I'm so frickin lost!!!!!!!!!!

Doesn't necessarily have to be OTR trucking...I know plenty of drivers that drive truck all day and are home at night, my 21 year old self included. Sand & Gravel or other aggregate hauling, feed/commodity hauling....maybe its just the area I live in but there are literally 100s of us on the road hauling some of the above mentioned..

 

So lets see. You want to learn to drive but you don't want to have to pay for your own schooling, you want some company that doesn't know you from Adam to pay for it. And then you want to drive for them, but only when its convenient for you.

<sarcasm>Boy you don't want much do you? What other requirements do you have? Any particular make, model or color of truck that you must have? Will the company also have to provide someone to rub your feet every hour on the hour?</sarcasm>

Ok all kidding aside, what you're looking for isn't impossible to find, but it ain't exactly easy to find either. Whether or not such a deal is available to you will depend entirely on where you live. These types of opportunities do exist but they're rare that means in many places, they don't exist at all.

Lots of OTR companies will hire you without a CDL and put you through school. But in return they'll expect you to go OTR for them for 12 to 24 month depending on the company.

Companies that run only local almost never hire new drivers with no experience. And they hire new drivers with no CDL even less often. But what some local companies will do is hire warehouse and loading dock workers with no CDL and then later promote them up to being a driver and pay for their CDL training. Granted you'll often have to put in 5 years or so on the dock first. And of course there are no guarantees. Get yourself on the bad side of the wrong manager and you could end up staying on the dock forever. Also since those types of companies are often 24-7 operations, your first few years on the dock will likely be working midnights and weekends.

There ain't no such thing as a free lunch. If you want to get a CDL and drive, you're going to have pay for it. Either by going to school and paying for it yourself of by getting a job and paying your dues as it were. But one way or another, you're most likely going to have to be out of the house and away from your family more than you'll want to in order to get it done. That doesn't mean you'll have to be away all the time forever. But for the first few years, you very well may. If being away for a few years allows you to spend the rest of your working years doing something you enjoy and being home when you want to be home, wouldn't that be worth it? Most folks would say that it would, but only you can decided if it would be worth it for you.

 

Sorry..but I truly think with your need to be home...trucking may not be for you...maybe just do the dishes and take care of the kid...

 

Find another line of work, Your correct your family needs you, I this industry at least for the first couple of years your going to be gone 3 or 4 weeks at a time. Save your money. Early on in the thread a poster stated not to get your license on your own, that is simply not true.

You can get your license from the local community college, if your unemployed check with the employment development in your state they may offer training. Or the option is get your license go to work for Roadway, UPS, Fed X, Sysco as a dock or warehouse worker In a lot of cases you can move into a truck that way and be at home to boot.

Decide what you want and do not take no for an answer or you will end up at a job away from home.

You can do it, I did. Do not trade off your time with your family you will regret it to your grave. There only young once, enjoy them now while you can, as you can not rewind the old life clock.

 

good advice. now some people say i got lucky. it took me 4 weeks longer to pass my cdl class A i already have class b lic. Just like you said it took me 3 times to finally pass. i sucked at the parellel parking i could master the blind side but was given the driver side..lol.....but i did it. i went to road master trucking school in jacksonville florida and yes total was almost 7,000. I'm going with a local company called Comcar or some know it as CCC what is nice is i'm local with a chance to go OTR if I want to do this. My husband and I had planned on teaming together but of course life doesnt offer that for us at this time. Its ok we both drive local and we see each other as few as it may be but we pass each other either day or night time considering both professions has its own work schedule. I wish you luck and there are local jobs out there but most drivers frown on those kind of drivers. Its not an 8-5 job or all weekends off but it will work for you and you will adjust if you just think positive.

 

I totally disagree with you. I got my cdl. Went to Maverick orientation. They were one of 5 companies I had to choose for. Got Hired.
Went out with a trainer for three weeks. Have been in my own truck for 7 months now and am making .41 a mile plus tarp pay!
Do your research there are opportunities out there!

 

When it comes to being with your family, listen closely to what these guys are saying. If you even THINK you might miss your family or not want to be away from home then you should consider doing something else.

I got my cdl in 06 and went to orientation. That week of orientation I became extremely home sick. I finished orientation but had to quit before I went out with the trainer because I knew I wouldn't be able to be away from my family. I quickly found out this job is not for someone who might get home sick.

I got lucky and landed a local job driving a 6 axle dump truck and I love the job even though the pay isn't great.

Moral of the story... be safe, have fun and don't bite off more than you can chew driver!

 

go get your cdl and go start backing go to a dc or big yard that requires a yard goat and run a goat ton of backing but some of them get paid pretty good talkin to security at Tropicana in south fl said the lowest paid yard goat driver there gets about 18 an hour and all it is, is grab the trailer back it to the dock or pull it into a spot and drop it

i think everyone should have to play yard goat for a month b4 going otr it helps build your backing skill like no other thing imo thats the first thing i done for swift in phoenix when i first started there in the trailer shop o so many years ago and of course gradually progressed to a otr job

but yeah look for yard goat jobs man that will be your best bet imho..

 

I learned the old school way. Had my girlfriend's( now my wife) neighbor teach me. I had it in my blood anyways so I was a QUICK learner. Didn't have to tell me twice. I had a day job and went trucking with him at night, man was that hard, anyways , I watched closely, listen, and ask questions. I was 18 at the time. One thing that always stuck in my head was the truck accidents I saw through out the time I was with him. The key was ALWAYS BE PATIENT, speed , ROADRAGE, will hurt you even get you KILLED. I recieved my class "1" 3 months after I first got behind the wheel. I went to work right away for an Owner Op for 3 years who had 4 trucks and a truck repair shop. When I wasn't trucking, I was in the shop watching listening to what services and repairs the trucks needed. I learned alot in that time period that I bought my first truck cash and did all my maintence. 30 years later Im still an Owner Op and 1 thing I still do is "I still ask questions watch and listen" to what going on in this industry.

 

Maybe that is better IYHO...but IF you are pulling over the road in let's say a Peterbuilt 379 or similar with a sleeper...even if you backed trailers with a yard dog for 80 years...it is going to be a challenge because this truck is just a wee bit longer than the yard dog...it reacts totally different and takes longer to steer the rear of that trailer...just advise the guy to go get in a training school and learn the right way to drive a truck...Just MHO...