Profile For Allison M.

Start sending out applications now. You could easily have several pre-hire letters in you pocket before your training begins. That will be one less thing to distract you during training and help boost your confidence (we all need some of that from time to time). Plus, it will allow you to have a firm start date (and place!). You will also be able to minimize the time between graduation and orientation (if that's important to you).

I'm a big fan of getting most of the hard work out of the way early in the game. It allows you to coast to the finish line (which appeals to my inherently lazy instincts) while everyone else is huffing and puffing under the heavy load.

Give it a try, you won't regret it.

Working on that now... Trouble for me is I'm not 21 so i have to find local companies that will take me on. Calling one back Monday to schedule a visit/interview next week that's a small excavation company (and pretty much exactly what i want, so any pointers in the dump truck/heavy equipment area would help) and I've spoken to several grain companies but they all said to call back closer to actually having my cdl because they might not have a position available. Understandable, as it's winter.

Sound like you have it all covered. When you take your test you have the option to skip questions that you might not be sure of, the test will end when you have the min number of correct answers. Good luck

Cool, didnt know that!

Im starting school with my local community college in a few weeks What can i do to prepare for my permit test? Getting my learners permit prior to the start of school. I'm doing the High Road program (which is INCREDIBLY HELPFUL!!) I've also read the cdl manual cover to cover several times. Is there anything else i should be doing, or am i just stressing?? I go for my physical on friday, and will be going to the DOT in the next two weeks to get everything settled for my permit.

You can post on Craigslist that you're looking for work, can't you?

I've been all over Craigslist too. Not recently, i was on about a month or so ago so some might have opened up. I actually did check in with a grain company about a year ago when I made the decision to get my CDL when I was under 21 and they said they had someone who was 19. So I've been meaning to give them a call. Not too sure where to look for more grain/ag companies other than sit by the highway and write down all the local yokels I see going by (which I have been doing more than I care to admit). But yes there are a lot of agricultural opportunities in my area.

And I'm planning on leaving for Texas in the next year unless I miraculously find a brilliant company, so I'll settle with pretty much anything that gets me some sort of driving record.

Look into refresher courses or specialized training at a community college or private driving school. They might offer a training class so you can get some experience with tractor trailers. Maybe a day course? You have all the road experience - judgment, stopping distance, attention, safety, etc. just not the equipment experience.

Ok so I'm 18 (yes, I know exactly what I'm getting into and dead set on obtaining my cdl as soon as possible) and am going to be registering for CDL school at my local community college soon. A close friend of mine teaches there & she recommended I get pre-hires as soon as possible even though I'm not going to school until January (and I'm super excited!!!). I totally agree, but it's incredibly hard to sort through all the major carriers on job listing sites. Most of the stuff I see is all OTR and obviously that's not an option right now. It's so discouraging, I don't even want to bother searching anymore because all that comes up is interstate jobs. I know there's plenty of companies that may take a chance with me, but how do I find them? Is there a keyword I'm missing or another trucking-specific job search website I can get onto that will weed out OTR and just give local jobs? Or should I jump onto quicktransportsolutions or the phone book and start making some calls?

Looking for anything - construction or tanker would be wonderful as I'll have my tanker/doubles&triples endorsements and the opportunity to train with tri-axles, tankers, and doubles.

Thanks guys! Thought it was an acronym for something, just didn't want it to be a regulation or something really important

Quick question about the pdf/printable pre-trip study guide... When talking about alternator wires, starter wires, battery wires, and electrical lines, there's a "(BBCCFTC)" referenced, always in parenthesis. Am I really missing something, is this somehow a typo, what is this?

Thank you! Yeah the thing has a higher center of gravity anyway with the smoker and stuff on top. And yep figured out the steering pretty quick! Have to make a near-90-degree turn right off the bat, so I'm thinking backing even just 3 feet would make the starting turn a lot better so I can get myself moving. Plus I'll be getting used to handling it at low speeds and as I build more strength I imagine it will turn "easier" am I correct?