Need Help Deciding Which Company To Start My Trucking Career
Topic 9133 | Page 1
Welcome Andrew. Sorry we didn't get to this post sooner.
We have a ton of information on the various Company-Sponsored Training Programs out there. Read through that section and you'll find a lot of different opportunities. I would just apply to all of them and see who gives you a shot.
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.
I went to school to be a truck mechanic and have been turning wrenches for the last 4 years
How did you like being a truck mechanic? I've been thinking about going to diesel mechanic school to work on heavy trucks until my family is older, then I'll go flat bed OTR.
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.
Dave, It's very hard work but a lot of fun, I have learned a lot that I can take with me OTR but I got started too late in life.. If you are strong and able and willing to put your body through he'll then by all means it's a rewarding career. I got to know a lot of drivers and learned a lot from them as they learned a lot from me also....just one piece of advice though do your research on who is hiring in your area and what their shops are like.
Andrew
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.
I got started too late in life.
Andrew, I'd be attending diesel mechanic school in my late 40s.....I still go back a forth about the idea. What type of freight do you want to haul? I would love to be a flat bedder.
Dave
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I got my Class A CDL about 10 yrs ago and started driving for a guy Hauling Belly Dump Trailers and driving Dump Trucks for about 6 months. After the construction season ended I started driving Trash trucks to make ends meet during the Winter season. When Summer came around again I found out the guy I drove for the previous year had screwed over a lot of people and no one (in the Construction field) was going to hire anyone who drove for him. I did not want to go over the road at the time because of my parents health issues I needed to stay close to home. I went to school to be a truck mechanic and have been turning wrenches for the last 4 years and now I am getting ready to go over the Road.
I am from Minnesota and looking for a good company to start with that will train me right and get me a lot of miles with good pay...
any suggestions would be great
Andrew
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
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.