New Driver Needs advice

Get your tanker/hazmat endorsements plus a passport & TWIC. The best money is with tanker. Yes, some tanker companies hire new CDL drivers. Check Careerbuilder website also. If the only tanker job you can find is food grade, take it for the tanker experience and move into the hazmat in a few months. You may be able to go right into hazmat as some new drivers have posted they did. Once into hazmat/tanker you will make $60K - $75K + annually.

 

A few tanker companies:



Clean Harbors
Foodliner (3 divisions)
trans-system
Miller Transporters
Tankstar
A&R Transport
Quality Distribution
Indian River Transport
CTL Transportation
Bulkmatic
Superior-Carriers
Pyles Transport
Groendyke
Prime (tanker division)
Schneider ( tanker division)
Trimac

 

Read the forum. Use the SEARCH function for companies offering the type of trucking you're seeking.

 

Trimac is no longer hiring new grads UNLESS they're from a school certified by PTDI and Groendyke is no longer hiring new grads at all.

 

It's really hard to give a general answer. How often do you want to be home? How far do you want to travel? It's a bit unrealistic to get your ideal job right off the bat. For my money, go with a smaller company that shows a commitment to drivers, quality service and maintaining their stuff in top notch condition. I can't stand the idea of being out on the road for weeks at a time. I just started with a local company with about 25 drivers, regional work that gets me home every weekend and sometimes during the week. It's so great to have a dispatcher who calls me and we chat about what I want to do next, and do I want to start on Sunday evening or Monday morning, and is there any certain time I need to be home. What to avoid is simpler...all the mega companies with thousands of drivers....unless you need to suck it up and put in your mandatory year with one.

 

Hey don't mean to rob this thread but do you know how is Groendyke to work for? Their hiring in my area.