Question about obtaining a CDL

Bite the bullet and do it yourself without question. Get a bank loan if you have to but find a way to do it on your own. It is always much better to be in debt to a bank than to be in debt to the company that employs you. Because once you're in debt to the company that employs you, they no longer have any reason to treat you like a decent human being with free will. And therefore, they won't.

 

Go for the loan. It will open your options up to more starter companies who will treat you a LITTLE better.

 

start now try to get a prehire some will reimburse you for school lots of good info on here good luck

 

You need to research and find out what the important questions are. You can make an above average living but you will make sacrifices that other jobs don't require. Read the "good companies" and "bad companies" section on this forum and get an idea of what company you want to work for and what kind of trailer you want to pull. Don't just go to school and then try to figure out where to go.

I don't know your financial situation. Don't take training from a company if you can afford it or get it with financial aid. You will be their slave for up to year. If you leave they will trash you DAC and credit record. Check out your local community colleges and employment office.

Just know that most training and trucking company recruiters will do nothing but lie to you. They will let you talk about what you want and then tell you what you want to hear. Trucking is about moving freight to make money for the company. Your home time, family, paycheck and everything else comes second.

It is not like any other job. Local is usually backbreaking delivery work 10+ hours a day, 6 days a week. Often you unload dozens of times a day or you are a salesman. In my area most dump truck jobs pay less than a good factory job. Regional is lots of loading and unloading time, fewer miles than OTR and not as hard as local but will wear on you and push your HOS limits. OTR is out 3 - 5 weeks with 3 - 4 days home, less manual labor and more miles.

You'll probably have to pay your dues before you get the gravy job. Weekends off, if you are lucky enough to get something like that starting out, may be home Thursday afternoon and leave Saturday night or home Friday night and leave Sunday afternoon. Loads deliver on Monday early and you leave in time to get them there. Often your home time will be in the middle of the week.

Regardless of your driving choice, after school you will go through company training. For OTR this can be six weeks to three months with little or no home time. The first phase is usually $400 a week and the second phase is $500-550 a week. Some pay less. One company pays 12 CPM for training.

One last thing, you don't want to wait around too long after training or you'll have trouble finding a job. If you get out before you have a year in, when you try to come back a few months later you will find they want you to start over.

 

Just know that when you talk to company recruiters, they are lying to you. If it isn't in writing it didn't happen. Take everything they say with a cup of salt.

What kind of trailer do you want to pull? This information will let people give you some advice as to what companies are out there willing to hire newbies. Also do you have a good driving record? How bout a criminal record? This could limit your choices on companies.

 

do your research here check th e job section for companies hireing in your area. then read up on those companys here visit their sites see what they offer. depending on the company they may want you to go to a certain school. a comunity college is the best route to go you have more opptions and usually a better education.

 

With most companies begging drivers to go to NYC, you'll be a shoe in for any job in the northeast.

Just remember, you get in a truck, you forget everything you learned about driving in Yonkers!