thinking about trucking as a new career

I paid about $3500 for my CDL school. They tried to get me to sign up with one of the carriers that they have job placement for. Not gonna go into company names, but they pretty much fall under the starter companies that paid less than 35 cpm. I decided to get my endorsements (hazmat, tanker, double/triple) and applied with a local carrier instead of going the job placement route. I actually ended up getting hired at 42 cpm and drive a daycab.

Your job options will be based on where you live. If you are in a area that is dense with LTL carriers, chances are you may end up getting a local gig that lets you be home every night. If there aren't any around, you may end up with something more regional/national. I honestly have no idea what the national carriers start their drivers out at. I think industry average is like $38k annually.

Keep an eye on Craig's List under "Transport" section. There are always local/regional/national carriers advertising. Ignore the "experience required" section. If the carriers are hurting for bodies, they may end up waiving this requirement many times.

If all else fails, move to my neck of the woods. We've had three local P&D driver positions that have been vacant for about half a year now. Even at $45k/year and top benefits we can't find anyone to drive for us, why not is beyond me.

Good luck.

 

For a new CDL graduate, the easiest and best paying jobs are tanker/hazmat. Several new CDL grads have posted on here the past few months, they have been hired by tanker/hazmat companies. Easy work; mainly just hook a hose and turn a pump on. These OTR jobs will also set you up for a high paying local job hauling fuel or chemicals. About 12 months after you go solo driver, you should have made about $60K + and should stay in that range annually with tanker/hazmat.

SVTN
Superior-Carriers
CTL
Clean Harbors
Schneider (bulk division)
James J. Williams Transport

The community college CDL course is a good choice; if you don't like the companies they place drivers with, choose your own. Apply anywhere you wish and start the applications as soon as school starts.

Good refrigerated companies : Holland Enterprises, trans-system

Good dry van company : Millis

Good flatbed companies : Melton Truck Lines, System Transport, Maverick.

Start your research with trucking companies now and make your list of your choices.

Best wishes and welcome to your new career.

 

Good advice from Chinatown. All the companies he mentioned I've actually heard a lot of good things about from other drivers that worked for them. Maverick hires/trains a lot of newbs and pays them really well (about $50k/year). Flatbedding can be labour intensive work though.

 

I don't want to dampen your future plans, but after reading the comments on here of other newbies and how disgruntled they are, before you decide I think you should ask yourself the following questions.

1. Why do you want to be a Truck Driver? You say " I am not sure I am cut out for the "trucking business".

2. The Glamor of Trucking is for the Movies, If you've seen Convoy and Smoky and the Bandit thinking hey that's for me... Forget it. You'll be crying your eyes out in week.

3. Can you get dirty, hungry, and repair a Truck and Trailer, sleep in a cab and then the next day do it all over again with time against you.

4. Do you want to in essence put yourself into an environment that can get you traffic tickets with heavy fines, suspended and fired because some else is having a bad day?

5.Can you be away from home for weeks on end sometimes months, living in a truck? Or even sharing the truck with a complete stranger and their habits good or bad!!

6. If you drive solo, can you take the solitude of being on your own for weeks at a time, missing family and friends?

" Any truckers out there wishing to tell a lady what she can expect? I know to "suck it up" I have been doing that with every other job I have had,I just don't play well with others, so trucking seems a better way to go. Am I wrong?"

In my opinion ... Yes your wrong..


As I have said many times it takes a special type of person to be a Professional Truck Driver, and if the 6 questions of many turn up the answer NO, you may want to look else where for a career. On the other hand, if it appeals to you and the above doesn't deter you, then go for it and use one of the companies mentioned above to start your path to Professionalism.. Perhaps saving your $4000 for other things by train with a company whereby you have the opportunity to be offered a position on completion of your CDL training and testing...

