Considering CDL school, from Miami FL, some questions

Don't worry about fumes; trucks aren't allowed to idle while backed into a dock.
~
Apply directly to the FedEx terminal in person. Some terminals have driver trainee programs. We see these ads often.
~
Most local jobs are labor intensive. In many cases, they're delivering freight to local customers that OTR drivers brought into the area.
~
Florida Beauty Express in Miami runs teams to California every week. Maybe still has the benefit of "take a much time off as you want between trips."
This company hires new cdl school grads.
Drivers say they make $1200 - $1500 weekly.

 

Florida Beauty - Floral Transportation Distribution ...
https://floridabeauty.com

 

Old Dominion Freight Line has terminal in Medley, FL
This company hires new cdl school grads. with all the endorsements.
Address: 12500 NW 107th Ave, Medley, FL 33178
~
.

 

If you know to pick a high spot in any truckstop to park where possible you avoid the collection of gases in the lower area when there is no wind at night. You also become aware of the wind direction constantly in case of a hazmat alarm such as Ammonia leak in cold storage. That knowledge will save your life. Idling etc in the old days has been cleaned up more or less. However if you are sensitive to fuel related issues, you cannot avoid being in touch with it. If you get bad sick from fuel and are unable to put away 650 miles in 11 hours that day then you are going to be eliminated from the industry for being late or constantly sick. This is no place for being sick (Even though that is more common than you think, without treatment in many cases. Example burn out a 104 fever in 4 days waiting for it to break. When it breaks its time to hydrate, eat and rest another day then get going, they have been patient long enough.)

Regarding turnover. Its not so much the quitting but the firings, dismissals and so on. There is a very dangerous time in the first 12 months for all newbie truckers in the USA. Scrape something, run over someone or dent a car or 20 or whatever whoops gets you eliminated from the industry relatively quickly. Particularly if you constantly engage in damage. There is no tolerance depending on the situation.

One company I was number 226 or so and 6 months later I was in the mid 30's out of 235 drivers. Those above me were assured of senority and tenure (No such exists...) and the rest were all replacements for those dismissed, fired etc.

You are going to be horrified at the semi neglect and abuse as well as the wasted motion by 100 chiefs pulling your strings. The days of the captain of the ship is long gone. You sit in a gilded cage of enforcement. By itself trucking suits a certain minority who will make it 5, 10, 20 or more years. But for every one there are probably a hundred or more replacements who do not make it that far.

Trucking sometimes lead to death, maiming, disability, prison or other troubles. When I attended truck school in the 80's one instructor told us we are good for about 35 years with the expectation that our spines and so on will fail in the mid 50's Well mine failed among other problems in the mid 40's long ago. Doctors do what they can to replace joints when necessary and other surgeries for eyes and so on. Its never ending in my world. fix fix fix fix. Some of these wonderful medical advances did not exist in 1980.

Finally but not least. Pot. The states make it legal. Trucking is Federal. Therefore Pot is schedule one and automatically ILLEGAL against truckers caught with pot in their systems. A new clearinghouse which is a mirrior of internal CDLIS used by many companies will eliminate or has eliminated at my last count 3000+ drivers by Feb first week pernamently from the industry for pot and other offenses. Because they have now hot positives in this database at the federal govt level they are going to find a great deal of exclusions from other wise very profitable industries. May even have to go to fast food and say you want fries with that? Or become a expat and take up else where in the world after renouncing US Citizenship etc.

Trucking is not all bad. The USA runs on trucks. However there are many good things, and some bad things in this industry. Forget the idea of Career and job security. Forget the respect you might get from others, you don't. Forget many things when it's -55, 50 mph winds and 1 feet of snow under ice in the night creating problems with you and your tractor trailer and it's load that has to be somewhere regardless of that weather year round. Or the possibility of other problems in the summer. Once my AC burned up in the night and at sunrise the air temp outside was close to 100 and the internal temp inside my cab and sleeper was approaching 160F I lost a day hydrating carefully on 5 gallons of tea to be sure that my body regains it's fluid functions and be somewhere safe where someone can call for help if I fell off that stool while hydrating. It did not help that the AC was on recirculating through the night, it simply make that cab a oven roast of me.

Anything is possible on good days and bad. Whatever you do, take the time and trouble to learn manual shifting. It is NOT like a car shift at all. Completely different animal. The benefit to that is you pass the State DMV test with a manual transmission tractor trailer, you will not be slapped with a auto only restriction.

Finally but not last. Your DOT Medical is tied to your CDL in life. Forget to renew in time? The state you call home will downgrade you to a car license and you probably will have to do everything all over again. If you take any medicine clear it with the DOT doctor first. There is a range of medicines NOT allowed and certainly NOT tolerated in trucking.

Write this on your heart: COMPANIES HAVE NO RIGHT TO HOLD your CDL Medical. They may stamp such cards, forms etc "Company property" thats just BS. Maybe try to charge you 300 dollars and so on. Tell them no. as in horsehit no. Only your State DMV, Federal Govt in DOT, FMCSA etc has the right to control your ability to hold a CDL and DOT medical.

I hope you can physically work. If you pull into some place and they tell you that you have 550 100 pound average boxes of meat to remove from your own trailer with your two hands... remember the spine lesson in school. Be careful with it. And hurry up, you are late already and people are waiting on you. (About 48000 plus pounds in a few hours)

You will find a increasing amount of regulating. In the past I can take trailer of alcohol to seagrams in bottles and not worry about it much other than a alcohol permit from the Baltimore port to seagrams dock. Drop it and go away. In the near future you will discover that driving that many liquid filled bottles make you a tanker truck. You will be required to have a tanker endorsement to go with that load. Its very possible.

You also will have to deal with regulations for and against trucking all over the place. GPS is not. (those are nice, but your mind, paper maps and pencil is best) books on low clearance bridges, weights, scales, inspections, traffiking and on and on and on. One would wonder why in the world are there truckers? Don't. Just give thanks that there are some who will put up with that and more.

 

Can't pass a DOT physical if you admit using Chantix, which is used to quit smoking.
Chantix causes drowsiness and crazy dreams.
~

 

FedEx might hire you the day you graduate; stay in touch and keep your application up to date.
Tell the hiring manager you'll take whatever is offered until a tractor-trailer position is available.
This way, your seniority is building.
~
If FedEx says you must wait awhile; go with Florida Beauty Express and make real good money. You can be home 2 or 3 days a week or even more if they still have that policy of "take as much time off as you want between trips."

 

You took my post out of context; I was trying to help you make some money while waiting to be hired by FedEx. Can't always start out on top of the game.
Try reading my post again without the chip on your shoulder or just move on and someone else can try to help.