I really need some advice!!

We have a "member" here named Chinatown, who is pretty sharp, but has been on hiatus due to a technical glitch ( or so we're told, he is in China, you know) who has helped many with names of companies to check out, local and OTR. Hopefully, he will be back soon to help you.

 

Everyone has there own excperiance, so some say yeah some say nooo. Dont know fl. But if you were here you could go get your cdl on your own, 4 to 600 bucks, (no class time or cerification) then go find a transfer co. Like tax air excc that runs freight out of the airports, or a ltl co that transfers freight from one area to another, (conway, estes, excc.) Get on the dock, better pay than you get now, then move into a truck, even better pay. Never leave your hometown. Its getting harder but you gotta sell your drive. Your motivated. Thats worth something in a industry that is quickly falling to the LCD .. otr is a lifestyle, local can be a job. Untill you break 10 ro 15 years, then it becomes a career. Unlike my spelling and gramer. (Clearly i abandoned that years ago)

 

apply at dr pepper snapple group they got a route helper 2 in tampa they give you a cdl after 6 months or less depending on how bad they are hurting

 

You can eat on the road for not much more money then it costs you to eat at home.

One thing to rember when guys put up numbers on what it costs to eat on the road. It's not free to eat at home. I see guys post what it costs to eat on the road and it scares guys. They forget to subtract what it would cost to eat at home.

If you're surviving on 16k a year I'm going to assume you're resourceful and could manage expenses on the road just fine.

Good luck

 

You will definately make more than 16k at any trucking company hands down. Im Flogrown and know the hassle of finding a decent trucking company. 1 yr otr is a given for most starting out. Not knowing your whole situation if your daughter lives with you i would assume that she would probably be with the mother or other relatives. If you are able to cut any extra exspenses i.e. rent light water...etc you will be way ahead of the game. Even though you would be away from home technology has evolved dramtically. Tango, skype and just the cell phone itself. Its not a replacement for actually being there but it cuts off the edge. And if your doing it for family they should understand. Tampa has alot of opportunities also for trucking. Look in your surrounding areas also. Alot of wharehouses off of sr 60 going towards mulberry bartow

 

Fair warning the 4 to 6 will get you a cdl with a co that basicly rents the truck to you and teachs you how to pass the test. There is no class time or certification, (lots of companys require this, at least otr) the route i went all those years ago was to get my cdl and basicly talk my way onto a dock, then into a b, then into a A truck. But you gotta sell yourself. I got the drive to drive kinda thing. Dont pass up a B truck just becuse you get a cdl A. Lots of money to be made local never hooking a trailer, i slip in A and B trucks as needed where im at. Get paid the same, what do i care if its got 6, 10, or 18 wheels

 

I was in the same place you were when I entered this industry. Well worse actually. Was out of a job, found out my business partner racked up $45,000+ in debt in my name, and I had no way to repay it or pay my rent.

I was looking to jump into the first thing I could to start making money and cut all my costs as fast as possible. It was that need to get out fast that put me in a really bad training company that ran team only. CRST only had an 8 month contract and the promised me $35,000 to $40,000 my first year. After 8 months I had only grossed maybe $16,000. I left there as fat as I could but only after spending 6 months researching other companies and do my homework.

Prime can be good or bad, it depends on a lot of factors. I would say over all Prime is a very good company to start with and grow with. When you read the horror stories from drivers that hate Prime and say how awful it is, it's usually because the kept the left door open more then closed. They stopped at every cool thing on the side of the road, they don't want to drive at night, they doing like big cities, or they were just always late. All those factors will get you in the bad driver list and so you won't see the best loads or the huge number of miles.

This isn't a free ride out here and some drivers think they don't have to work. We are came professional drivers for a reason. You need to act professional, do your job and have a good time along the way.

Now have you looked into school bus driver or public transit? A lot of those places will train you as well and are always looking for drivers.

 

There are construction companies, demolition companies, food service, wrecker services, roll offs, lumber yards, Brick yards, heavy equipment rental places, dealerships, dump trucks. There are thousands upon thousands of local driving jobs. Some of them might not pay much but it gets your foot in the door which usually lead to better opportunity. I bet you cant go 2 miles from your house and not see some local driving company. Beat the bushes and see what happens.

I went to the DMV, got the book, studied up, went and took the test, passed the test, took my Class A permit and applied for a job as a warehouse guy/backup driver/driver helper at a beer company. Pay wasnt great, but I managed and within a year, I was able to get into food service. Foodservice paid well.

 

Just like every other part of trucking, it will come with experience. The longer you are at it, the more ways you will learn to save money.

As has already been mentioned (I think,) don't depend on other's opinions about a company. Do your own research. One thing to keep in mind though, is that if EVERYBODY is bad-mouthing a company, and NOBODY has anything good to say about them, there is a reason for it.
I'm thinking in particular of CE England, and the way they screw their new hires over. Trying to get you to lease a truck, and if you won't., having you sit around for weeks, if not months, before "a truck opens up for you." And there are others just as bad.
You talk about having to have a years OTR experience before any local outfit will even look at you. While this seems to be "The Conventional Wisdom," it isn't necessarily true.
Others have mentioned working the dock for a LTL and working your way up to driver. It's a decent way to go, if your timing is right.
But there are other local jobs that just might be interested in you. Such as aggregate or cement. There are construction companies just about everywhere, that need drivers. Trash companies need drivers. Food and beverage. The list goes on. . .
And while some of these jobs may not appeal to you, most of them will pay decently. There are jobs out there. It is just a matter of finding them.
As for truck driving school, I'd suggest a community college or applied technical school. Not anywhere near as expensive as the private schools. Also, if you happen to be a veteran, I believe you can still get some vet benefits to get you through school.