 

I think it is good that you evaluate yourself and see if this is something you want to go for or not.. One of the most difficult problematic aspects of this industry is how many people of all walks of life jump.in to give it a try.. often for all the wrong reasons... Think of the trucking industry as the ocean.. then imagine people running to jump in it.. some are jumping in because they are thirsty.. bad idea.. those who are desperate and wanting a job and see an ad promising them the world.. are like that.. the ones, don't even know how to swim, running to jump in the ocean to quench their thirst... Only to find the salt water leaving them thirstier and dehydrated... Running along side them, are those that just want off the land.. these are the ones running to be truck drivers to escape.. a bad releationship, bad job, thefamiky and many trying to es ape themselves thinking they will like themselves better in solitude... They are so focused on what they are running from that they have no real idea that the ocean, while beautiful has sharks and other stuff..
Then there are tbose who are not afraid of the ocean because they have been in a pool before, they can swim, heck they swim laps in the pool all the time, so the ocean is just a bigger pool for them... Well, pools don't have the waves and currents the oceans has, so all the laps in the pool don't mean poo in the ocean.. and, there are not a lot of sharks swimming in pools..

I can go on.. but I am.sure you get the picture... Someone who wants to swim in the ocean.. will.. not by just running and jumping in.. but by learning about the ocean and preparing...
Have you ever spent time at a truckstop watching the trucks... Have you been facinated by them for years or kust recently...


One question to ask yourself... For how long have you wanted to be a driver? What are some examples of your desire...

 

Here is another thing to check.... When you tell the people who know you the best that you are thinking of getting your CDL and become a trucker.. what is there reaction?
I have always been fascinated by trucks and truck driving... I had always know that I would become a truck driver when I got older.. so, when I told my family and friends I was enrolling in a truck driving school.. it was no shock...

When I was in school there were 5 other students in my class.. one day, I think it was the second or third day one of the instructors asked if any of us had toy trucks at home.. I raised my hand... I have several toy trucks.. from little hot wheel ones to bigger remote control ones... I was the only student that had toy trucks..

One of the reasons why something's were easier for me to grasp or learn was because of playing with my toy trucks... U actually do get a bit of insight in backing by playing with your toy truck... Learning how the tractor pushes the trailer.. I already had an idea of having to swing the cab this way to push the tailor that way.. and to not jack knife..

Now, of the 6 of us students, only myself and 1 other is still in or interested in trucking...

 

Every school has job placements which is a huge incentive to start that school for many applicants and why schools make thousands off unsuspecting applicants.Yes companies do have a reimbursement program.But what you applicants don't know is in order to get that reimbursement you have to be with the company for a yr and you only receive so much every few months till the amt of the school is paid.Also in order to qualify for the reimburments that carrier has to support the school you attended.So say you went to sage trucking and the carrier isn't affiliated with them then you don't receive any reimbursement.When I started thinking about trucking I said exactly what the poster said,I don't think im cut out for trucking and here it is a decade later and still doing it.The ones that don't succeed are the ones who only see negativityThe poster already knows what to ecspect in this carreer and its not going to change.You can either try it or stay home and work,thats up to you.You're not going to find a local job without OTR exp simple as that unless that local company has a training program.You have to pay your dues.We all did that.Alot of the reason why bad dispatchers is because of the drivers.They have like 75 drivers on their board and don't have time to listen to some whinining sniffling driver.I have seen those dispatchers work believe me its no picnic in what I like to call the war room.

 

"IF" what you say is true...the " I don't play well with others" you need to re-think trucking..you'll be expected...no obligated more the most part to do just that. Shippers that not only expect , but demand that you run illegal "sometimes" (read run an all-nighter to deliver on time , even though they themselves know it's not possible legally..IT WILL HAPPEN ) Receivers that expect you to UN-load & re-stack that load onto "their wood" (or hire a lumper) Dock workers that will take all day long to get you empty even though you're scheduled to pick-up another load to deliver 500 miles away and by 6:00 am....are you getting the picture....you''ll HAVE TO BE ABLE TO "play well with others" at least for a while.....

 

Well I work what they call linehaul for a Large LTL company essentially if you dont know what it is.. You run from one terminal to another within usually a ten hour period then you are home every day the first year doing this I made $82,000 gross and I was home every weekend and everyday.. About endorsments get as many as possible it just gives you more options..Just stay away from large over the road companys they dont pay crap and you are never home