Is this a good or bad time to get my CDL?

As a company driver I'd say there's never been a better time to get in. For somebody wanting to go owner/operator I'd say there's never been a more expensive time to get in.

 

X2

 

Agree; tell your friend now a good time to jump in!
If companies are having a difficult time finding drivers, then that's a big positive for your friend.

 

EVERY trucking company is hiring.Your friend should research what the job of truck driving is like before deciding. There are awful places to work and good places to work, and the other 90% of companies are good for some people and terrible for other people. Since 80-90% of new truck drivers quit before they get 1 year of experience, your friend's results are directly related to his research and his choice in employer. This isn't elementary school where you are given a safe place to sit, and someone else, keeps checking to see if you are happy or hungry, and then you go home after 8 hours. 10-14 hour work days are he normal and he'll only have a place to park if he learns to back his truck.

Don't work for CR England

 

What ducky said time 10.

but I have to add something, wages are not what people need to look for in this industry, it isn’t about the money to keep a good driver.

 

Which type trucking job does he want?
Does he want a trucking company school or a private school?

 

Since you are also just getting into the industry it sounds more like you are asking for a friend the questions you are asking for yourself.

Why pawn off the questions as being for someone else?
Because, really, if you have the answers already you would simply give them to your 'friend'.

The truth is, there is never a better or worse time to get into trucking.
It is simply when you decide to do it.

As with any job choice, you do it when you decide to do it.

Would you delay your decision for a year or more if you thought you could make more money or have better conditions a year from now?
And what would you base that on? No one can see the future; things change on a daily basis.

 

The OP already has his plan, so his questions really are for someone else.