Profile For Aldo H.

Thank you very much for the info. Really helpful.

Sorry for late reply, thx for the information.

Yeah I`m thinking the same way that I will be doing this for long term period and I do not want to choose wrong path regarding this division.

I`ve heard that hauling gas is quite promisable as well as the income and I just realised that hauling milk is pretty heavy job. Do you think hauling gas is easier compared with milk? (including any other things outside hauling)? Thank you

You are putting the cart before the horse. You need to figure out where you are going to live, get your CDL and get 1 yr of experience over the road. That's all BEFORE thinking of driving a tanker with fuel/gas. Once you have your CDL, you can see if hauling milk is available where you are at and if they will take a trainee with a freshly minted CDL.

Like I said in my other reply, Idaho is 3d in the States with the number of dairies and cows. It's hard work and a couple companies are now taking new drivers without experience because of the lack of experienced drivers. Other States have dairies, but not as many cows, so less drivers to haul milk. It may be harder to get a job in those places.

Get your experience OTR. Many companies do not consider local driving or Class B as experience. Driving jobs are still in the companies favor.

Sorry for late reply, thx for the information.

Yeah I`m thinking the same way that I will be doing this for long term period and I do not want to choose wrong path regarding this division.

I`ve heard that hauling gas is quite promisable as well as the income and I just realised that hauling milk is pretty heavy job. Do you think hauling gas is easier compared with milk? (including any other things outside hauling)? Thank you

Last but not least, currently I also have a family ( my wife and a child ) and I think being local intermodal truck driver will be the best choice so far for me. My question is, is there any kind of local truck driver (gas, dairy, hazmat hauler, etc) which provide good or even better income than intermodal in arizona phoenix? Appreciate it!

I think you would be better off down in Phoenix AZ getting your CDL including your HazMat. However, don't expect to haul gas or fuel until you have at least one year experience and many companies want 2years.

As for milk, Idaho is 3d in the Nation for dairies. Not enough drivers, so several of the companies are now advertising for new drivers and they will teach you after you are done with school. It is hard work even for younger drivers when you have to chain up in mud to get out of the milk transfer yard and climbing up the ladder hauling a 30 lb empty hose to wash out the tank. I had put in for yard jockey and got an interview. Turns out that they wanted me to haul milk. $25/hr for daytime and $26.50 for nights. I can climb the ladder....but not hauling a 30 lb hose! Then wash out the trailer??!! Not at 73!! So, looking for any kind of work now. If I can't get something in the couple months, then it's back over the road again.

Go to a company school and good luck!

Hi. Thx for the information. Appreciate it!

So, compared with arizona, phoenix, which one is easier to obtain cdl? I did some research that arizona has quite a lot of development regarding manufacturing such as nestle, semi conductor company from taiwan i believe. Furthermore, there are more free paid cdl program in arizona phoenix such as swift (hq in phoenix) and etc.

Last but not least, currently I also have a family ( my wife and a child ) and I think being local intermodal truck driver will be the best choice so far for me. My question is, is there any kind of local truck driver (gas, dairy, hazmat hauler, etc) which provide good or even better income than intermodal in arizona phoenix? Appreciate it!

Ahhh! A fellow CDL holder from WA - or soon to be.

If I can offer some advice as someone who just obtained their CDL in WA last year (2024) and is now driving at one of the mega carriers.

I went to CDL school (unfortunately they went out of business due to some shady business practices us students weren’t aware of, but that’s beside the point for the sake of this post.) Your best bet is to find a CDL school here in WA and go through the whole program to get your CDL. I would recommend doing a search on Google for the best ones currently. Avoid CDS and 160 Driving Academy if you can.

I will also say WA state is VERY STRICT for getting a CDL. It is historically one of the most difficult states to obtain a CDL in. I’m not sure how that stacks up in 2025. But they are really on it. 4 weeks of school and then the state exam is pretty involved. They nitpick everything. KNOW YOUR PRE-TRIP inside and out. STUDY STUDY STUDY. I was a one and done who passed their exam first try with the state. I was then hired by Schneider running OTR out of their western WA terminal right out of school shortly after I graduated and got my CDL. To my knowledge, Schneider hasn’t been hiring much for this area anymore since I got hired but Swift and JB Hunt also run out of here so check them out.

Best thing is do your research. Lots of trucking companies in the western WA Seattle area but vast majority of them won’t hire without prior experience. Focus on getting the CDL first but just be aware that WA is a lot stricter than some other states to get your CDL in. Any school here will take your money. It’s up to you to pay attention and study and be prepared for the state exam.

Good luck!

Hi. Thx for the information and sorry for late reply.👌

No, companies still offer aid CDL training. Just not from certain states.

North Carolina allowed my road test to happen in Pennsylvania. Washington laws require your road test to happen in WA with an examiner from WA. Prime doesn't have a training facility in Washington, so complying with the regulations to get a student tested is cost prohibitive. So, the answer is, no WA based students.

Hi. Thx for the information. So, based on the explanatiin above, with the state laws, most companies do not provide any more paid cdl training sponsor? Cmiiw tq

Washington state has imposed legal requirements on their training. For this reason, Prime will only accept CDL holders from there and no students.

Apply to every training company and see who will take you. You may want to call a CDL to school ONLY to find out what the reasoning is... i dont recall at the moment.

Most of us on this site recommend company sponsored school for many many reasons... but sometimes state laws get in The way.

Thank You very much for the information. Appreaciate it!

Hello! I have knowledge with Swift, I no longer drive for them as of October but I did 2 years on dedicated that had me in Seattle weekly, so I’m very familiar with the structure of the Costco dedicated that’s based in Sumner. You may or may not be trained in Lewiston it will depend on Swift, but regardless of where you train you will have opportunities open to you after the upgrade. You don’t have to be based where you live, if it’s preferred then you can ask and will be based out of Sumner, as well as dedicated Costco and there are several other accounts based in Nor Cal that still have the options or you being home weekly or Bi weekly. Costco is a home weekly. Many options, and Swift from all that I know in that area would be a great option.

Hi. My name is Aldo and I will move to seattle in April 2025. my Question is :

1. Is there any truck driver companies that provide free/paid cdl training in Seattle or surrounding area? 2. Regarding Swift Transportation company, I have checked that Swift provides free cdl training but the location is outside WA ( Lewiston, ID). So, Is it possible if I attend the training program which is located In Lewiston, ID and after completing the training program, I will be back into working In Seattle?

Thank you for the Attention