real chance that you won't stay at that company long enough to get that all of your bonus. When you choose a company, ask about freight/customers, look at their running lanes, ask about hometime, and most importantly, how long do you want to stay on the road? As a new OTR driver, it can potentially be difficult to make some decent money without staying out a minimum 3 weeks. If you don't want to be out on the road as much, then you may need to consider tanker or flatbed. It's a lot of moving parts. Focus on freight and running lanes. If the company has neither, then a high cpm means nothing. Your first year, the money most likely won't be great. It's an opportunity to gain experience and hone your skills. Western is as good as anywhere to start out.

 

Yea but you're still the country western trubidore yea yea.