Got my CDL but couldn't use it

It really just depends....

• What city/state will you return to -- when you come back state-side
• What the CDL job market is (or isn’t) upon your return
• When will you plan to be back

Do take your time coming back.

In many areas -- the CDL job market is basically now in the toilet -- & especially for new CDL holders...& those with little/no experience.

I got my first CDL job almost 2 years after I acquired a CDL -- but that was back when the CDL job market was much better than now.

-- L

 

Some carriers that take new drivers....&/or offer a refresher regimen...they may or may not be doing so upon your return (& also, your location at that time):

• Paschall Truck Lines
• KLLM
• FFE

Those last 2 above are "sister" companies -- of each other.

-- L

 

Western Express might take you.
Hires drivers with criminal records.
This website has been updated this year, 2025, so the information should be good.
Western Express | Where Drive Meets Opportunity
"Whether you’re a seasoned professional, starting your journey with a new CDL-A, or returning after some time away, we have something for you."

 

It varies company to company. It would be foolish to pay for a refresher course until some employer tells you "we will hire you if you go to that school and complete that course." There is no one way to get hired at any company. Each company has certain things they want and you cannot guess what that might be until you talk to that company, at the time you want to get hired. Just as you paid for CDL school before you should have, and it was unusable, you could easily repeat that pattern by going to any convenient refresher course and only later finding the employer.

When you look for an employer ask the current working drivers at that company all of the question you need answered. 99.99% of newbies are more afraid of making a phone call than of setting fire to thousands of dollars. They try to do everything online or interpret online guesses as carved in stone by the God of the universe. Don't do that. If a job isn't worth you spending time talking to current working drivers at ABC Trucking, for example, to find out don't bother trying to use your CDL.

 

Western Express headquarters is in Nashville, TN and has a huge terminal there.
Maybe someone there can help you get a Tennessee address. No state income taxes in Tennessee, so you can keep more of your paycheck.

 

Yeah Google does manipulate search results, that's why I am begging you from my knees to NOT make this an online only search. Just because using the internet is easier than calling trucking companies does NOT mean it is a good use of your time. It's like someone who drops their keys on a dark street at night looking for their keys under the street light at the end of the block and not around their car, because it's easier to see under the street light. Put your effort into what gives you good info, EVEN IF it is more work than typing on a keyboard or your phone screen.

First, use another search engine like DuckDuckGo or your favorite.
Second, maybe use Google Maps for trucking companies in a target city. Get the phone numbers of those companies and call those companies.
Third, use the trucking company web site, if they have one, just to get phone number/address and either call the company and ask for job details or visit and ask your questions.

I don't know how old you are but in the last 5 years I have noticed people in their 20s and early 30s seem to be convinced the world will blow up if they call a stranger on the phone and try to have a conversation instead of just texting "u up".

 

I use DuckDuckGo most of the time. Seems less bias on that one.