I need some advice... recent CDL grad

When I went to school for my cdl...I became friendly with one of the instructors and told me that the school is there just to hget your cdl....nothing more nothing less .....hey Atleast he was honest...

 

The first question: is this really what you want to do and do you think you are cut out for it ? This isn't the job for everybody. Truckers work long hours and sometimes weeks without a day off. No respect either. Snow, ice, wind. It's not the greatest job. To a large extent , you're on your own. Go down a narrow street or get lost in a big city, and it's up to you to find your way out . And the motorists around you aren't gonna make your life easy either. So , if you think you can handle the stress and you think you have the ability to learn this job , go for it . Nobody is a great driver, or a great trailer backer in the beginning. It just takes time. The more you do it , the better you get. Your best bet may be going to whatever big company that will hire you. If you once get on the road, you will learn plenty from just doing. School just teach's the basics. The majority of the learning is out in the real world of tricking. When I was a teenager, I bought a motorcycle. I didn't know how to ride it, but I figured if others can do it, so can I. I rode around the house once or twice and then went out on the road. There are plenty of people trucking. You should be able to also. And don't get stressed. It doesn't serve any useful purpose. Stay cool, man. Good luck.

 

There are many schools that actually teach you the basics of how to drive a truck. The school I attended gave 160 hours of instruction, 80 hours in the classroom and 80 hours in the truck. 4 students to a truck, road unit with sleeper pulling a 28' trailer, is only 20 hours of actual driving. That broke down to 17 hours of driving and 3 hours of backing. 4 weeks of 10 hour days, 4 days a week. Total cost $4000 in 1996. I signed on with Swift and had the trainer from H*** for 6 weeks. Then a good trainer for 3 more weeks. The real training begins once you are out on your own. You learn from your mistakes. Some schools are 13 weeks or more and only 2 students to a truck. Some companies are 10 weeks or more with a trainer. The more instruction you receive the easier it will be to solo. I wish you the best.

 

Maverick will train you & they have automatic transmissions.
Prime Inc. & Central Refrigerated will train you also.

No money needed with either of these companies.

 

I agree with the above post as far as Central Refrigerated, i'm not sure if their in your area but they will train you an you will work for them right out of school. I didn't have the best experience there myself but if you want another shot I know they will take you. The way it works with them is, they put you through all the class room work an road hours, after you pass the final test, which in your case i'm not sure how that would work since you already have your CDL. Anyway after your training is done you go out right away with one of their trainers. You don't pay anything at all upfront they just take it out of your check, I think if you stay with them for a year your schooling is payed off.

 

I just checked out the Maverick trucking website as mentioned by Chinatown, they look good for new drivers with little to no experience. Makes me wish I would have known about them yrs ago, only problem for me is they don't have nothing going on in California.