I'm Considering Becoming A Driver.
Topic 8991 | Page 1
If you cannot or do not want to obtain your CDL from a private school or community college, check out the Company Sponsored Training section here on TT. Read about the different companies, do your own research and contact recruiters. I just applied to all of the companies that looked attractive to me and after acceptance, chose the one I found best to suit my needs. The application process is easy as most companies use the same application program and you can easily just fire em off to the different carriers. Read the forums, ask questions and if you decide to go for it, definitely utilize the High Road Training Program on this site. Good luck.
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.
HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.
Any advice?
Logan, truck driving is a great career, but... it involves a commitment of being away from your family for weeks at a time. Now, if you have got a good strong marriage and you and your wife can agree and be on the same page about it you can make it work. I just want to warn you that trucking has been the center piece for a multitude of divorces. It has it's downsides, and that separation is one of them.
I started this career after my kids were grown, but not everyone does that, and some have made it work. You could always transition to a local job after you've got a year experience, and in some locations of the country you can actually get started in a local job, but that is not likely for most folks.
Take a look at our Truck Driver's Career Guide, and spend a couple of evenings reading through Brett's Book. Both of those sections will help you get a feel for what all is involved here and that book will enlighten you to the whole lifestyle part of this job.
Most folks who want to be around to watch their children grow up and maintain a close relationship with their wife will want to do local work, but most of the local driving jobs require at least one year experience over the road. If your wife and you can come to an agreement then you can make a plan of working over the road for one year and then trying to transition into a local truck driving job.
There you go, that's my advice!
Over The Road:
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.
HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.New Reply:
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Ok so I'm 26. I have 3 kids with my wife. I'm tired of working out in the sun everyday and busting my butt digging holes and carrying heavy crap to barely get by. My entire body hurts constantly from the hard manual labor I do daily. I have no experience in trucking at all, I have read a few of the forums here and that's about it. Any advice?