Profile For Tereza B.

To update, I got a call back from the school (Hawkeye college in Waterloo, IA) and they said there are no requirements regarding how long one must have held their Driver's License to get a CDL. I also called DOT and they said the same thing. However, the lady warned me there might be some issues regarding a background check, she said it could take even a few months (she became a little worried when I told her my GC was currently just a sticker in my passport, since it takes the feds up to 6 months to send me the physical card). So we'll see.

I am currently looking for companies that sponsor CDL training, hire teams and don't have any requirements that I can't pass as a new permanent resident in the states :/ This was supposed to be a way to find reliable, stable employment (and to find it fast) and it's turning out to be just as much of a pain as finding a regular day job lol. If you ever wonder why immigrants don't work, think of me please. My husband and I have spent almost 2 years (and a lot of money) getting me here legally, so that getting an ID, job, insurance etc. wouldn't be an issue (and because we're not criminals) and yet we have to deal with a bunch of red tape trying to do even basic tasks. Sorry for the rant. I will probably post a separate topic for this, but if anybody has a recomendation for a company that sponsors cdl school, hires teams and is in/near Iowa, it will be greatly appreciated. So far, I have found Schneider and Hirschbach, although I have never heard of the latter.

Hey Tereza you may be able to get an answer very quickly contacting Iowa DOT Motor Vehicle Enforcement on Facebook. I've sent them numerous questions in the past and often times get an answer within an hour. They're the white Tahoes marked "state officer" on the back you see that strictly deal with commercial vehicles.

Thank you, I will do just that :)

To answer BK and Kearsey - Thank you for your advice, but I don't think that will help us much (me just sitting there while he drives). The entire point is that we BOTH need to make money (and I need insurance, although he could probably put me on his then). If I can't get a cdl, we will have to start looking for other options. I would love to be 21 again and have all the time in the world to do what you're suggesting, but we're a little older than that and wanna have a family someday ... I don't think I need to explain further.

I will call iowa dot and the school and probably Schneider next week to verify that recquirement and we'll go from there. We have definitely reconsidered going to a private school, especially because of my "unique" situation. We'll look at some of the companies that would pay for our training and eventually let us drive for them as a team and make sure that I can get the cdl, before we invest any money in it. I will update here once we find out the exact recquirements, in case anyone here is in a similar situation in the future :)

Now I'm looking at another driving school that we're considering and on their website it says "Must have held a valid drivers license for 2 years. " so I hope that doesn't mean "valid US driver's license.

Unfortunately for you, yes it does mean a U. S. Driver License has been held by you for 2 years. None of your former country's driving counts here in the States when applying to get a CDL.

Laura

Could you (or somebody) point me to a resource where it says that? I looked at the iowa dot website and I can't find any mention of that. I called the the school on Friday to ask that specific question and the lady said she will call me back next week, because she didn't know the answer either. Thank you!

Do you have an immigration Visa now? Have you had a US driver's license at all? What about any documentation of US work history? These are just some minimum requirements you will need before you can be employed by any reputable trucking company.

Many companies are looking for team drivers, and especially husband and wife teams.

Trucking is far from a dying industry. It's the complete opposite by a long shot.

There may be some regional team jobs, but team trucks are normally for the lengthier trips across several states in a few days.

I would recommend that you use the Search Bar at the top of the page, and perform any research you need on here. Much more reliable than Google, Indeed, or general internet sites.

I'm here on a marriage based visa, so I got a green card right away (aka, I can legally work here). I'm just getting my US driver's license. I honestly haven't considered that not having had a US driver's license for some period of time could be a problem (since I've had a driver's license for 8 years). I don't have any history of work in the US, except I have worked for a US based company and my bosses were US based, so that could maybe help.

My question is, how long have you guys been in the US and how long have you had a driver's license for a personal vehicle?

Others will be along before long to answer your questions...I gave to get rolling to my receiver.

Laura

My husband is a US citizen and has had a license for 10 years. I have had my driver's license for around 8 years and now I am in the process of getting Iowa ID. I mentioned that when I called the driving school and the lady didn't say anything. Now I'm looking at another driving school that we're considering and on their website it says "Must have held a valid drivers license for 2 years. " so I hope that doesn't mean "valid US driver's license.

Me and my husband are considering getting our CDL together and going otr. I have just moved into the country (I come from Czech rep.) and it is very difficult for me to find a job in rural Iowa (somehow I'm overqualified and not qualified enough for anything at the same time). He suggested doing this as he too needs a change of pace and we hear that team driving can make decent money. Originally we wanted to settle down and start a family once I get my visa/green card and move to the states, but since the housing market and economy in general are what they are, we are now leaning towards the path of working for a few years and saving up as much as possible and then buy a house etc.

Since my husband is working full time, I am the one doing most of the reaserch into this. I called the local cdl/ truck driving school and was informed that they run courses for beginners starting May (as to not teach newbs on ice), which gives us more time to think about everything and consider all the pros and cons. We will be paying for it ourselves (in case that's relevant). My first question is, how feasible it is for a company to hire two brand new drivers as a team? I assume there will be more training to be done once we get hired for a company, but we don't really know what to expect or how things have changed since the last year's mandate. Most of the info on husband/wife teams is about couples where the man is already an experienced trucker and then the wife joins him, but I can't find much about how to start out togehter, if it is possible at all. Another question I have is, is team driving reserved to OTR only, or is it possible to find a regional job like that as well? . And what would be a reasonable expectation as for pay these days?

I know none of you can tell us whether or not this will be a good path for us and I see all kinds of contrasting opinions online, including those claiming trucking is a dying industry (I don't quite believe that, not in this country), but I will appreciate any insight or tips on what to consider that we might not even know about. Thank you.