getting my CDL on my own

First of all if you're only 18 it'll be a few years before you can run interstate so none of the major carriers will hire you anyway .
The good thing is you are in TX and have plenty of opportunity . In TX you don't even need intrastate authority if you stay under 26,000 lbs GCWR .
There's quite a bit of hotshot work in TX . Go for your CDL but you don't need it to truck and make money . I know a hotshotter that started out with a 1 ton Ford . He thought he was missing out on too many heavier loads so he bought a Chevy 4500 . He has done well with that and so has his son who also bought another Chevy 4500 . They couldn't keep up with loads from base customers so they put another son on the F350 . Last year the F350 made several thousand more than either of the 4500's .

 

Got your PM, thanks! and ya ive severely considered hotshottin myself, but the only thing about hotshottin is your totally on your own! you got to git your own customer base, authority, etc... and i was wantin to lease on to a carrier for afew years to really git a feel for the industry before i jump in over my head! and yes, i know i gotta be 21 before i can go OTR or git on with a major carrier, but if i could lease on to another hotshotter, and run intra-state, id definiately go the hotshottin route! that way id also have 2-3 yrs of drivin under my belt by the time i was 21!

 

oh, and RickG, pertainin to the link you sent me, do i have to join before i can access the message board? cause i whent to that website and it wouldnt let me access anything!

(ida sent this via PM but it says i got to have 50 posts before itll let me send any PMs)

 

You asked about a major carrier and the answer is probably not. You should just call the ones you are interested in and ask. Some require a 120-160 hour school or they will make you sign up for their school. Some only accept from certain schools.

Same with the DMV. Call them and ask which offices are set up for CDL testing. You can probably take the written exams anywhere, but the skills tests are a different story.

It sounds like maybe with your Dad's connections you could get a local job to get some (verifiable) experience under your belt before you tackle OTR.

Good luck with whatever you decide to do.

 

I would go for it , that is how I got my CDL, I too grew up around trucks and I never went to a school, you have an advantage over a lot of people getting into trucking because of your dad you have a good knowledge of the busines so you know what you are getting into, and you are young, so you have nothing to lose

Don't bother with those major carriers, at your age I would try try smaller local carriers or what RickG suggested which is something probably not a lot of people think about but it is a good option for you, at your your age you could probably look for places that need yard jockeys, that is how I got my start when I was your age, anything to get some experience, I know some people say that these kinds of jobs are not good experience if you want to go OTR but I say any experience is good experience,

Good luck to you and let us know how you make out

 

hhmmm... so you think local truckin is better overall then OTR? ive always been told if ya wanna survive in truckin you gotta go OTR, ive really pondered hotshottin down here in south Texas but i dunno if there would be enough work to keep me afloat, and plus being a hotshot id have to provide everything i need, authority and all! im gunna do somemore resarch on hottshottin, and local/intra-state carriers, and hopefully git rollin here soon! i sure do appreciate all of yalls help and guidance! 'precciate it!

 

OTR is fine if that is what you want to do, but don't by into the myth that it is the only way to make money, there are some very well paying local and regional jobs

 

dj, im in south fla, screw paying all that money ,if you can read,and comprehend what you read you can pass the written test, i found a comunity collage that for the road test ,used their truck and did the pretrip for $350 bucks and the lic cost $65,,,,,so for $415 bucks in had my lic,,,,,,and saved 6grand lol,,,but where i didnt get grandfatherd in way back when i had to go thru it again,and i have past exspirence in trucking,,,,so the pre trip for me was easy,from what iv read you should look into the hot shot ing,,,,,bulid your money get you time in the seat and buy all means keep your lic clean

 

Thats how i got my CDL in New York, But that was 14 years ago. took the written test and got my learners permit, them used a friends old mack for the road test.

 

Yep! thats exactly what i plan on doin! i sure hope theyll let me do it that way as well!