I need advice

Sit on it till your 21. If you can find a towing job with a medium duty wrecker (that will require TONS of luck) you need your class A. I'm in the same boat. Towing is a good way to make some money and learn about big trucks. No major company will hire you till you are 21. Most companies will not let you drive a class A truck till you have 2-3 years of exp. You could also try and find a dump truck, or concrete mixer. Paving companies always seem to need drivers. Unfortunately you will NOT be driving a class A truck for a while.

 

and sadly, when he turns 21, he will have to go back to school

he should have NOT went to school this young....

 

You can not drive out of the state of Maine until your 21 years old. Some carriers even require you to be 23 or 25.

Don't take the advise about sitting on your lisence posted above. Go find yourself a logging outfit, cunstruction outfit, or some local daycab carrier. That way you'll get some experience & some income.

 

If there's any LTL companies in your area, try to get a job on the dock working the freight with a towmotor.
Most LTL's will work you part-time about 25 hours a week.
You can then become an apprentice driver at age 21 where they will train you to drive + pay for your CDL and all endorsements.
You will carry your company seniority over from dock to city/road.
The key at these places is to start young and build your seniority up over time.
Conway, FedEx, Dayton, Old Domnion, R&L....all have such dock-to-driver programs in place.
I know alot of guys who have gone this route.

 

That's it right there. Get out and find your job. Start driving to all areas where you see trucks and go in and talk with them. You never know unless you try. If you sit and wait you've just wasted your money and time. You might find a small owner that started just like you're trying to do and gives you a shot. I'd do that until I went to all the companies in my area. You might want to stay away from the bigger companies that run OTR but there's plenty of companies that run within your state. It's just up to you to go and find them. You can use the computer for listings but don't apply over the net. Go and see them.