Starting Late in Life

you will be fine. I have some advice that goes against what everyone else here will tell you and against your instincts. Get on somewhere for six months over the road and then apply to ATS with your wife. They require six months experience and I would go to them as soon as you can because they will train you both in flat bedding and Will employ you until you have 2 yrs experience. Then they can employ you as company drivers to do DOD. Meanwhile, they can probably go ahead and get your clearance switched over to them so it doesn’t expire. There’s new rules on clearances and if they’re not assigned to a company, they can expire even though it has been less than five years.


When you apply to ATS , let them know immediately that you already have your clearance and want to run DOD secure freight Once eligible.

 

econner,

What you have just witnessed is but the tip of the current iceberg.

The CDL job market right now is easily the worst I have seen, since I started CDL driving.

In many places....it's really bad right now. Even experienced drivers with clean safety records are having trouble getting decent CDL work.

With that said -- in addition to those given earlier...some other suggestions:

• Go to a tech school or comm college -- & get your CDL on your own. Your first employer, if they are worth their salt -- will reimburse you for your tuition. You will thus avoid indentured servitude with your first carrier -- & if things later somehow go south there (they sometimes do) -- then you owe them NOTHING. Also: at a tech school, or comm college -- you won't be fed all the requisite material at "fire hose" velocity -- like you will at a carrier (so the learning rate is more laid back).
• Before applying with other carriers -- go ahead & get that CDL, plus: all the relevant endorsements: tanker, hazmat...& also, doubles/triples. Those endorsements will prove to prospective employers that you mean business -- & thus...you stand out from the other applicants who don't have them.
• Take your time. The CDL job market can only get better...I can't see it getting much worse.

-- L

 

Id do the company paid one. Tok many CDL school grads that can't find work.

 

If you go to a tech school with a cdl program you can get a grant or financial aid to cover the tuition. The one I went to was 10 weeks long. Mon through thurs and was able to keep my night security job while I did it.

 

We did 8 years with Old Dominion, I see you are close to Nashville.

Teams there are an easy $200k plus/year running 5 days a week and home. Mainly out to Rialto,CA.

Maybe a little boring, but if you're after revenue and a good company - they are one. Hazmat and doubles, probably 6 months experience now I would guess.

TSMT is down the road from us - DOD teams. Good reputation.

 

In case you haven't already seen/watched this...some parts of it you may well have already taken care of:

What Does it Take to Haul Department of Defense Military Freight?

-- L