Not sure where or what to do at this point? Have new CDL A on my own, not a school...

Put your location on your profile so we know the hiring area you live in.

 

Location will help, but your not bound to just that area, best advise I can give is, sit down buckle up and start dialing numbers, talk with as many recruiters as you can, they will must likely have toll free numbers so no need to worry about a phone bill, don't just fill out apps and wait, talk with them, you'll find someone willing to. Give you a chance, best of luck

 

Hi HumptyDumpty, without any training, you may be relegated to local food service, beverage hauling, refuse haulers, or landscape work and maybe just a helper, to start. Usually, insurance prohibits any kind of tractor/trailer work, local or OTR without training. However, having a CDL is a good start, and may give you an edge getting into a training course from a better company. Good luck, and welcome aboard.

 

[QUOTE="semi" retired;4475125]Hi HumptyDumpty, without any training, you may be relegated to local food service, beverage hauling, refuse haulers, or landscape work and maybe just a helper, to start. Usually, insurance prohibits any kind of tractor/trailer work, local or OTR without training. However, having a CDL is a good start, and may give you an edge getting into a training course from a better company. Good luck, and welcome aboard.[/QUOTE]

I just had to give you a written "thanks" on this one, for taking the time to respond and being not only realistic, but very encouraging to a young, new driver. It's gotta be a tough thing these days to get into, with all the new rules and regs, the traffic, and the competition, unlike when you and I got started (in my case 42 years ago now). The way many of us learned back then, jump in and go, learn on the fly, just doesn't work anymore. Anyway,Hats off to you today.

 

Thanks, LowMax, yeah, things sure have changed. I didn't even have a chauffeurs license when I started driving a T/T in the 70's. The boss said I'd better get one. When I went to the license place, the examiner asked if I had a road test in the last 2 years, of any kind. I said, well, I took my motorcycle road test last year, he said , good enough, NEXT.

 

I have been driving for 22 years and we all have to start somewhere This is not a job in the normal way of thinking either, as you might all ready have figured out it a life style... the pay may sound great but if you start figuring the hours you work and time away from home it can discourage you Don't let it.. this industry offers something not many can... and that's pride
My suggestion to you is online research there are some company's that WILL take advantage of your inexperience If your speaking to somebody and they avoid questions or dodge answers hang up they are not worth your time. I have never worked for a large company but have talked to a few I have always worked for mom and pop company's (I am addicted to chrome and lights...lol) not all large company's are "bad". I really like Con-way truckload...if I was to go to a large carrier it would be them. Your first year maybe two can be hard just stick it out and in 20 or so years it will be you giving the advise. Good luck and Best wishes on a great career

 

I've lived in Pensacola and Beulah(sp) years ago,just West of Pensacola; probably still unincorporated there. Friend of mine owns Dolphin Lines near you in Mobile, but he only hires experienced drivers.
The quickest way to get started without taking the low paying local jobs is to just jump right in with a major company and go through their classroom training then hit the road in 2 or 3 weeks. Most companies love guys like you that have the motivation to get that CDL first. Not everyone can do that.
Two companies based in Florida are CTL Transportation and Midwest-coast Transport; 3 weeks of local driving/classroom then hit the interstate running coast-to-coast. No upfront cost to you.

Here's some more with no upfront cost to you & they provide lodging and 3 meals a day:
KLLM Transport
Celadon
Earl Henderson Trucking
Southern Refrigerated Transport

I recommend CTL Transportation as a first choice; they run I-10 a lot between Florida and Texas.
Midwest-coast Transport and Southern Refrigerated run lots of Florida/Southeast to California and back.

Don't know if this is what you're looking for or not, but in my opinion it's the fastest way to get moving.

 

I started back into trucking a couple of years ago with exactly HumptyDumpty's scenario. No school, got my CDL on my own. I was fortunate that my brother was an O/O with a small outfit out of CA. Once I had my CDL I was approved by the company within 24 hours to be a co-driver only. Drove with my brother for three months, then left to join Swift. Swift took three months recent OTR driving experience in lieu of attending a school.

OP might think about seeing if there is an O/O in his area that runs OTR and is looking for a co-driver. Look for smaller companies and ask if they have O/O's that are looking for a co-driver. The money won't be great, but you are going to be trained. After three months or more you can start looking at getting into a training program with a larger company and go solo.