Future career or dead end.

whether you can drive for a big company or not, i thik its a GREAT idea that you get your CDL sooner (next year you said) rather than later.......... since you're in southern cal........

Little known fact: Moving companies are a GREAT way to get your CDL for FREE!

 

A lot of people here who think their ##### doesn't stink. If nothing else, find a company that self-insures to drive for.

 

chorizo992 , get your CDL license , if all else fails , try looking at beverage companies like Pepsi , Coke , or the beer companies. They hire just out of school and it may give you a leg-up later on. Its hard work , but it may get your foot in the door. Food service is also another choice, though its a hands-on job like beer companies too. Get all of the endorsements you can to start with too that will help if you decide to go the gas/fuel hauling route......................... Good luck...

 

I know exactly where you were going with that homeboy. I don't think anybody here tried to act tough behind a computer. Myself included, we're all just concerned drivers who'd rather not share the road with a rolling hazard. I'm assuming you're la raza, so I'm gonna speak some reality to you vato II vato; The simple fact is you probably shouldn't consider a career in trucking. Plenty of people aren't cut out for the job or the lifestyle. I barely just started OTR and I'm already seeing that with local experience and plenty of years of safe driving under my belt, I may not even be cut out for it long term. I understand what it's like to grow up in a rough neighborhood where the options are limited ese, trust me. I'm from east side oxnard colonia chiques, and you're from compton. All you want to do is provide for your family and make money in a legitimate fashion, I get that. But there are other avenues you can explore too. Looking back on it, I wouldnt have never even started working local three years ago. I was young enough at the time to do job corp or even the military, but I chose class B training because all I heard people talk about was how well commerical driving paid. My homeboy dreamer went to JC and got his culinary degree, now he manages the kitchen operations for a couple applebees in the high dessert. Fool makes more money than I do, throws on a fresh press every day, and sees his kids on the daily. Me, well, my class B didn't earn me nada so I'm struggling to get my own A truck with a terrible company making next to nothing. I forgot when my son looks like ese, real talk. You can read this #### and ignore it, I would have at 21 too. But all I'm saying is there's more to life than just trucking to escape the varrio...

 

look man im 19 turning 20 and i have my CDL-A from what i have learned and heard is first are you of age to be even on the companies insurance, 2nd is your driving record clean then its how much experience do you have so bad MVR and no experience equals no job 90% of the time it sucks especially at my age where 90% of insurances require you to be 21 or higher trust me these vets of the road are not busting your balls in anyway so as much as it may suck waiting 11 years do it because if you go in after say 5 years and it still shows up count that company out because they know your driving history now and last but not least driving a big rig aint no ######## it is very stressful and if you dont pay attention to every little detail around you and you #### up say good bye to your driving career companies love money so 99% of the time if you make them spend more then they have to your history- JR,NH

 

This is a dead end job and you are guaranteed to fail. The odds are a 1,000 to one against you. Sooner or later (sooner if you're lucky) you will have a wreck and get fired then you'll be 40 years old, fat, divorced, broke, no house (she got it), no kids (they like her because you were never there), with no job and not qualified to do anything else except be a dispatcher.

You're what 21? What have you done since HS? Go to school, get an education, get a trade and then you'll have a chance at a career. Work 30 years, get married have kids put some money away for their education, retire at 52-55 THEN drive a truck.

Whatever you do, do NOT bank on a career in trucking. You may as well kill someone at least you'll be free in 20 years with about the same job prospects.

 

You didn't have any major accidents, at least from what you described. Many companies hire at 21 also. Get your CDL and get started. As one poster said, start with some moving companies, maybe as a helper, but don't quit. Make it your goal to succeed and eventually get on with a good sized carrier with good benefits & 401K package. Many different opinions on this, but that's my take on it.

Check the yellow pages & online for moving companies and their agents also.

 

How bad do You want it? You want to be defeated? Just give up. I scraped dumpsters starting out. Didn't know anything about a jail. No trucking schools back then. How bad do You want it.

 

4 nice little walls, tons of Post its. 3 Telephones, a keyboard. Or this truck. I see a screen, or a sky. Didn't take long to figure it out.