Looking for the right door to open. A little help please.

My advice stay away from trucking for right now. there is more drivers then ever and they - these biggere companies are being super picky ... trust me i hada minor accident in a semi - now i can not find any work anywhere with my CDL just so u know it's not the best gig going. if you do it make sure u watch ur ### like a hawk and keep a grand handy to pay off somebody if u do hit something and damage it - so it wont be on your DAC once get your year in u will be fine i didnt make it - i should have paid the guy off and be done with it ..i would still have a job right now. lesson learned the hardway. - i got my training independently so i am not confined to owing anyone trucking company - i owe forthe school still but not obligated to pay any trucking company for it. - so keep ur record clean and u will be fine and the OWI will be a pain in ur arse till it's over 10 yrs old and 90% of companies wont touch you till it is ...

 

i am in the same boat i dont know if i should quit my job even though it really suxs. i have rread alot of post from differant sites and alot are saying now is a good time for students because these companys are trying to get rid of these higher paid drivers to save money. have you tried swift i know you here alot of bs but lets be honost if it was that bad they would prabably be out of business.dont let these people discourage you. just do your research and you will be fine. i find alot of people bad mouthing these companys and most never even worked for them so how would they know,i think they are expecting a gravy job and its far from it most are just wash outs

 

I am the wife of a newbie. My husband did auto paint and body work for over 20 yrs. Needless to say he was laid off in Sept. He went from making over 2k a week to some weeks barely making 200. He went to school in Salt Lake City in Jan at Central Refrigerated school. I know for a fact that are still taking students in. Yes you have to pay them for the school and sign a contract to work for them for a yr. But seems to me no one will touch you w/ under a yr experience anyway. Jan and Feb were tough months for us. No money made during school. Then 400 the 1st 2 weeks w/ a trainer on the road and 500 per week the 2nd 2 weeks. He has been on his own for 2 weeks now w/ one week at home for hometime after being gone almost 9 wks. The trip back home from SLC netted him almost $600 for 4 days of driving. Since his hometime he has already ran close to 1500 miles in 4 days he is now in TN heading to CO. The people there that I have talked w/ seem to honest and fair. Of course teams, and l/o get the longer loads but they keep their company drivers rolling as well. Check out the thread under good companys called Central Refrigrated Truck Stop. Everyone on the thread is very willing to give info if they know it if not someone will do the research or call the right person to find the answer for you. I know they are a reefer company and I hear bad things about reefer companies (not sure way). But Central seems to be honest and fair and only run legal. That seems to be a challenge w/ some big companies. Just my two cents. Hope you don't mind.

 

Some of the companies, (Schneider) that had their own schools and have shut them down because there are so many experienced drivers out there with good driving records. The companies get unhappy when a driver takes more time off at home then the company allows even if the driver has a good driving record. Right now they have ample supply of experienced drivers applying for jobs because the companies that they had worked for went bankrupt. If they are looking to replace someone it will be with experience first and not new school graduates.

 

Where there's a will, there's a way. Depends on your perserverance, fortitude and a little luck. Believe me, if you want something bad enough and willing to do whatever it takes, you'll find a way. I discourage no one from trying something.

My hat's off to ya!

 

By the time most graduates find something they will have to pay for a refresher course for a low paying job an experienced driver finds unacceptable . You might as well use that "where there's a will , there's a way " logic with trying to win the lottery . The odds of success are about the same .

 

Sorry Rick, I have to disagree. Where there's a will there's a way. Get a license and get out there and do ANY KIND of driving that you can, even a school bus, tour bus, farm truck, yard jockey or dump truck, just get behind the wheel and get that road experience. Be creative and get going! You don't have to drive a full blown 18-wheeler at first. Get your CDL and drive for who ever you can. You'll get there if you are determined and a hard, persidtent individual. Luck favors the prepared individual. If I believed everyone that told me "it's not gonna happen" in my life, I'd still be working in a steel mill (hated it).

I've been off of the road for two years. My old company wouldn't hire me back and everyone else was telling me that I'd been gone too long. I started making phone calls and office visits and landed my own account (right place, right time and LUCK). They asked me if I could "get a truck" and I told them heck yeah. I went and leased a truck and am running the account (ran the first load today!) and will go buy a truck in just a few weeks. I NEVER thot or even wanted to become an O/O, but here I am. A man does what he has to do to make things happen.

Just do it! AND be aggresive and persistent.

 

Do you have the proper Motor Carrier Authority with the required insurance ? If you don't you will be put out of business the first time your stopped because your truck doesn't have DOT numbers . You don't get MC authority overnight . Even if you're not interstate states require intrastate authority . To make things happen you have to be legal and know about regulations .

 

I think the point that MuddyWaters is making here is you've got to out and do it different than the thousand of drivers that sign up for school and do what the requiter tells them. Get out there and hit the bricks like we did before the internet was around.