CDL Prep Jobs

Discussion in 'Experienced Truckers' Advice' started by MSWS, Jan 26, 2025.

  1. MSWS

    MSWS Medium Load Member

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    Hey, All

    As I'm sure everybody here knows, you have to be at least 21 to get a CDL for interstate travel, and many, if not most, companies require a driver to be at least 23. While I agree with this completely, if anything the age should be higher, it does create a barrier to the industry for young people looking to start a career without going to college or spending years at a job that has nothing to do with driving.

    With that in mind, if you knew a teenager today who could probably be a good driver when they're older, what kind of non-military work would you suggest for them out of high school that could provide a decent living and roll over into a driving career later, assuming such a thing even exists? I'm talking about something that's not just a low-wage placeholder job like fast food or retail, but also not an entire career unto itself like plumbing or welding & pipefitting.

    Thanks in advance!
     
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  3. lual

    lual Road Train Member

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    Hands down -- the clear winner -- no questions asked, or needed:

    New To Driving

    -- L
     
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  4. Chinatown

    Chinatown Road Train Member

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    Some local delivery jobs hire 18 yr. old drivers.
     
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  5. brian991219

    brian991219 Road Train Member

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    Local construction companies, local food service delivery, school buses (most states only require you to be 18), towing companies and repair garages. Learning how to be a truck mechanic will be a great head start for a future driver. Maybe even work at a truck dealership as a lot attendant, detailer or porter (fancy word for the guy that pulls the trucks around for service and customer delivery).

    My career began at 16 hauling scrap cars for a local junk yard using a Chevy 2500 pickup truck with a electric boom mounted in the bed, then at 18 I was hired as a lube tech, later full diesel mechanic, and driver for a local school bus company. They got me my class B first, then at 19 they got me my class A so I could become a CDL third party examiner and drive our tow truck to bring in broken down buses. AT 19 I also was working part time for a local towing company on nights and weekends and at 21 I was able to get my first interstate driving job collecting used motor oil in a tanker truck, then went to work for an auto auction as a tow truck driver and the rest is history.
     
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  6. tscottme

    tscottme Road Train Member

    A job for a teenager that pays well & isn't a placeholder job? Any job pays more than not working. Stay employed at one company to show a stable work history.

    The only job I know that gives experience relevant to CDL driving is agriculture trucking which doesn't require being 21.

    Most newbies show up with big gaps in job history because they quit a job if asked to do something like talk to a customer or not make TikTok videos at work. Working at McDs with no gaps in employment is a better start than most because showing up on time, working a full shift, showing up again is about all any employer can possibly expect from the current crop of TikTok & Instagram worshippers.

    If I had years to prepare I would prepare for something better than CDL work. Any other trade pays more, you sleep at home, have a normal life.
     
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  7. lual

    lual Road Train Member

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    A solid point there: if a kid wants a "normal" life ahead -- then it's probably best to stay out of trucking.

    On the other hand -- if a kid is like I was: a clean slate, no spouse, no health issues, no local commitments, no pets...& no kids (no kidding!)...but wants a skill set they can use pretty much anywhere.....& has a pretty bad case of wanderlust....& needs/wants a job....then driving might just be a worthy option.

    For me...."normal" = boring.

    Variety was/is the spice of life. The view out of the office window (which I never had, while working in an office) is always changing. :iconbiggrin:

    -- L
     
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  8. MSWS

    MSWS Medium Load Member

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    Awesome find!!!
     
  9. MSWS

    MSWS Medium Load Member

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    No doubt. But a job that pays more and offers a direct path to something else is better still. The problem with young people and those low-pay, placeholder jobs is that it's really easy for them to get sidetracked while doing them. It's too easy for a young person, especially today, to lose focus and end up doing something stupid that sets them back years, or indefinitely, when they don't have structure and a clear goal ahead.
     
  10. MSWS

    MSWS Medium Load Member

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    Believe it or not, I think a lot of the kids today will be perfect for trucking later on. I've run into a bunch of guys at terminals in their 20s and early 30s who've turned their trucks into rolling game-centers. When they're not driving or sleeping, they're on their consoles and computers nerding out.

    I know it's not the same as getting married and raising a family, but if they weren't going to do that regardless, being productive and earning decent money while doing it beats living in their parents basement.
     
  11. tscottme

    tscottme Road Train Member

    The problem is the teenagers, not the jobs. Teens have no discipline, no attention span, and blame the world for what they do. They refuse to adapt to the world because they are 18 year old toddlers not future adults. I supervised teens & 20-somethings in the last year. Everyone should prepare for every functioning system to stop working as these toddlers enter the workforce.
     
    Last edited: Jan 26, 2025
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