I'm 24, I Have An Accident On My Record, How Do I Become A Truck Driver?
Topic 2843 | Page 1
Ben, have you tried applying at any of the Company-Sponsored Training programs? I would start applying to as many of those as possible and see if anyone of them is willing to take you on. I have a feeling you might find someone who will give you a shot. That accident sounds fairly minor to me and I think there will be some who are willing to overlook it. The company sponsored training programs are basically a boot camp for trucking and you'd need to put your best foot forward showing them that you are willing and able to tackle this job no matter what they throw at you. They are looking for people with a "can do" attitude and will quickly send any slackers home.
Once you've researched that link start making some phone calls to recruiters at the various companies and see what develops.
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.
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.
HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.OWI:
Operating While Intoxicated
Welcome aboard Ben!
I agree with Old School. The accident was very minor and you only have one ticket on your record. There may be some companies that will pass on your for now but there will be plenty takers out there I'm sure. You don't need a spotless record to become a truck driver. It just needs to be pretty solid. One ticket and one fender bender in the past three years is no big deal.
Take a look at the company-sponsored programs like Old School pointed out. That's one approach you can take. Another is to apply for pre-hires before attending a Private Truck Driving Schools. If you're unfamiliar with the pre-hire process, we have an excellent article on Understanding Pre-Hires so have a look at it. But basically getting pre-hired means you Apply For Truck Driving Jobs and they will tell you whether or not you qualify to work there based upon your records - driving, criminal, and employment. If you qualify to work there they will then tell you which truck driving schools they are willing to hire from so you'll know what schools you can attend. The beauty of the pre-hire system is you don't have to take the risk of paying for school and getting your CDL just to find out you can't land a job. So you'll know before you ever attend a school whether or not you'll be able to find work in the trucking industry after graduating from school with your CDL.
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.
Pre-hire:
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.
Pre-hires:
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.
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My name's Ben, I'm 24, I live in Sacramento, CA, and my career goal is to become a truck driver. Ideally a big rig driver or anything where I can travel the country, but I'll take anything I can get to start.
I had an at-fault fender bender accident in November 2012 in which I, while attempting to park on a narrow street, ran into the back of my neighbor's car. I had insurance, got his and my car fixed, but now I have that point on my record. I also had several minor traffic infractions on my record in my late teens (minor speeding, talking on cell phone while driving, etc.) in which all of those points but one has fallen off of my DMV record. I checked last week at the DMV and I currently have two points on my record. I can confidently say that I am now a far better driver than I was and haven't had a single incident (ticket or accident) in close to a year and half, and I drive nearly every single day.
What, if anything, can I do to become a professional big rig truck driver with the record I have? I don't mind moving to another state if I have to. And if I have to wait a few years for my two points to fall off of my record, I'd do it. There's nothing I'd rather do. I just would really like to get my training and start a career as a profession big rig truck driver as soon as feasibly possible. It's honestly the only career I can possibly see myself in. If you have any advice at all you can offer, I would really really appreciate it.
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.DMV:
Department of Motor Vehicles, Bureau of Motor Vehicles
The state agency that handles everything related to your driver's licences, including testing, issuance, transfers, and revocation.
HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.