Well due to the lack of work in my area as an Ironworker I decided to broaden my horizens and get my CDL. I will be going to Walla Walla Community College (In the top 10 in the nation as far as Community Colleges go). Anyway I am curious as to what trucking companies look for as fas as experience. I know alot of companies out there look for drivers that has at least 1 year of experience. From what I have noticed alot of the truck driving schools take about 4 weeks to complete. But with the community college its a full 12 weeks. I hear the community colleges are the best route to go. Do employers take that 12 weeks and where I got my CDL into consideration when hiring new drivers? Also any drivers out there have a good recomendation as far as companies to work for in Washington State east of the cascades? Sorry if I sounded like I was bragging about WWCC... I just found out that little tidbit and wanted to toot the horn since that area is where I grew up.
Some carriers will substitute the one year of experience if you are a recent (within six month) graduate from an approved school. I can't speak for each school, but it sounds like yours may fall within that category. Good luck.
it varies - FFE is advertising for what you have and there are others but it is not all of them & the area is rife with scammers ... I had been doing related work for decades so I hired a "rent-a-truck" place that would instruct for a few hours prior to the driving test and passed with a 92 + there are a lot of rules and regs to learn so doing a study course makes sense for a lot of people I have been looking and most of what I want seeks DOT regulated time but as far as recommendation there is plenty of discussion of that here.
In my experience both in the office and on the road the bigger companies will hire less experience because they can absorb the cost of you having an accident. Bad side of that is in my opinion the bigger the company the more you are just a number and you probably won't get paid much. They are however a good way to get the 1+ years of otr under your belt to move to a better company. Just be prepared to eat a lot of spam, beenie weenies and ramen noodles. Oh and buy smaller pants! A lot of didn't have to deal with the newer requirements you have to deal with now. It's not easy to get into and make it to the point where you are a hot comodity (sp) a shoe in. If you really want it and can survive the 1st year thats when it gets better. Hit me up if you have any other questions.
That was supposed to be "a lot of us didn't have to deal with the newer requirements" I left out "us"
I usually recommend Central Refrigerated. Mainly because I have personally driven for them and had a good experience there. They are large enough to keep you busy yet small enough to still treat you like a human being. On many occasions Central went above and beyond to help us succeed and solve any of our problems. This was very important and meant a lot to us. Central's pay is on the average side of the industry but their equipment is probably the best! They do have their own school but you already have that covered. Their main terminal is in West Valley City (Salt Lake), Utah. So its not too far from you. The biggest advantage for you working for Central is that they run a lot of freight in your area. This will make for getting home a lot easier and more often then usual. There are many other good companies out there. They don't have to necessarily be in your area. Make a list of your wants and needs and do your research. Once you have narrowed your search down to a couple dozen or so, then start calling companies and talking to the recruiters. Its also a good idea to have a prepared list of questions to ask. Keep in mind, you don't have to go with a mega-carrier just because you don't have experience! There are many, many other good smaller companies out there. They just don't advertise as much so you don't hear a lot about them. There are also many different types of trucking jobs out there! So think outside the box!!! Check out Craigslist and also here is another site that will help you find the smaller ones... http://www.truckdrivercentral.com/Truckingcostate/WAtdc.html Good luck to you....
It would be worth your while to check out System \ TWT. They're based out of Spokane but do a lot of running on I5.
12 weeks? DANG! I did 4 weeks at my community college. Albeit, it was the minimum of knowledge. They were more concerned with getting 100% their students to pass the state exam than actually making good drivers with skills. Mikeeee
