You CAN get a local job as a noob!

Good for you. Those local jobs are there; just sometimes have to search harder for them.

 

Moffets, Princetons, Donkeys, etc. are a bit awkward at first, but it shouldn't take you long to get the hang of it. Also be careful about extending your forks out too far when you have weight on the forks, because the truck-mounted forklifts are a bit lacking in counterweight. I think the Donkey was the worst for it, whereas the Moffets are usually pretty substantial weight-wise. Also be wary of your width - the lift will be almost as wide as your truck, as I'm sure you've probably seen. Basically, just be aware of your surroundings, make sure you have all objects as secure as you can have them (I had a dunnage board fall off the forks on me when I delivering a boulder once... busted a hydraulic coupling to the mast and caused me to drop the load)., understand the limits of what the lift can and can't do, and you'll be fine.

 

I have 3 friends that got their CDL & didn't want OTR. All fresh grads from CDL school. One walked in a grocery warehouse and was hired delivering to grocery stores & one walked into a boat manufacturing plant & was hired delivering those outboard motor fishing boats all over the country & the other got a tanker job hauling dry bulk cement to local cement companies. These aren't what we think of as traditional trucking jobs; so get creative in your job search.

None of these companies were running ads for drivers; sometimes just walk in and ask.

 

Oh, yeah.. if you can run a skid or a hoe (back or track), the lift should be nothing to you. The mounting and dismounting might take a couple turns to get down, but other than not, there isn't much to it.

 

Take. Your. Time. People will get annoyed. Expect that. Don't let anyone rush you. You're going to have to do a lot of backing that was never talked about in school. Think winding narrow streets with lots of mailboxes and car fenders that you will have to keep from hitting while backing around blind corners. Also manicured lawns and even not so manicured lawns.

If you run a steer tire into someone's lawn in order to maneuver around some obstacle, its going to leave a depression in the ground. And you can bet your bottom dollar that home owner will witness you doing it and will take note of the name on the door and start making angry phone calls. If you have to pull up 27 times in order to avoid running a tire over the edge of someone's lawn, then pull up 27 times. Leave no trace that you were ever there because it only takes one angry home owner to get you fired.

 

Use your head, if you don't think it's a good idea than DON"T DO IT! The customer just wants his stuff and will burn you in a heartbeat for any damage.

 

Congratulations and good luck to you!!