Everyone wants free training in the trucking industry.

Thank you for your reply.

I am 25 but only have 1 year real working experience and other useless diplomas which have nothing to do with trucking.

How do you think schools with PTDI-Certified or CVTA are better choices? I am currently thinking about New England Tractor Trailer Training School because they are CVTA member and located closest to me.

 

Honestly I don't know about the certifications. When I got my CDL 8 years ago no one cared about any accreditation. All they cared about is if it was a 160 hour course.
I don't know if that's changed or not.
The 1 year may may it a bit tougher to get a job, but I was not exaggerating when I said there are thousands of companies out there. You will find someone. There ae posters here that can give you a list of companies to apply for when you do decide to go to school.

 

You must expect a period of joblessness out of trucking school with your own CDL in the pocket. The bottom feeding megas take big advantage of this.

The other side of the coin is to for example as a nurse if you had a crazy doc saying to stick say 5000 cc's of Thorazine into a disruptive patient in great distress you would refuse. And stand on it right? (My example is ludicrous but it's just a scenario problem)

It's the same if you had whom you thought was a little nutty in dispatch telling you to be in neverland faraway city by 8 tonight which you are aware from your trip planning and checking against HOS availible that is not possible you have to stand and say not tonight it aint. Need a new appt time or give it to a team who can try it. Most newbies will chirp ok, and go thinking tralala they are working then get into trouble and wonder what the problem is when they get there at 2 am late with a angry customer.

Even in the most busy ICU or surgical ward, there is a form of order. In trucking... chaos is king. It would fall to you to essentially drive a 40 ton 18 wheeler with a expensive load through the chaos imposed by our sometimes stupid population around the USA as they run down the road thinking only for themselves. Multiply that by 100,000 trying to get to the city at 8 am to work.. you have a problem.

When I went to school I was working on the road with a local bulk company pretty much as soon I had wheels. Bought a 300 dollar ford V8 and was rolling after passing inspection and tags etc. Then I was running with a trainer the following week. Things were looking up. Made too much money did not know what to do with it all. That was one problem. The other became a suit who demanded the impossible at his plant and I did about 10K in damage trying to make him happy. (Even worse foul mood ...) Thinking back on those days I would have told suit to wait a hour and be patient. Nothing is going to happen just because you yell, scream and demand. Be quiet and happy a while we will get this done sooner or later with no damage. Which is it?

Suits don't like that talk back, but sometimes you have to tell em or teach em rather what for.

Trucking is mindless for hours filled with boredom. Then there are that one or two moments of OMFG as you horse her out of line hoping you don't hit anything. While your satellite comms fill with questions from a alerted safety intent on punishing you for imposing such forces against your tractor trailer. You will find alot of trucking is frivolous.

I reduce it to one sentence. "Here is the load, Atlanta in the morning at 7 with apples, get going yer late already."

If you knew nothing about Atlanta, well.... it's time you learn. FAST.

 

The reason I asked about the certifications is that I saw they are required or preferred in some companies' web, maybe some changes happened in these years.

I will look into as many related posters as I can, thank you for your info!

 

Certificates are either useful to someone who requires it or are jewelry to those who do not.

One issue I ran into several times particularly in the Yankee employers of smaller class B trucks was that I was over qualified. (Unspoken reason, hearing impairment etc) I learned to eliminate such trucking hiring problems by leaving Maryland entirely. Came to Arkansas to build a future. Luckily employers here gave me the exact same jobs in a short time without squawking about stupid stuff like over qualified. They want a driver and don't care as long you have the license to do it. That was a very good thing.

 

Thank you for saying so much to me, I am trying to understand all of it. Please allow me be a little late to reply because English is not my first language.

 

There is no rush. Im here pretty often and no English is not my first either. They taught me Sign Language on the old English Galludet model of about the 1700's era and then taught me English by voice which was 4 years of sheer memorization of thousands of words. There is a third language, American Sign Language based on Chinese syntax and you can condense all the old English crap, toss out the unnecessary stuff and in a few moments convey exactly what needs to be said. (With my luck, I have some difficulty with it...)

 

Thank you for sharing your stores, now I can say that I understand what you were saying. Joblessness is something people have to face with otherwise they will end up some bottom feeding companies and start to suffering many harsh work, just like Atlanta to New York in such short time. Reading your stores carefully and finally figure them out is a great experience, I like them

 

So from your perspective, is it a better choice for me to leave East Coast(where I currently live) and seek job in the middle of the US? If that's would be easier to be start I will try this way.

 

I never know that American sigh language is based on Chinese syntax, sounds like I should try it, I am a native Chinese speaker lol.