New trainee - can I apply online?

[LD27]

I start school on Monday. It's a 384 hour community college course.
I want to make sure I have several job offers when I finish school.
The instructor tells me that they have several companies recruiting at the school. I don't want to limit myself to the ones recruiting at the school.
In the meantime, can I apply to other companies online? Will they send pre-hire offers without a face to face meeting?
Which reputable companies will let you apply online?
I understand that I will probably have to do OTR for awhile to gain experience, but I'd like to be home on weekends.

Len in NC

[Jibs]

I found that when I applied online a lot of times the application did not go through. When I did not hear from a company after applying I called them and they told me they didnt receive my application. This happened with 3 or 4 companies. I just had them mail me an application and I faxed it back. Always follow up internet apps with a phone call just to be safe.

[Sheepdancer]

Really the only thing applying online will do is put you in that companies database for recruiters to call you and fill out a real application for pre hire. Some companies might pre-hire you before you finish school. Some might not. It probably would hurt to fill them out now, but it also wouldnt hurt to wait until you finsish school. With the driver shortage you are going to have tons of offers either way. If getting tons of phone calls every single day from recruiters doesnt bother you (many that wont be able to offer you anything until you finish school), then go ahead and fill them out now.

[Uturn2001]

Yes you can apply online to help get the ball bouncing, but be sure to follow up with some phone calls and expect to be filling out paper applications even though you filled out an online application.

Also do not make your decision to work for a company (or not work) based solely by what you see on their web site or by what is listed in a snapshot on multi-application sites like CAD. Sometimes this information is out of date. Be sure to talk to the recruiters and if possible talk to current drivers for the companies you are considering.