looking for a company... recent grad.

no good companies are hiring recent grads. some com[anies are hiring but they are your worse companies with high turnover. Copanies have there pick of good experienced drivers these days.
I hav a friend who ows a hundred trucks. Used to be he had to scrounge, beg n steal to hire drivers. Last I talked to him he is getting 40 GOOD applications a week without even advertising.

 

but the CR's of the world are the only ones hiring is my point. They are such crappy companies they can't keep anyone in a truck more then three months. which is why they always hire.
in the past your correct but it's just not that easy now. Not saying it's impossible but it's not a position i'd want to be in right now. Actually right now if I wasn't already stuck in this industry there is now way I'd get into it.
the zip code thing is really just a sham... the companies that are hiring right now usually have there hiring restricted to VERY VERY close to one of a few major cities. LA, Chicago, Atlanta etc. they want people who live right smack in the freight lane so it doesn't cost them a penny to get you home. Used to be compaies wouldrun you a few hundred miles out of route to go home but not any more with as cheao as freight rates are

 

The driving schools, newspapers, and a variety of others have the misconception that there is a shortage of drivers in the industry. They don't bother to see what is actually happening in the trucking industry.

There were over 3,000 trucking companies that went out of business during 2008 . . . that means there were a lot of drivers added to the available column.

 

I know it's hard. I have ben driving 15 years. perfect record. Two years ago I was making $.43cpm $25 a night perdiem for any night I wasn't in my bed and I had total freedom in what I ran. I worked local for a week then went otr for a week etc. it was nice. Made $60 my last year from January till 8/25 when I quit to move to TX.

Right now I'm driveing a crusty old truck for $.36cpm no perdiems, no d/h pay. I'm on the road for 3 or 4 weeks at a time and LUCKY if I make $3k a month.

it's a miserable time.

I posted somewhere else that I have a friend with 100 or so trucks. Two years ago he couldn't get drivers and last I talked to him he was getting 40 or so applications from GOOD experienced drivers per month without even advertising. WHat's that tell you about the employment climate?

I think I'd aske about MORE retraining

 

after reading this forum....... i decided NOT to attend cdl school.... i already have the cdl but needed the training to get in with a company since it has been 10 years since i was last over the road........ 4500 dollars for a 4 week program was just to much of a gamble in this market..... i want to thank you guys for the information i have been reading on here the last 2 weeks... it has been very beneficial

 

Good luck in whatever you end up doing.

 

Some media outlets are starting to get it straight. I read an article on etrucker the other day that stated the driver shortage has turned to a driver surplus.