First things first, I live in San Diego, ca and I turn 21 in June 2013. My goal is to eventually get on with a linehaul/ltl. Ompany, eventually. So the plan is to go to cdl school in January and have my cdl 4 weeks later, the beginning of February. I will then pound the pavement to every single local company and hopefully find something. And then when I turn 21 I'd hit all of the ltl companies. But if i don't find cdl work by June then I would go to one of the otr companies and get 6 mo-1yr in. What is everyone's advice? And will Feb to June be to long of a gap to have my cdl with no work?
Don't think so , mainly b/c you will have not been working in the industry yet. You might run into a few road-blocks with the local companies b/c of your inexperience and age..but don't let that discourage you in your efforts...keep plugging away at em. If by your birthday you haven't found work then the idea of trying the OTR guys would be a good choice. Good luck!
drivers with a fresh cdl usually get a road test to see if you can drive a truck. in utah. no one will hire if you don't have at least 6 months driving experience. and those companies sold themselves. so basically you need 2 years driving to get a job in utah. don't know about cali companies.
You should go right now and apply for a dock position. You get on the dock and you will be driving when someone is sick or extra work. Get your foot in the door and you will be first choice for when a driver is needed or hired in to a position.
There's no government regulation that requires refresher courses. Refreshers are money makers for private companies and the CDL mills they employ. Not only do they get your money (about 1250), but the goverment breaks em off a piece from the cheese wheel too, even if you've taken the course before. Most starter companies will require a refresher after one year of inactivity over the road, but that is NOT a DOT requirement. Swift has no refresher requirement, provided you have a valid CDL, can pass their simple road test, and agree to 240 hours with a mentor. Good luck...
You definitely don't want a large gap between driving school and your first training company . Your skills need to be fresh "in your mind" . If not for yourself, at least for the safety of others . A dock position as stated above, would also be an idea to pursue, Jobs are hard to come by in that area , Good luck to you .
Two ideas for you : #1 - Use Craigslist and Careerbuilder to see whats available with LTL/linehaul in your area. Both are very good websites for this purpose. #2 - Call a good OTR company and ask if they accept graduates from the school you plan to attend. One I can think of has a terminal in Chino. Navajo.com (They accept recent graduates from some schools & 21 yr. olds) Some LTL/linehaul and grocery companies will accept recent CDL school graduates; this is fact.
Conway Freight has many student driver positions out of SoCal. Not sure if San Diego, but you might wanna try them. You can always transfer back to San Diego after a bit.
