This trucking is confusing, help.

A new driver doesn't need to know much of anything about maintenance. In school,you'll learn to check the oil, check tire pressure and some simple things like that.
Community college is an excellent way to get started.
Where are you in the Northeast? Which state?

 

Welcome aboard to trucking.

First and foremost a community college and paid training carrier they will teach you how to pass your test. Your training really starts once you ride with your trainer. if time permits you can obtain your endorsements while getting your permit. As a company driver if you have any issue call breakdown unless it's a lights or something simple to fix. Also @Chinatown can provide you with good companies you can start.

Good luck

 

He’s right. Check the oil and coolant levels (when the engine is cool). Check your tire pressure every few days (kick them every day when you walk around inspecting the truck)

Community college is fine. I sent my kid sister to the community college and it cost me $1200. It worked out. Driving schools are just there to teach you the basics to pass the CDL test and get your CDL. The trucking companies will be the ones that will actually train you to d9 the job. You’re going to hear stories from fearmongers and gloom and doom stories from losers who are getting their first job ever in life at age 30 about how terrible things are. Do not be afraid, and you raised a daughter whose planning to go to college and so you’re not a loser. Do not allow any stories that anyone tells you to have a negative affect on you, okay? Practice listening and be prepared to learn. You will be fine.

Luck in battle.

 

If you decide on company sponsored training, www.cfidrive.com hires in NYC and is female friendly.
Company-paid Tuition
With a 12-month commitment to drive for CFI, qualified students can now receive fully paid tuition to attend driving school in Missouri. We’ll even cover your room and board for the duration of the four-week course.
CFI is proud to support female truck drivers.
One of our very own female drivers, Stephanie Klang, was named as an ATA’s America’s Road Team Captain. Stephanie surpassed an incredible milestone of driving over three million safe miles!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You can also do the community college cdl program and CFI will reimburse the tuition back to you in monthly installments.

 

Like others said you won't be doing any maintenance. You just have make sure the engine has oil and coolant. No big oil leaks. Check the tires and look and make sure everything is working. It's your job to make sure the truck is safe to drive. It's their job to repair the truck when needed. That's why most trucking company have their own shops and do regular check-up when you get to the terminal.

Home

I don't know if this company is still good but they used to pay pretty good for new drivers and they train. They claim $50,000 if you can drive 115,000 miles first year. I think the run the northeast. Most truck don't like driving the northeast. Not sure if your looking to see more wester or not.
CDL-A School

 

Trucks have become pretty close to living sentient self aware beings in their own right so maintaince is as easy as telling your company the truck broke Im sitting on the side of road at such a such over the satellite or cellphone etc. You don't know why it's broke. (Computer codes etc) Your truck has the ability to tell you what's wrong. Sometimes. Other times you need a bigger computer with a trained tech to hook to that thing in the shop and really find out what's broke.

Schools anywhere will teach you just enough to get a CDL through the state driving test without killing anyone or royally screwing things up.

You are apparently near NYC. Excellent. You are now already aware of the parkways in your area, bridge heights unique to NYC (Marking 12'6 inches when it's actually 13' 6 " high) all you have to do is look up. And there be the numbers.

To cross the GWB in your city with a Semi truck is about 106 dollars northbound tolls. That is not money you want to pay in cash. Whatever company hiring you make sure they have what is called a pass transponder for whatever toll system you use around the USA including the NYC Bridges and so on. That way THEY PAY ELECTRONICALLY and leave your money alone. You also can only use the upper deck of the GWB with a big truck. Lower deck has been banned to trucks since 9-11 for obvious reasons. In my time long ago I started there at that bridge among others and used either one as best to get to your Hunt's point several times a week with butter or food from Baltimore.

The Northeast is a parasite to the rest of the USA. The rest of the USA (Meaning west of the PA/OH Line and south of Richmond) has to ship everything there to allow people to live well. If you stopped the food, gasoline and really important loads like medicine (Linden CT comes to mind, they handle medicine for the entire east coast) everyone in the NE would be in difficulties within a few days with nothing to eat, buy or gas for cars etc. It's really fragile.

Everything goes into the NE, hardly nothing comes back out. That is why truckers don't like NE.

You think about payroll. That's fine. But consider your taxes, witholding, expenses, house expenses, road expenses and necessary to put aside whatever you are PAID FOR A LOAD GIVEN TO YOU... for SAVINGS.

Millions of truckers do not succeed because they have no money at all when something comes up there they are stranded.

I expect you to have a tough skin from being up there in NYC area. If you come to Memphis, Chicago, South side LA or other places around the USA be prepared for strangers to view you as a object. Not as a professional trucker. You will have a interactions with all cultures in trucking, even from Islam and others from around the world. So you will have to be very careful what you think and say in order to stay safe.

That is a worry for later. Once you get your CDL your REAL learning begins with your first day in Orientation at a company THAT MIGHT KEEP YOU. OR SEND YOU HOME.

You will do ok, just be very careful not to be snowed under with recruiter circus calling BS or whatever. Forgetabout it see?

People may lecture you about being a Career where you glide around the USA for 50 years and retire with millions you cannot spend., YA RIGHT. Trucking is a form of battle. Hour by hour, day by day and night you will stay out of trouble where possible and thus be able to earn the ability to keep your job. You wont believe how EASY it is to be dismissed, fired or killed and injured out here. So easy.

You will ALWAYS have questions about trucking. It is not a 9-5 job nor something you can waltz into either. Hazmat endorsements will require you to face TSA/Homeland security in face to face interviews for example. You might want to have it to be paid better, but it's not that much better for the bother and headache it brings.

Finally but not last. God help you when you wind up into a Grocery distribution center in a room packed with unwashed bodies and a staff that does not care about you or your load right now. Maybe 12 hours or more of waiting. Just to get a dock. Be very careful what you choose to get into with trucking. Everything has good and bad things. For me Medicines is awesome. Million dollar value loads and all drop hook, payroll takes care of itself the only problem is either Linfield CT or Memphis for me where all the thugs, predators and so forth will kill me instantly if they ever got a whiff of what's REALLY in that trailer in the way of sellable narcotics.