17 Yr CDL...Not Enough Experience
Topic 16319 | Page 2
Karla, hometime is the issue you're facing with England. As you say, they don't hire south of Orlando, because they just can't get you home, and students quit when they have to pay for the fuel to get home. I am still waiting for a call back from Ryan Mendenhall from C.R. England's school, Pemier, though I make no promises lol. Relocating seems extreme, so I called Swift, and though they aren't hiring from your area for the academy, she did say that if you took a refresher course, they'd have no problem taking you on as an experienced driver. She also said that they reimburse tuition up to $5000 asset a rate of $150/mth.
Argh..autocorrect lol...asset should be "at".
I know Werner hired from that area. They have a terminal in Lakeland. I live in Bradenton and drop off trailers at the Lakeland terminal when I go home. I don't see that they would have a problem hiring you, though I expect they would at least require you to go through training and possibly even take a refresher course at a school before coming to them.
The school I went to, Roadmaster, offers a refresher course. It's about a week long, but I have no idea what the cost is.
Terminal:
A facility where trucking companies operate out of, or their "home base" if you will. A lot of major companies have multiple terminals around the country which usually consist of the main office building, a drop lot for trailers, and sometimes a repair shop and wash facilities.
Dm:
Dispatcher, Fleet Manager, Driver Manager
The primary person a driver communicates with at his/her company. A dispatcher can play many roles, depending on the company's structure. Dispatchers may assign freight, file requests for home time, relay messages between the driver and management, inform customer service of any delays, change appointment times, and report information to the load planners.
Maybe you should apply to Averitt or Roehl? They hire down there and pay very well. Just a thought. But certainly the certoficate of training (or lack thereof) is whats holding you back. There were two older drivers at my school in a similar situation and HAD to attend CDL training to be able to get a job driving a truck.
Dont be afraid of loans, because most companies will reimbursr you and there are also federal programs like WIA that will pay for a private school or a refresher program to make you hireable anywhere.
Good luck and keep us informed on how its working out. Your experience would be very valuable info for others in your situation and to help those considering attempting to circumvent "the process" understand why the all powerful 160 hour training certificate from an accredited cdl school is so valuable. Without it, as you discovered, only fly by night smaller companies with possibly questionable equipment would hire you. Scary stuff indeed!
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.
HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.
I just heard on the radio that Schneider is starting a fly in program for people from Alaska and Florida. From the way it was explained on the radio they fly you in to somewhere that they have good freight lanes you work for 3 weeks then they pay you to fly back for 5 days of home time. It might be something for you to check out.
I got good news today and I'm probably going with CRST....I'm just happy someone is finally giving me a chance....
I got good news today and I'm probably going with CRST....I'm just happy someone is finally giving me a chance....
Keep in mind that CRST is ALL TEAMS - you will have to live in the truck with someone else the entire period of your employment - even beyond training.
You need to consider whether you can live in a rolling walk-in-closet with a stranger for the term of your employment there.
Keep looking. Werner, Stevens and a few others hire from around here also...
Rick
I got good news today and I'm probably going with CRST....I'm just happy someone is finally giving me a chance....
Keep in mind that CRST is ALL TEAMS - you will have to live in the truck with someone else the entire period of your employment - even beyond training.
You need to consider whether you can live in a rolling walk-in-closet with a stranger for the term of your employment there.
Keep looking. Werner, Stevens and a few others hire from around here also...
Rick
Thank you everyone for being so helpful and for all the support, when I first started driving it was easy to get a driving job local or otr. I understand laws have changed and I agree I need a good update, I really think companies would save money if they helped more people like me. Maybe they make money on the schooling I don't know, either way I would have went to a school if that's what it took. As far as team driving i'm perfectly fine with that and maybe I will make some new friends who knows. I actually like being a part of a team and with winter coming up it will be even better. I have never seen "real" snow....lol, i'm from south FL so for me to see snow and drive in it is going to be an exciting adventure....
OTR:
Over The Road
OTR driving normally means you'll be hauling freight to various customers throughout your company's hauling region. It often entails being gone from home for two to three weeks at a time.
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Which places have you applied to so far? I would try applying for as many of these as you can: Paid CDL Training Programs
SOMEONE will eventually hire you. One of the guys I went to school with already had a cdl through the military but he had to go to school to get the 160-hr training certificate because no one would hire him. He just didn't have to take the cdl test at the end of training like the rest of us since he already had it. I think he got a prehire from Werner but I'm not sure.
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
Prehire:
What Exactly Is A Pre-Hire Letter?
Pre-hire letters are acceptance letters from trucking companies to students, or even potential students, to verify placement. The trucking companies are saying in writing that the student, or potential student, appears to meet the company's minimum hiring requirements and is welcome to attend their orientation at the company’s expense once he or she graduates from truck driving school and has their CDL in hand.
We have an excellent article that will help you Understand The Pre-Hire Process.
A Pre-Hire Letter Is Not A Guarantee Of Employment
The people that receive a pre-hire letter are people who meet the company's minimum hiring requirements, but it is not an employment contract. It is an invitation to orientation, and the orientation itself is a prerequisite to employment.
During the orientation you will get a physical, drug screen, and background check done. These and other qualifications must be met before someone in orientation is officially hired.