Going to start CDL school soon, need some advice

Not my music liking, but you get the point. Reefer driving at night.

 

Yes you will and it will make you more valuable. And I’m going to shed some light on companies hiring below. I4. I would look at Swift, Abilene motor express, windy Hill, Melton. Add Cypress Truck lines.

A lot of the companies train solo for your first 50 or so hours and then team driving for the rest of your training. Call up the companies and ask which schools they hire out of. One of the companies that hires in Florida is DAVIS. Call them up and see which schools they hire out of.

 

Tanker endorsement, but don't need hazmat.
No Tanker Experience Required – We haul products such as juice, milk, cream and everything in between. Haul wine loads out of California.

 

Yeah, that 18 yrs. was OTR reefer driving. Lots of night driving; just me and the night and some soft music.

 

Armellini Express and Florida Beauty both hire out of Florida. They are based there. Also Melton Truck Lines and Stevens Transport.

 

@nextgentrucker
If you have the tenacity for it, tankers is the way to go, and here’s why….
Tankers are more insulated from market ups and downs, the pay is generally better than any other mode of trucking, and once you’ve got your first year or two under your belt, you’re one of the most desirable drivers on the road.
You’ll need your X endorsement, which is tank and hazmat, and i suggest getting doubles and triples while you’re at it.
Again, the objective is to make you desirable to potential employers and get you the best money available.
Having these in hand at graduation is like a license to print money.
Start applying halfway through school.
Research companies near you, and apply to every single one, regardless of whether they accept grads or not.
You’ll be very surprised at how many will take a grad but won’t advertise it.
Example- i applied to 15 companies while in school, and received 11 offers.
I went tanker straight outta school.
I wouldn’t change a thing either.
And unless something catastrophic happens, I’ll likely retire from this company when that time comes.
Tankers isn’t for the weak minded or faint of heart. It’s a thinking man’s game.
You have to be able to see well ahead and prepare yourself and your equipment for turns, stopping, and avoiding things.
Being gentle behind the wheel will keep you out of trouble most of the time.
Smooth and easy is the only way to run.
You’ll have minimal wait times at pickup and delivery, and often that’s no wait at all.
Good luck in school.

 

OP, I don’t mean to hijack your thread, but we’re in similar (dire) straights. I just graduated a college accredited 160hr school here in central Florida below I-4 and I’ve applied to:
Melton
Maverick
TMC
Swift
Knight
May
National
Prime
CR England
Freymiller
Roehl
Leonard’s Express
Magnum
Covenant

…And many others. I’m a 20 year military vet coming out of retirement (I'm in my early 40s) to start a new career in OTR. I’m still fit and healthy, no criminal record, no family, one speeding ticket (9 over) 4 years ago, have all my endorsements - (leaning towards flat bedding, but hope to go cryo one day) and I might as well be the Black Plague.

No teams (after training) and no local food service are my only bugaboos. You probably shouldn’t be asking which companies will best serve you; instead you should be preparing to throw a dart in a map of the Midwest to move when you’re done with school.

If you DO have a buddy in a tax friendly state, great - but in my journey so far, carriers want your “domicile” to match your CDL address within 30 days of employment. And spoofing it with a UPS box will likely bring up some more issues with the DMV.

The wizened helpers on this forum are a treasure. I’ve been lurking for a couple months absorbing nuggets of their vast knowledge; but how things are out there right now and thanks to our blacklisted zip codes, we’re persona non grata.

Good Luck driver!