Profile For Eli K.

Hello guys ,My story is i came to america when i was 16 went to school and 1 year of college, now im 19 and a half and got my first job , i will stick there till 21 and apply for a truck sponsored cdl program , will i face issues with employment history as it will only be like a 2 year employments? Thanks

Hello i am 19 yo and I know I want to become a truck driver but I am not sure if the required age is 21 or 23 ? Some companies says 21 and others 23 . Thank you

You’re right , i was thinking of going to private school because its a 1 on 1 training and i am afraid of failure so my plan was to go to a private school first ( i have the money ) if i get my cdl , i would work for any company that accepts me , if i Fail , i would go to a sponsored training so I would repeat the whole training twice and there is no way i could fail . But I will go to a sponsored training like you suggested me. Thank you man

Thank you for your advice, should i go to a private school at 21 and try to get some prehire letters or should i wait till i reach 23?

When you're about to turn 21 I would check out "company sponsored training". You'll go through school on their dime (as long as you commit to usually 1 year) and you'll have a job waiting for you as long as you pass the schooling and don't hide anything on the application. The other upside is it's much cheaper. The school my employer put me through at no cost to me was $4,000 , where Roadmaster in Tampa FL was almost $9,000 when I'd checked them out. It isn't going to make a difference in the long run whether you do private school or company sponsored training so why pay for it? Many people think that they're a "free agent" if they go private school because of the driver shortage. In reality it's a myth. The industry has a shortage of top tier drivers. You will most likely end up working for one of the mega carriers for atleast your first year anyway .

Thank you for your advice, should i go to a private school at 21 and try to get some prehire letters or should i wait till i reach 23?

Somebody will definitely hire you. The biggest thing is they want to see you were doing something productive whether it be work or school. However, some companies may pass due of limited work history, but more so your age. Yes you may be legally allowed to drive interstate but many companies require 23 for insurance purposes. When the time comes if you go the private school route be sure to get plenty of prehires.

My company has a "23 is technically OK, but we prefer 25 or older" stand on age. But, we also require 18-24 months of Tractor-Trailer experience with Sleeper Cab (so, OTR, basically), so 9/10 times is a moot point. 23 yr olds don't usually have 2 years experience of sleeper cab work.

On last thing: Just know that if you're DONE with school, your real resume starts NOW. If you take a dishwasher job and quit after a month, then a pizza delivery job and quit after 3 months, and then a telemarketing job for a few weeks, etc... (I just made things up, please don't feel like I'm judging you, I just remember what it was like being that age) that will be the only job performance any company willing to give you a shot can base your work ethic off of. So find something you can live with until that driving opportunity comes up.

Friendly advice from a Recruiting Director.

I though companies like swift and cr England hires at 21 :(

Somebody will definitely hire you. The biggest thing is they want to see you were doing something productive whether it be work or school. However, some companies may pass due of limited work history, but more so your age. Yes you may be legally allowed to drive interstate but many companies require 23 for insurance purposes. When the time comes if you go the private school route be sure to get plenty of prehires.

Hello I am 19 yo , I know i want to become a truck driver at 21 but I don’t have a work history, i was in high school and now i am in college but after summer I will be dropping out and I will get a regular job till i reach 21 , so I will only have a 1.5 year work history, will that prevent me from getting hired? Thank you guys

You are right, I just read some 3 time failure stories and got a bad inspiration about the test , now I felt more confident after reading your comments

When I got my Pre-trip list at my CDL school I didn’t think I could possibly memorize all that it intails.

We go out to a truck everyday and split up into groups and go over it. We can focus on any thing we want too. For instance, if I was having trouble with the trailer suspension, I would have someone who already passed their pre-trip at the DMV help me with it. Every school is a little different however.

I now know it like the back of my hand. There has been millions of drivers who has learned this before us. You will get it!

Thank god I never got a ticked and I am very fit with no health problems . Can’t wait till I reach 21 !

Hi Eli, and welcome to the Forum!

First and foremost, keep your driver's license clean! You're at an age where a lot of people make mistakes. By the time I was your age my license had already been suspended! Tickets and citations will severely limit the companies that will accept you.

You can go the private school route, but I highly suggest Paid CDL Training Programs. You will receive the same training, and these companies will now have a vested interest in your success.

Don't sweat the pre-trip. You don't need any mechanical knowledge for this. You will simply learn what parts to look for, and how to look for signs of wear, damage, etc. People tend to over-complicate the process in their minds. It really isn't that hard.

Being afraid of failure is a losing battle from the start, you already know this. Keep in mind that there are gazillions of truck drivers out there. You can be one too.

In the meantime, check out our starter pack-

• Truck Driver's Career Guide
• Brett's Book: The Raw Truth About Trucking (free online version)
• High Road CDL Training Program
• CDL Practice Tests

Good luck and stay in contact with us. We are always here to help.

Turtle

Hi Eli, and welcome to the Forum!

First and foremost, keep your driver's license clean! You're at an age where a lot of people make mistakes. By the time I was your age my license had already been suspended! Tickets and citations will severely limit the companies that will accept you.

You can go the private school route, but I highly suggest Paid CDL Training Programs. You will receive the same training, and these companies will now have a vested interest in your success.

Don't sweat the pre-trip. You don't need any mechanical knowledge for this. You will simply learn what parts to look for, and how to look for signs of wear, damage, etc. People tend to over-complicate the process in their minds. It really isn't that hard.

Being afraid of failure is a losing battle from the start, you already know this. Keep in mind that there are gazillions of truck drivers out there. You can be one too.

In the meantime, check out our starter pack-

• Truck Driver's Career Guide
• Brett's Book: The Raw Truth About Trucking (free online version)
• High Road CDL Training Program
• CDL Practice Tests

Good luck and stay in contact with us. We are always here to help.

Turtle

Just signed up to this amazing website:) I just turned 19 and I know I want to become a truck driver but as I watched some youtube videos about the learning process, I am afraid of Failing in truck school specially when I saw the Pre trip inspection because I have Zero mechanic skills or knowledge. My PLAN is : When I turn 20 , I will sign up for a Truck driving school and go through the 6 month training and Do my best to learn as much as I can to Pass and get my CDL , If I failed, I would be close to 21 so I could sign up for a CDL sponsored program with a company Like swift and repeat the Whole Training again So I can insure that I will have better chances of passing . Is that a great plan or Am I over complicating the Process? I really want to become a truck driver but Just afraid of failure, I know thats a bad habit that is hard to overcome. Plesse guys give me your thoughts and thank you .