Future driver here in a weird but maybe unique postion, need advice

Greetings Truckers,

First of all, thank every single one of you for your service and commitment to keep America (or wherever you are located) moving. I also want to thank anyone in advanced who responds as it seems these forums have quite a few industry geniuses lurking around.

The questions here might be all over the place, it's sort of hard for me to word all of this, so i apologize for that in advanced. I was going to write a TLDR, but in my situation it seems a bit to hard to type in summary form.

Let's get into my situation:
I'm currently 22, located in Buffalo, NY, and im about a year into the trucking industry already (I'm a lead washbay tech in a Kosher/JPA Tanker washout)

I know I want to go get my CDL, and most likely drive Food grade tankers after getting my CDL and tanker endorsement.(But im not oppossed to driving reefer or even flatbed, I wouldnt mind the extra labor that comes with flatbed)

I know I have a somewhat easy in to drive for the company I already work for, but I have a few issues:

1. I know that once I get my CDL, me and the girlfriend want to move down south. Should I hold off on attaining my permit, attending school and move first? Since the regulations changed in Febuary, is there anything that changed with transferring CDLs out of state, especially for new drivers?

2. The equipment my current company has is... well, not good at all. & That's coming from someone who doesn't have to do a single repair outside of pump seals.. (lol) It's very outdated and breaking alot. Our trailers are not in good shape, and It's the same with our tractors. The 2 or 3 newest drivers we hired are definitely driving tractors that are bound to get absolutely wrecked by DOT at any moment, same with alot of our trailers. Also, my yard currently doesn't have a mechanic. (Literally) Our drivers have to take it to our headquarters shop about an hour away, unless something major happens they will have a mechanic from over there come to us.

3. Our 'Director of Logistics' and our Dispatcher are always screwing drivers left and right. Since the director started, we've had a decent amount of drivers walk strictly because of her. (Side note: We're a smaller company in terms of this industry, I dont know the exact number of drivers we have, probably about 13 or so out of the yard i work at, and another 10 or so at our 'corporate headquarters') The directors "husband" is currently doing the driver payroll, and in the last month or so he's been doing it, I have constantly heard drivers being absolutely screwed out of pay. He's one of those "Why are the drivers getting paid for this" "I'm going to save the company money" "Did that driver really need to leave on Sunday?" Type of guy..

Am i wrong to think that I'm in a weird, but yet unique position as someone who's about to start driving? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I don't necesarrily mind working in the washbay, I meet alot of awesome people and the work is relatively easy for what I'm paid. But, I absolutely do not like knowing I'm working a dead end job, and I definitely do not like the trajectory of the way the company is headed. I know I want to get out of the washbay and hop in a truck, but is staying in NY for an extra couple of months, going to school here, and dealing with the BS that I know i'm going to encounter worth it?


Essentially what I'm getting at, is, do i deal with the BS I see because i know that as soon as i get a CDL in my hand I can double, if not tripple my pay without even switching who signs my checks while gaining (some) expierence before I make the move? Or do I hold off on getting my permit up here & attending school, make the move first and go from there?

Again, I apologize for how all over the place this may seem, and if you guys need any more specific information about my current company, position, etc, feel free to ask or (preferably) send a PM. I really appreciate any advice. I've explained my situation to a variety of drivers I encounter.(It's much easier verbally, lol) Both inside the company i work for and the mega carriers we wash out and it seems to be split pretty 50/50, with some good and some bad coming from both sides.

All replies are greatly appreciated, thank you guys.

 

I think I would get my cdl first and then move.

 

First off good luck with the new new career.

How soon do you plan on moving? Im not sure about regulations about transferring cdl's. But hopefully someone can help with that.

Your cdl is your livelihood, and should be protected. I 100% wouldn't work for a company that i know there equipment cant pass inspections. It doesnt sound like a good company to work for at all. If you talk to drivers getting wash outs. Probably be a good idea to ask if their company hires new drivers.

 

Thanks for the wishes! We are planning on sometime around the 1st of the year. (give or take a month in either direction) I talk to a good majoirty of the drivers that come through, depending on how busy the bays are specifically. The one mega we wash out for, i talk to there drivers more frequently then others and I know they require at least a year (it might even be 2) of exp. I don't know why I didn't think of asking other companies, especially the smaller ones with nicer equipment. (Lol)

Really appreciate the replies @Hawkeye72 & @austinmike!

 

I would hold off. To be honest your current company is going to give you a bad initial experience and chase you off from the sounds of it. Second you will have to transfer your CDL to the new state you move to anyway. May as well save some $$. Another is testing methods are different. From what I have heard some Northern States require parallel backing where as down here you do not.

As far as Megas. Schneider so far is best bet from my research when I got mine. They are very big on safety ( much to the chagrin of the cell phone generations) and if you go through their C.A.T ( CDL Apprenticeship Program) they only ask 9 mos. for the cost. Pay isn't up to industry average but it will open up a lot of doors down the road for you after that 9 mos. With the advantage as any mega- you get into a type of trucking you may not like you have options to transfer to different modes and keep benefits earned staying in same company. Another added benefit is a high amount of their equipment is newer and ....with my experience, if you have any issues, especially safety wise, they will be quick to repair them.

 

FYI, while you can transfer a CDL from one state to another, you can't transfer a learner's permit. I originally obtained my learner's permit in Florida. Soon afterward, and before I got my CDL itself, I moved back to Arizona. I had to retake the tests in Arizona and get a 'new learner's permit. They wouldn't transfer the learner's permit from Florida. They did accept the physical. I didn't have to get a new one.
Just so you know when figuring out your options.

 

Thanks for the insight! I should have included this in the orginal post, but I do plan on paying for school myself. However, I'm not opposed to an apprenticeship type thing either especially because it would save me alot of money. 9 months isn't too bad, especially because i've learned that time flies in this industry. I would ideally like to stay local or regional, OTR doesn't seem to appealing to me. Really appreicate the reply @Munch75

Thank you @Six9GS

 

9 mos is a sneeze of time especially while learning. It will pass before you know it. Get where you are going to move and settle in. Then start looking at job offerings in that area. And narrow it down from there. Where you move to will be the biggest factor for you.

 

In Texas, you'll have to do a straight back, offset(left or right), and parallel (blind or sight side)

 

I wouldn’t make any moves until you have a year or two worth of experience under your belt. Your employment options will be severely limited when you first start. You don't want to deal with that in another state 1000 miles from home.

As for a first company, you're going to have to take whoever is willing to take a chance on a newb who will no doubt damage their equipment and cause their insurance rates to rise...that's you, my friend. Plus these smaller local outfits are far less likely to screw your record and you than the megas will. The megas get off on ruining careers.

Try to look at the beat up older equipment as a bonus instead of a negative. Do you think it's a good idea to put a 15 year old kid behind the wheel of a $100,000 car? Highly unlikely. They should be learning on a beater POS because mistakes will happen. It's part of learning.

Try to do as much as you can on your own. Getting into bed with a company makes you an indentured servant and they will treat you accordingly.

Stay put, learn and then move on to greener pastures.