I Dont Know What To Do!
Topic 13659 | Page 1
Hello Joshua. I think you might apply to companies that provide CDL training. If you get offers/interest then go from there. If you never had a CDL before they're only required to do a 3 year background check, although its their option. Assemble as much documentation you can get so they can verify your history. Good luck and at least get IRS form 1099's going forward.
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
- Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
- Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.
The real objective is to be able to tell a company what you've been doing for the last several years. If you worked off the book, ask your tree company boss for a note or letter stating your work duties and that you were regularly working between such and such dates. Trucking companies aren't really interested in paycheck stubs, they are looking for a solid accounting of the last five years.
And if you're still looking for a driving school, Company-Sponsored Training Programs may be a more direct path to a driving job.
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
- Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
- Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.
Company-sponsored Training:
A Company-Sponsored Training Program is a school that is owned and operated by a trucking company.
The schooling often requires little or no money up front. Instead of paying up-front tuition you will sign an agreement to work for the company for a specified amount of time after graduation, usually around a year, at a slightly lower rate of pay in order to pay for the training.
If you choose to quit working for the company before your year is up, they will normally require you to pay back a prorated amount of money for the schooling. The amount you pay back will be comparable to what you would have paid if you went to an independently owned school.
Company-sponsored training can be an excellent way to get your career underway if you can't afford the tuition up front for private schooling.
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So I hear that a lot of companies turn down candidates with gaps in the employment history, which I have a lot of. Im 28 years old trying to get into a career by going to CDL school, getting endorsements, passport, twic card, med card, etc. and Im nervous about getting turned down and getting all that stuff and spending all that money, all my CDL studying, and preparations for nothing. Im on unemployment now with an off the books job with a tree company since October when I got layed off from a fire protection company that I was at for a year. Prior to that I was working off the books for 4 years at the tree company Im with now, working off the books. Same as before these two jobs I was hoping around off and on the books jobs since I was 19 years old with long longest job being about a year and a few months. I just got partially on the books with the tree job last week and ill remain there until July, when I go to CDL school. Giving the short story I just gave what are my choices? Will there be a company that will take me or am I wasting my time? I really want to be a trucker and this will be the industry I want to have to retire from. As I asked in another post about the notarized letters from employers will this work for the situation Im in or do I need additional info?
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
TWIC:
Transportation Worker Identification Credential
Truck drivers who regularly pick up from or deliver to the shipping ports will often be required to carry a TWIC card.
Your TWIC is a tamper-resistant biometric card which acts as both your identification in secure areas, as well as an indicator of you having passed the necessary security clearance. TWIC cards are valid for five years. The issuance of TWIC cards is overseen by the Transportation Security Administration and the Department of Homeland Security.