New CDL-A graduate, Can't find work ANYWHERE.

Hey there!

I graduated from Rend Lake College's Truck Driver Training School in late February with a full class A CDL (with manual endorsement), and I can't find work anywhere and I'm just wondering if I am doing something wrong, or if I've just been misled about the industry. I was told by multiple people there is a shortage of 2 million qualified truck drivers in this country, and that the FMCSA just revoked 800,000 CDLs in late 2024 due to more stringent rules about prior drug convictions. I honestly expected to have multiple job offers within a week of graduating (which is what both my instructors and everyone I talked to at the school insinuated is the norm for their graduates). But there is just seemingly.... nothing. I've even been applying to class B and C jobs that I am theoretically now overqualified for. Still nothing. Doesn't matter what I apply to. Local, OTR, Garbage Truck, Dry Van, Dump Truck, etc. Nobody seems to want to hire me.

So far I've had probably 10 or so jobs give me a call in response to my application. Out of those about half of those immediately ended the second I mentioned I just got my CDL, some BS about their insurance not letting them hire me (Why did the state of IL just pay $5000 for me to get trained to operate this equipment safely then... I thought the entire point of ELDT being introduced in 2021 was to make sure every driver met a minimum in terms of skills). A couple more went "OK, I'll pass that along to our hiring department and see if they want to setup an interview" and I just never hear back, and so far the interviews I have had:

* One with a regional company delivering pre-built sheds, the interview went well but I never heard back.
* Another with a company that delivers food service related items nation wide, interview went really well and I was under the impression they were putting together a job offer for me and were supposed to get back to me the next day, but that was Thursday and I'm sitting here on Saturday without a job offer in my hands.
* The third was a straight up waste of time, I get there and the guy looks at my resume and confirms that I have no experience and said HR shouldn't even have set my up with an interview because their insurance wont let them hire new graduates. This is for a garbage truck, a class B job. Why do I need experience to to drive a ####ing garbage truck? Its literally mostly just low speed driving, stop, go, stop, go etc. So that just ended up being a waste of my gas.
* The other interview I've done was delivering asphalt shingles on a class B setup (from my understanding a trailer behind a dually truck), and he said he was very interested in hiring me but I filled out the ridiculous paper application he gave me and returned it the next day and I just never heard back.

Like what am I doing wrong here? Is it just the general state of the economy with the Trump Regime messing around with tariffs causing enough uncertainty companies don't want to hire? Is this another industry where you have to know somebody thats already on the inside to get started? (I gave up on my prior I.T. career because of the level of nepotism and college degree elitism in that industry).

I literally haven't even heard back from 2 of the regional companies *that literally sent ####ing recruiters to my driving school*. Why send recruiters if your not going to hire anyone from the school?

Am I too fat to get hired? I'll be honest I'm around 450lbs. But I have a full 2 year DOT card already, and no known health conditions of any kind other than a prescription lenses restriction. But 3 out of 4 interviews I've had they keep repeating over and over "well you should be aware the job is physical" "the job is very physical" over and over like yeah, I know. Like is fatphobia a problem is this industry? Based on what I see at the local truck stops I would have thought I'd fit right in! but all those guys are also 40-50 and probably have 20 years experience or more offsetting any concerns a fatphobic hiring manager might have.

I have 4 years prior experience as a cargo van driver (Chevy 1500 platform) delivering auto parts. I averaged 100,000 miles a year for 4 years doing 12 hour shifts. No accidents or tickets in the 4 years I was doing that, and no tickets/accidents in my personal vehicle for 2 years before that. So I've already proven I can safely drive for hours on end without stuffing my nose in my phone and rear ending someone or doing something equally negligent. I'd think as far as a new hire CDL truck driver goes based on my prior qualifications I'd be the perfect applicant.

Like, I quit a stable job with 4 years seniority that I actually rather liked (aside from the substandard barely above min wage pay), blew through all my savings, and racked up $2500 in credit card debt and to top it all off blew up the engine in my personal vehicle trying to get back and forth to school to get my CDL and make a real non-slave wage. I was counting on pretty much immediately having a job that paid $60-70k a year and then $100k+ in 2-3 years time once I had enough experience to start doing something specialized within the field. I'm sitting here typing this with $30 to my name, and my credit card companies hounding me with phone calls every day because I had to stop making the min payments. I don't know what else to do. I am applying to EVERY. SINGLE. CDL position that pops up on Indeed, and I am on the local Teamster Unions out of work list.

What do I need to do to get a job? or is it just hopeless? Like I'm sorry if this all comes off as a rant I'm just frustrated that it seems like literally everything I've been told about trucking is a lie. I live in rural Illinois near the I57-I24 junction, if that info is of any use.

 

Do they have a terminal or hire out of Southern Illinois? I am a VERY long way from Ohio