Considering CDL, what’s the best path for a job with no exp?

I met a driver one time that had been living in the truck for 7 years. He was a real upbeat driver and very positive. He said he was banking most of his paycheck and planning on a relaxed retirement. He acquired an address at an RV park in a state that has no personal income taxes. He didn't have an RV there, just used the address of the office. The office kept his mail for him.

 

The easiest state to get a legal address for your cdl is South Dakota. No state income taxes and you don't have to rent or buy a home. Many drivers use South Dakota as their legal address. You only have to spend one 24 hour period in the state each year to keep the address.

 

Think outside the box:

JBS Carriers -- San Diego, CA -- new driver training pgm available

This kind of opportunity is probably available more often than not. Better pay here, than many other starter jobs.

-- L

 

Sit down and decide what kind of driving you want. (Local, regional, Over The Road OTR).
Decide how how you need to get home. (Daily, weekend, every few weekends but be home longer)
Decide how much money you need to bring home per week.
Do you want medical benefits that are great, ok, cheap.
How far are you willing to commute to start/end a work period (day, week, month)
Do you want to visit/avoid certain parts of the country?
Ask any other questions you think will contribute to a good/bad work experience.

The recruiter IS NOT a reliable source of company info. They may know nothing about the company but driver requirements & company phone number. Imagine Army recruiter telling a walk-in "you can sleep as late as you like on the weekends during Basic training." It carries no weight with your Drill Sergeant.

Make the potential company pass your info to a current working driver in the same division for which you will be hired. Ask those drivers all of your questions & compare the answers. Don't ask "do you make good money?" Ask "how much did you make last week?" "How many miles did you drive last week?" What is the frequency of home-time?" Etc.

If you use an online only effort to pick an employer, you will be out of the industry quickly and STILL OWE MONEY FOR SCHOOL, EVEN "FREE SCHOOL".

 

Almost every trucking company that hires newbies puts them in a truck with a trainer for 1-2 months of supervised training. That's where you learn the 95% of CDL driving the CDL school doesn't teach. NOBODY comes out of ANY CDL school ready to drive solo.

Lots of drivers will say just work anywhere. I say DON'T apply to any compa y you won't stay for 1 year. Lots of employers in a short time makes you seem like a risky applicant.

Lot's if research narrows your choices to a few companies that match your needs. If your needs are mostly met, you can stay for a year and know a lot better where you should work next, and stay there longer.

 

Stay out of the industry until you finish most of your research. Hiring onto a bad company, or one that is not a good fit can lead to lots of problems.

Some good companies have "free school" and some bad companies have "free school". The job is the focus, not the school. If you don't complete 12 months of work, or X number of paid miles, and you leave you may owe lots of money for the "free school".

The industry is SLOW. Every CDL school will ALWAYS say now is the time to start school, just like every barber thinks you could use a haircut. You are the only one looking out for your interest.

 

And have a backup plan. If you have a mishap and get fired, it'll be very difficult to get hired again. Trucking is very unforgiving.

 

Good for you, keep more of your paycheck.