New Cdl Grad....local/regional/dumptrk

I wonder if the big name companies would take a new graduate with class a b c cdl for intermodal , straight truck division, or local cartage? My home will be in the Dallas metro area.

I do not care about being away from home for long periods of time at all. I am apprehensive about otr because of the sleeping situation: the cab (I get up a lot at night to use the bathroom) and the showering situation (i got to shower before going to bed, a must).

I could do otr if these companies at least pay a little towards a nightly hotel and the assurance my 10 hour reat time falls roughly between 9pm to 7am.

I am not worried about low pay. Im 45, plenty of savings and this is my new career after being a banker for 15 yrs.

Any input would be great.

Matthew, welcome to the forum!

I assume you already have some ideas about the demands of the trucking career since you touched on several of the things you insist on being a part of your job. Funny thing is, you are insisting on all the things that this career cannot provide! That is not a good way to start anything, much less a career.

This career involves long hours, lots of determination, and a willingness to do whatever it takes to "git er done." I've had some good long relationships with bankers who never hesitated to loan me money for my business. The reason we had such a good relationship was that they knew they could count on me to do whatever it took to make the payments on time. Trucking companies need drivers who take that same approach to their careers. As drivers we don't pick and choose what times we deliver the goods on our truck. Our customers have their own time lines, and we are here to serve their needs.

As a former banker, you know that a brand new kid from college coming into the bank as a loan officer doesn't get to handle the important large commercial customer's needs. They are doing auto loans, and such as that until they have proven themselves reliable and dependable at what they do. Later on the board of directors will trust them with bigger and greater responsibilities. It is the same way in this business. I started this as a second career also, at the age of 53. I didn't come in with any demands or concerns that I thought were reasonable for them to consider just because I was an older and more seasoned person. I came in, proved myself over time, and now I am making some good solid money running a dedicated account that I really enjoy. That is the best approach.

I could do otr if these companies at least pay a little towards a nightly hotel and the assurance my 10 hour rest time falls roughly between 9pm to 7am.

Matthew, that will never happen! Sometimes you are going to be delivering to a grocery warehouse at 3 a.m. Other times you will be picking up a live load at midnight. It's funny how many people take for granted that when they go to the supermarket, at whatever time they want, the goods that they desire to purchase will just magically be there on the shelf. Well the reason that magic takes place is because there are several million dedicated professional drivers out there making the sacrifices necessary for consumers to enjoy the luxury of that convenience.

I do not care about being away from home for long periods of time at all. I am apprehensive about otr because of the sleeping situation: the cab (I get up a lot at night to use the bathroom) and the showering situation (i got to shower before going to bed, a must).

You make it pretty clear that you don't want to be an OTR driver, and that is understandable. Just realize that most of the drivers who do the type of jobs that you are interested in got their foot in the door by doing over the road for a few years. Not everyone takes that career path, but it does seem to be the most common way to get yourself into a local driving job. There are good solid reasons for that. Maneuvering one of these gentle giants in tight places is a common and often required daily skill in local driving jobs. That skill set comes much easier to an experienced driver who has been over the road for a while honing his skills. Often times we have had new drivers come in here who went local first - each of them had very good reasons why they needed that type of work, just as I'm sure you see your own demands as reasonable. Unfortunately it often turns out that they get into a few minor accidents and then their new career is over - that's right, no one wants them now because they have accidents on their record and not only are they seen as a risk to the employers, but also to the insurance underwriters.

Okay, forgive me if this is stuff that you already know and have considered, but I just wanted to clarify some of it not only for you, but to the others who will see this. Having said all that, if you insist on taking the local route first, I recommend you start a conversation with a recruiter at the Knight Transportation terminal in Dallas. Each of the Knight terminals has local jobs available for trusted drivers, and I know that they do a good bit of inter modal work out of that terminal. Explain to them what you are looking for, and maybe you will get lucky and avoid all the things that you deem unacceptable in this career. I hope you can work it all out, but I'm here to tell you that it is a "tough nut to cut," the way you are wanting to go about it.

I'm sure that there are some other companies doing that same type of work out of their Dallas terminals. Schneider, Swift, and J. B. Hunt come to mind.

I wonder if the big name companies would take a new graduate with class a b c cdl for intermodal , straight truck division, or local cartage? My home will be in the Dallas metro area.

Matthew screw the 'big name companies' check out local construction companies mine is 'family owned' - if Dallas is anything like Atlanta "B Class" drivers are in great demand, pay by hour with over-time, home every night we are busy as 'ell!!

For example: google "concrete supply fayetteville" I drive a beautiful 2006 Peterbilt tandem conventional with a 9 speed, C13 CAT! While bigger companies are tending more and more toward dreaded "automatics" there's nothing quite like going home after a 13hr traffic duty day!!

PS: I would never drive "per mile" again! I get PAID to sit in increasing horrible traffic probably average (lol including 'off road' deliveries) about 250, 300 miles/day!!

Sounds like the big name companies wouldn't be where you would want to be. There are a bunch of local companies all over the country that need local drivers though. You will have to do some legwork in applying to most of them one at a time, but they are out there and have jobs that pay pretty well for what you are doing.

I have been looking at Regional and OTR work because they offer things that appeal to me. I am willing to put up with the inconveniences of sleeping in a truck and having to use public facilities in exchange for that, even though a year ago I never would have agreed to it. I just want enough of it to suck it up and put up with the rest.

My brother on the other hand doesn't like being away from home. He doesn't even like staying in hotels where he has as private bed and shower. He ended up getting work with just a B, driving straight truck flatbed hauling equipment and supplies to and from construction sites for a concrete company. It is perfect for him because he is home almost every night (only had to get a hotel twice last year and 0 times this year so far). He does get called to work on Saturdays somewhat often and even a couple times on Sundays but, from the numbers I have been looking at, I expect to get paid less my first year with an A than he does with his job.

You have to figure out if the good can outweigh the bad for a Regional or OTR job. If not, look around locally. You should be able to find something that offers home every night. There are jobs out there for home-every-night, especially with smaller companies that don't always do the best at advertising their open positions. Straight van, straight flatbed, and dumptruck pop up all the time when I look at jobs in my area. Construction companies and quarries frequently have jobs pop up in the local papers. If you don't mind some work loading and unloading, search jobs in your area with the "Route" tag. Most should be home daily jobs that pay an hourly rate and many won't need a full A. If you are coming in with a good clean record (driving and criminal) and a good work history, you should be able to find something that pays decent and gets you home every night.