Zoo Freight ?

I just finished my CDL-A training, at C.R.England, in Salt Lake City. I'm curious to know where I need to go to get started hauling exotic animals, like zoo animals. I get that I may need experience first, so what would be my best bet? Start small, like with cattle hauling or Petco? Wait. How does Petco deliver their animals to the stores? Do they have a breeding/distribution center or something?

Anyway, if anyone can point me to the right direction with the least experience required (like I said, I just got my CDL) I would much appreciate it.

Welcome aboard EndorPlumber!

Wow, that's a funny request. We've had a million questions over the years about different types of trucking but never specifically about exotic animals. So congrats on that! I'd love to hear why you're interested in that specifically. I would guess you have a serious connection with those type of animals somehow?

I don't know if there's any type of trucking specifically that you could get started in from day one that would help you land a job like that more quickly. Something like that would likely take at least a few years of trucking experience and chances are you'd have to know somebody on the inside. There aren't many jobs like that available.

I think you could do any type of trucking your first year and during that year do some research into it. Find out which companies haul animals like that and try to get some people on the phone so you can learn more about it. Most importantly, try to get in touch with some of their drivers. That's where you're looking to go so head straight to the people who are doing it, right? Heck yeah! So getting in touch with some drivers would be huge.

That's about all the ideas I have about it. Hopefully someone will chime in with more because I have no experience in that area at all.

Just please remember that your bridge clearance changes dramatically when hauling giraffes.

Thanks for the advice, Brett. I've never been credited as an "average thinker". I just thought, one night, how cool would it be to say, "I carried a rhino to the zoo," or "I just carried a Bengal Tiger 1,200 miles..." I've always enjoyed hanging out at zoos, and love "exotic animals" like that. I just think it would be the best of both worlds. It would definitely make cool conversation.

I did see that video on YouTube, The Dude, about the giraffe hauler in Australia (?) where the truck driver killed a giraffe by forgetting that his clearance was not as low as the bridge he just passed.

I've heard that there's a LOT of liability attached to hauling these guys. The value alone is considerable, not to mention: what if an accident breaks the cage, what if the animal is injured in anyway, feeding and caring for the animal, or what if the animal is sensitive to altitude change, like driving up the Vail Pass (I-70). Even my ears tend to get funky on that stretch. I'd like to turn the rumors to reality, and start learning for sure. Thanks again, for the advice.

A google search for "who transports zoo animals" gave some interesting results, and a link to this company among others.