Worried CDL Student

Its a huge state, talk with Millis good place to start.
Their pay is above average for starters co.
They have regional work as well as otr

 

At least your researching before you start.
A lot of the complainers on here didnt research and probably found TTR after they got screwed over by "insert name here"
Tankers and ltl are both great areas to work in

 

imo, first year is the tuffest. new learning curve in a new industry. if you screw up, dont stress, fix it if you can. always come to this forum, top notch exp. drivers to answer questions. take it seriously, its gonna be your lively hood. do not let pressure get to you to run illegal, its your livelyhood. learn to manage time, even at school. some clowns in your class will know it all and distract you if they can. good luck, hope that helps

 

I like the ones that "did research" and decided CR England had the best offer.....then 1 month later I think they changed their mind for some reason......

 

Just keep searching. You'll eventually find sonething that fits what you're looking for. I'm in the same boat as you. Start CDL school the end of next month. I spent a lot of time on here asking questions and searching the web. Narrowed my list down to about 5-8 companies and started calling recruiters. I had about 7 pages of questions that I asked them and had criteria that needed to be met for me to consider working for them. After those calls the company at the top of my list I discovered I didn't qualify to start with. Luckily, I was able to find a fantastic locally owned company that meets everything I'm looking for.
Now I just need to get my license and get through orientation. This is a great forum that will provide you with a lot of info that can get overwhelming, but trust your gut and you'll be fine. Good luck.

 

Keep an open mind and be willing to change your whole plan. I am so glad I didnt with any of the 3 companies that visited my CDL class and gave their presentations. I actually found my company right here on truckers report. There's a jobs section that you can fill out. I randomly chose a flatbed company and I have been happy with them. Flatbed makes more money than other divisions. If you don't know what you are doing, don't worry.

 

Technically even low paid drivers at megas are not homeless. They have free housing and a paycheck. I think you're reading about the lease purchase victims. They're the ones who often end up working for free.

When I owned a house and all the toys I did not enjoy OTR as I missed home too much. Now that my "home" situation is grim moving into a truck has actually been a lifestyle upgrade. It all depends on your particular situation. I did local for a while around Chicago and it sucked. The traffic, tight streets, low viaducts, etc. This OTR gig is a vacation by comparision. Then again if you have a nice house, wife, and kids then that would probably work better for you.

 

I ran in my truck and it was home for many years. I had no reason to worry about it otherwise.

When I bought a home in Arkansas we paid it off early so that it's paid. Only had to worry about the utilities which came out to about a hundred dollars at most each month if that. Often we paid 6 months or more ahead when there was money and we did not know what to spend. We paid ahead so that when the famine came along with short miles we endured it well enough.

Savings is the key. Our ultimate horror came about on 9-11 when our payroll people were destroyed in the towers. That means no payroll at all for at least 6 weeks it takes to find a new third party processor and getting everything caught up. On the day of 9-11 we had about ten thousand dollars in savings. That kept us trucking when others quit and I don't think they came back. That savings went away because we had literally contracted to have a room replaced in our home so carrying that work through to completion and to carry on the road without being stopped by the terrorists was a big deal. A good accomplishment.

Im a tenant now. I don't even stress about the rents. It is what it is. Home ownership is all well and good, but rates and billing has increased beyond reason. Utilities were several hundred a month and no end in sight when we sold off our home. Getting out of that meant a form of freedom just being a tenant. No building worries or any of that. We don't plan on going anywhere any time soon. So there is that.

 

Dozens of choices for drivers living in Illinois. Some good paying trucking jobs also for IL drivers right out of cdl school. Most of the drivers complaining didn't plan well and jumped on the first job offer which is probably what the cdl school pushed.
Here's some you probably won't hear about in cdl school. All of these hire new cdl grads even if website indicates "experience required", so apply if you're interested:
Dynamic Transit - terminal in St. Louis and Ventura,CA.
Freymiller - fancy trucks set up right for long haul trucking.
Schuster - nations largest ice cream hauler; Blue Bunny Ice Cream.
FFE (Frozen Food Express) - terminal in Chicago.
West Side Transport - guaranteed minimum weekly pay, if you follow the rules.
Magnum Ltd.
*Note - get the hazmat endorsement; it's money in the bank. Even refrigerated companies sometimes haul a hazmat load such as paint or fingernail polish.