OK, Heres probably a dumb one:

You should start sending them out soon....and send to alot of them

 

Not really a dumb question.

I believe in about 5 to 6 weeks you might want to start sending them out.

That way you can tell if you are working out ok in this new career field and let them know you should be finishing shcool on or about a certain date and ready to begin your new job.

Good Luck

 

The only stupid question is the one that's never asked... I'd shoot for about halfway through your course, that way you can concentrate on important matters without the additional distraction. Some hands will probably tell ya to wait until you have your CDL-A in hand. You'll also deal with some negativity... blow all that off. You'll find companies listed by state at fleetdirectory.com, and many have links to websites which will give you information with regard to hiring areas, training programs, etc., etc. You can also find local and regional listings in the 'Transport' column of Craigslist, although those listings generally call for experienced drivers. Good luck to ya, and remember my friend the Railsplitter's almost-famous maxim: "ANY DAY YA DON'T KILL A WAGONLOAD OF KIDS IS A GOOD DAY!!!"

 

I'm starting a 10 week course tomorrow myself and I have asked this question to recruiters for several companies and the consensus is about 3 weeks before graduation.

 

Keep in mind many carriers want an unexperienced driver in their program within 6 months of the date your CDL was issued.

 

Should commend both of you upon your excellent timing... most companies only train between spring and late fall, due to dangerous winter driving conditions (especially on serious grades), but you should be looking pretty good by the time you graduate. A little early, perhaps, but that will give you time to get your lives in order... trucking requires commitment if you are to succeed, and EVERYTHING else rides shotgun. When I went OTR for the first time, I told myself I would restructure my life around trucking, which is what you have to do if you plan on driving for any length of time. DO THIS, AND YOU WILL SUCCEED, and quite possibly HAVE THE TIME OF YOUR LIFE!!! No f______ lie, and don't let any clueless pogue ever tell ya otherwise... that's my spiel, you'll learn more later, no doubt, depending upon your attitude and willingness to learn. Good luck in your endeavors... you can see some cool OTR shots in the photo section. "ADIOS!!!"

 

BTW, you can learn plenty by checking out "bumper2bumpertruckbook.com"---heaps of useful information there, including diagrams. Do yourselves a big ol'favor and order that book... might save ya heller grief in the future. And NO, I'm not affiliated in any way with the publishers... wish I were, then the sonsab!tches would owe me money.

 

I just got my copy, and there is a ton of information in this book. I just took a quick look at it, and it looks like it fills in a lot of details about the mechanical aspects of the truck and how to operate it. This is stuff that was mentioned in my CDL guide, but not really explained in any detail.