Profile For Fred M

What part of California do you live in?

I live in Monterey County

Fred does the company you work for employ both class B and class A drivers? I have my class B license and I applied at a local oil company that was hiring for class B but also had class A drivers. During the interview mentioned that they pay for the upgrade to class A if you prove yourself and then want the opportunity. If they do it would be a way to get that experience.

Hi, Nuts! My job will take anyone with any kind of commercial license. I am one of the few people there with a Class A, most have Class B or commercial Class C with air brakes, something I didn't know existed till I started working there. Biggest trucks we have at the company are Class B level straight tankers. That is pretty sweet that your company is willing to offer that for people who can earn the opportunity, I hope you take advantage of that!

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PackRat, Thank you. I am trying to shotgun applications right now. Hopefully something hits! In the meantime, I will dive into those resources.

Really interesting scenerio and I am not a training driver or anything like that just a trucker for UPS so take what I say with a grain of salt.

I am a guess you probably need to start out with a company that offers training like CFI, Schneider, knight, swift if no other option jk and get some experience explain your case to them and they might let you ride with a experienced driver as a refresher. Then get that experience and move to a company you like. Also you mentioned tankers so you probably got a hazmat and Schneider has a lot of tankers running around maybe that's a option if you want to keep tankers and class A driving.

In the morning some of the actual experts will chime in and hopefully they can help more :) hope it works out Fred

Hey, Chris! Thank you for taking time to respond to this thread! I appreciate it.

I applied to Schneider, Knight and Swift today! We shall see what they have to say and offer. I do have my hazmat, unfortunately I haven't seen any tanker openings for Schneider out here in California. Maybe an interesting story, or maybe not. Every now and then when I am loading my truck at my Kinder Morgan terminal I will have a Class A driver tell me their company is hiring, and some claim they will take me without experience. As much as I would like to, I don't think it is a smart idea to jump right into Class A tankers with no tractor trailer experience.

Hi, all.

I wanted to bring my situation here to see if the knowledgeable and seasoned trucking veterans here could point me in the right direction.

I earned my Class A license in January of 2022. After a month of looking for work, I was offered to drive for a company out west called KKW. However, some personal issues came up that forced me to try to find something local. I ended up getting hired on at a fuel deliver company driving Class B straight tanker trucks, doing wet hose work. It's been a year now working for that company, and the situation that forced me to stay local has resolved itself.

I want to move on from my current job and get Class A experience, but everything I have found wants some level of Class A experience in order to be hired.

My question for the forum is how do I overcome this dilemma? Where can I go to get Class A experience without already having it? Are there any companies that offer refresher courses?

Thank you for taking the time to read this. Any help is greatly appreciated.

For all those interested, here is an update and the job search. Prime kind of ghosted me, the recruiter contacted me on a Friday, told me she would call back the following Monday. Never got a call. I did send her a message to touch base today, see where it goes. Western Express assigned me a recruiter but I haven't heard from him, via email or phone. I applied to a company called KKW Trucking. They contacted me today. They said it will be dry van, 99% drop and hook, in either the Western 11, the state of California or Southern California, Nevada and Arizona, mainly Phoenix, the decision they say is up to me. So that's where it's at right now.

Have you looked into Witte Bros.? Raider Express? Pride Transport? All out your way, all train. I looked up KKW on SaferWeb. Hmmmm... well, just hmm.

Stevo Reno (on here!) Started out with CRST, and worked 2 plus years, and now drives for New Legends, out your way.

Here's his posts: Stevo Reno

Best of luck, either way! Did not Millis, nor CRST, reach out to you, via: Apply For Paid CDL Training?

Oh yeah; just don't lose the 'endorsement' (or get the restriction, should I say) re; manual, on your CDL. Doesn't matter which you drive!

~ Anne ~

Hi, Anne! CRST did contact me and asked if I was interested, but I had read some bad reviews on the web and shied away from them. Maybe I should reconsider. I will look into those other carriers. I had never heard of SaferWeb before, I just checked it out. What about KKW's profile caught your eye to make you go 'hmmmm"?

For all those interested, here is an update and the job search. Prime kind of ghosted me, the recruiter contacted me on a Friday, told me she would call back the following Monday. Never got a call. I did send her a message to touch base today, see where it goes. Western Express assigned me a recruiter but I haven't heard from him, via email or phone. I applied to a company called KKW Trucking. They contacted me today. They said it will be dry van, 99% drop and hook, in either the Western 11, the state of California or Southern California, Nevada and Arizona, mainly Phoenix, the decision they say is up to me. So that's where it's at right now.

In your new life, it's useful to learn how to form new friends. Start by exploring your new city and meeting people. In the end, don't forget about the people you grew up with and the people who will miss you. At the same time, keep an open mind and heart for the new souls you'll meet as you move on.

Definitely all important things to consider and do. Thank you, Coger!

And my opinion is different. I say learn on an auto.... Then later after you can safely turn, go through lights and observe everything etc... All you are learning is shifting. Taking a test then you will be much calmer. In MO u only get 5 points maximum for grinding the gears do it is an auto pass at that point.

Also... If you school and train on a manual now, then drive auto for 3 years... would you be able to operate the manual after 3 years? If you do a road test for a company you want.... Would you be able to shift or look like an idiot and fumble in front of you lr potential employer and desired company. I would rather have recent shifting experience before an interview/job change

Hi Kearsey! I seen you in the Driver Lineup forum! Anyways, I learned on a manual. What you said about then driving auto for 3 years is what I'm thinking about. If I do that, I'm afraid I'll limit myself for future jobs by not being proficient with manual, even tho I learned on manual and don't have an automatic restriction.

Although I do agree it’s overall easier to learn on an autoshift... however there is another way of looking at it.

Learning on a manual now, or later? Having the auto restriction in your license or not? I’d learn on a manual, no question. Learn on school time, not “making money” time.

Where I am currently working we have a mix of 10 speeds and autoshift trucks (it’s not an “automatic” guys and gals). I trained on a manual as I was learning how-to run doubles. Although at first I was a little rusty, within a couple of days all of the muscle memory came back and the “feel” of the gears returned without any loss of proficiency.

Had I not learned on a manual out of the gate (so to speak), it’s likely I would not have been a qualified candidate for the job I’m currently doing.

As far as being safer? That I do not completely agree with, especially in wintery weather. It’s debatable.

Many companies do not allow a manual override on their autos. This IMO makes it a bit more precarious keeping things under control during inclement weather. This has especially true in hilly terrain.

There is no right or wrong answer here. It all depends on what you want and how much more time and effort do you want to expend.

Another question to anyone willing to chime in. If I have the option, should I start out with a company that has manual trucks or automatic. I feel like I should cut my teeth with a manual. What say you, anyone?

Go with automated tranny. Much easier and safer. This, to me, is a no brainer. I wouldn’t go back to manual after having an automated.

Hi, G-Town! I learned on a manual at school, though I wouldn't consider myself anywhere near an expert in driving a manual. My concern is that if I start on an automatic then I will lose what little I know on manual, if that makes sense. I would also like that extra bit of control if/when I have to go on hilly terrain, like you said. Thank you for your insight.

Bruce, thank you for your insight as well, I really appreciate it.