My advice to New drivers getting their CDL and CDL permit

No you don’t need a Canadian cdl

 

Another good piece of advice is find out what the companies entry-level road test consist of. Ask them what they expect a new driver to do versus an experienced driver.

one other piece of information is their pet policy and how much of a deposit it is. if they don’t charge a deposit, what do they charge? In case your pet damages the truck interior?

one other thing that comes to mind is do the companies make you sign a contract in case you quit before your year is up even if you do not attend one of their schools.

 

Companies that have their own school:
Swift
Prime
CFI
Millis Transfer
Certified Express Inc.
RE Garrison
Alabama Motor Express
CR England
Schneider National
Roehl
Leonard’s Express

please add to the list

 

Companies that hire out of Florida:
CFI
J&R Shugel
Schneider
Roehl
Rowland Transport
Titan Transfer
Benny Whitehead
Swift
US Xpress
TMC (Orlando and north)
Trans Am
CR England

Tanker Companies that Train in Florida:
Gemini
Eagle
Indian River

 

I found my employer by doing a Google Maps search for trucking companies near my home. There were several, and I ended up getting hired by the one that was closest (2 1/2 miles!) and luckily enough turned out to be an almost perfect fit. I’m still with them five years later!

I found it useful to read employer reviews on Google and Indeed. They’re not foolproof (neither are employer reviews here), but if you read enough of them, you can get a feel for what the company is like as an employer.

 

In addition to employer reviews I also suggest going to company websites and looking to see what they’re about. I was checking out a company today in fact for a cdl b position for the future. In the ‘about us’ section they talked about how their employees are required to go through DEI training to recognize their implicit bias. Um, no. I’m not working for a woke company that engages in mandatory brainwashing of their workers. It’s super creepy

 

THIS! I’ll add Aleve (any OTC pain medication, really). They all severely damage your stomach lining. I’m in the same situation as @expedite_it. I’ll also add should you require a PPI (proton pump inhibitor) (Zantac, Prilosec, Dexilant, etc.) to reduce heartburn or GERD, do NOT take it for more than a few months. It WILL cause more issues down the road. In addition to not being able to handle caffeine, I can no longer eat red meat, pork, spicy or fried foods, quite a few vegetables & the list goes on and on. Use topical pain medication if at all possible.

 

Did you take advil PM on a daily basis to sleep like I did?

 

No. I took Aleve every day for pain in my shoulders and neck due to crappy truck seats. If I didn’t catch the pain quickly, it would go completely around up to the front of my head and I’d be down with excruciating headaches for hours. You’re only supposed to take 4 pills every 24 hours. I was up to eight in that timeframe. Gave me bleeding ulcers and it took about 8 months to heal. My point was that all of those are harmful when overused.