Not qualified and told to go home..

Excellent advice. It doesn't hurt to get off the computer and go and see the company if you can. When you show up in person you can gain a lot of info and it also shows them a good impression. There's never too much information.

 

Sounds good,

but it just doesn't work that way.

Companies won't completely check you out until you are physically at orientation.

And most of the ones than get stranded,

usually left some importatant details out of their application.

Otherwise, just about every company will bus you home......

 

RoadWarrior -- are you really a "spandex rocker"?

 

Make sure you get a list of EVERY thing you need! Get them to email it to you and save a printed copy and take it with you! Also ask them in an email if they will provide you a way home if you don't measure up (ex. blood press, sugar ect,. if you lie your on your own) and take a hard copy of that too.

 

Great advice. If you don't look out for number one than how do you expect someone else to.

 

I spent a week searching for different companies.

I called Swift, CRE, Prime, Schneider and a couple other big companies. They all said the same thing....

Come pay for school $4000+, train with someone for 3-6 weeks. Get paid next to nothing to do it. And take the risk by travelling 1/2 way across the country to do it.

If you don't have 12 months CURRENT experience in the last 3 years, you won't get hired. I tossed the guys name from Swift, but he swore I'd be calling him back before the end of the day for a job. I asked him for the regulation number where it stated that. He never could give me a straight answer until I just simply said, "If it's an insurance requirement, then say so. But don't ######## me" and hung up on him.

Then I pulled out the local paper. Mind you, the county seat here is less than 7000. Unemployment is high at 10% for the county. The state is at 7.3%.

I made some calls. Seems the ads came out on Saturday morning with the paper and were filled by Saturday Night. You HAVE to be on top of those listings.

Then I pulled out the phone book and started to look up trucking companies. I didn't even get to the gravel companies yet.

Then I talked to a guy from the ham radio club.....
And got a job with a company 19 miles from the house driving decent equipment with a pay by 10 cpm over a mill company .

Look outside the box and DON'T be afraid to put your boots to the ground.

I didn't call up the owner who hired me asking if he was hiring. I called and asked him if I could set up an appointment to come in and talk to him about a job driving truck. I talked with him for 10 minutes or so and went in to see him 2 hours later. 20 minutes after I got there I could only ask if I understood him correctly that he felt we were a good fit and I was being offered the position.

Even with most of my experience being older than 15 years ago.

I went in with a NEW physical (long and short form), copy of my DAC and my resume`.

You are marketing yourself. Not begging for work.

 

i don't care how inconsequential you might think something is,tell the recruiter.your dog took a poo-poo in a park and you didn't pick it up and got a ticket,tell them.cya is very important in this industry.your dispatch orders you to violate hours of service?if you got a qualcom,tell them too put it on the qualcom.and if your going to orientation,if at all possible,take enough money too get home.be prepared for anything.just my 2 cents worth.