just turned 21 years old and looking for advice on which company to drive for

[Ready2GoTrucking]

I just turned 21 years old and have been around trucking for quite some years now. My uncle use to drive OTR for years and became O/O in his career..He recently got out of OTR back in 2007...And my being around him the years growing up..i loved being around the truck and on the road...So now i'm looking for a company to join that would help me achieve my CDL class A license. I already have a CDL class AP..Does anybody have any advice on a good company that can help me achieve my class A license?? Thanks in advance

[repete]

You will be in a better position if you pay for your own schooling and get your cdl BEFORE hiring on with a company. It will cast you some money but it will be well worth it especially if you have trouble with the company you choose to go with. If you sign on with a "training co. with only a permit you will have to sign a contract agreeing to work for them at a ridiculous low wage and stay there for a year or more. If you leave for whatever reason you will be billed for the "valuable training" you received!
If you have you CDL-A before hand then you have some leverage in not signing a contract.
Do a search on here it's all been covered many times in the past, but don't hesitate to ASK QUESTIONS here or prospective employers

BTW!! Do you have a clean license and background( any felony, or tickets dui) if so save your $$$ cuz you won't get hired
BOL

[Fredog]

If you live in Georgia, I suggest you go to the North Georgia Technical college in Clarksville for your cdl training, you will come out a lot better

[Hawkjr]

My man i knows the feeling!!! Um... i might suggest Roehl as a good company to get on with as they have a terminal in the Atlanta area and they have a training program, But i would go to the Community college first and then jump to there program as you will be ahead in your training process... There might be other local companies that have some type of training programs so check every and any place you can to see what they offer...

But as being 21 your options will be limited (I'm 22 and have a year and a half and im still having a hardtime find a nice company, will i did have one lol) most places want you to be 23, some even 25 to train!!

[Ronin]

I have to agree with hawk, finding a good company while young will be hard/borderline impossible. The companies typically do this for insurance purposes. (risk management and all that)

[Ready2GoTrucking]

Thanks for the info guys...I have a clean background and driving record..And i was kind of wondering if I'd be better off just going to a school...West Central Technical School here in town just recently got a truck driving course and i'm pretty sure i'm eligible for hope grant or something..so I probably wont have to pay too much out of pocket on it...CRST called me this morning wanting me to leave from GA and come to Cedar Rapids, Iowa and take their school and stuff..said i wouldn't get paid for 4 weeks..then i would be on a truck with a trainer for 28 days..then home for about 3 days or so then back out for another 3 to 4 months..He said that the 28 days with a trainer i would make $50 a day flat.. and they need me to sign a 8 month contract.

[repete]

Thanks for the info guys...I have a clean background and driving record..And i was kind of wondering if I'd be better off just going to a school...West Central Technical School here in town just recently got a truck driving course and i'm pretty sure i'm eligible for hope grant or something..so I probably wont have to pay too much out of pocket on it...CRST called me this morning wanting me to leave from GA and come to Cedar Rapids, Iowa and take their school and stuff..said i wouldn't get paid for 4 weeks..then i would be on a truck with a trainer for 28 days..then home for about 3 days or so then back out for another 3 to 4 months..He said that the 28 days with a trainer i would make $50 a day flat.. and they need me to sign a 8 month contract.

Use this as a last resort, not cuz it's a bad co. (I know nothing about them) it's just based on the pay. I went with Roehl and bailed after a few weeks, I'm not into creative writeing when it comes to logging also my trainer was an ass. I"m not saying the co was bad just the trainer. The co. did take care of the problem to our mutual satisfaction so score one for them.

[Ready2GoTrucking]

Thanks again for the advice fellas... I will be contacting the local technical school here in town and see about getting all my grants and everything lined up so next quarter I can start classes. Thanks again and I will update this message once i get everything setup. Thanks again!

[Ready2GoTrucking]

I contact the local Truck Driving school in town here yesterday and have everything pretty much setup now.. have a few papers to go and fill out but classes start July 7th. CRST contacted me this morning and i told them i was going to go with the local school here in town and he mentioned to me that I needed to contact him when i get out of the school with my license because everything looks great on my half and there will be no problems getting a job with them.. but i'll make that decision when time gets here.

[Hawkjr]

SAY NO TO CRST!! when you graduate you will probably doing team driving so i highly discourage this..Even tho i dont want to recommend this, look at U.S Xpress, even tho that have All-Auto's they have pretty nice trucks and keep there trucks clean and have a training program.. but you wont have much experience with an 10-speed...But please for my sake, say no to CRST!!

[repete]

What ever company you go with ask if the training truck is dispatched as a solo driver or team. Look for a company that dispatches as solo, that way your trainer is sitting in the jump seat instead of sleeping while you drive and vice-versa. To many new drivers have had there career and sometimes life cut short cuz of that!

[Joey Shabadoo]

Stay away from trucking...nothing but a burn job.
No friends, family, or social life whatsoever.
Some of the worst benefits around unless you go union.
Bad health acquired from poor diet and sitting on your ***** all day.
Work 15 hours, paid for 7.
Drive 1000 miles, paid for 900.
Nights & weekends spent in the truckslop, pickle park, or deserted get-off ramp.
No pay when the wheels stop turning...boatloads of uncompensated time/labor.
Rates are the same now as they were in the late 70's.
Grocery *****houses.

The better (best) driving jobs are drying up.
Most will never see one of these type jobs.
Just forget it, I'm serious.
The rubbishing around for chicken scratch is truly ignorant even if you are a hobby trucker.
.25-.37per mile is a joke. Holy Moly, they paid that 10-15 years ago!

[Dave_0755]

I know a guy that just finished Technical School for truck driving in South Carolina and he said it was a great program. It didn't cost him anything because of the grant from the state he got. He decided to not go into trucking after he finished but that's another story.

As for the trucking company I would first suggest for you to choose what type of run you would like to do. I prefer regional runs. Out 2 to 5 days and back home for a couple then back out again. That way your not catching white line fever. It's a bad disease to have and you can tell the one's that have it. They are cranky as **** and usually are on their last tooth or three. OTR is rough on anyone. My dad used to stay out as much as 4 months at a time with less than a week off before he was rolling again. That was back in the 80's. Most don't keep you out that much but still a 3 to 4 week span between hometime gets old in a hurry.

Several companies offer regional runs. I know Swift, Mid-South Transport, Knight, Arnold, Heartland and some others offer it around the Atlanta area. I would strongly suggest Mid South Transport to you. They have a great hometime and mostly stay regional. I worked for them for about 3 years. I don't know their policy on hiring new drivers. They do have a terminal in Atlanta you can run out of.

You might have to get 6 months to a year experience first but then you can be more picky who you work for. I liked Mid-South myself. The terminal manager in Atlanta wasn't the nicest guy in the world but the manager in Nashville made up for him and then some. If i was based out of Nashville I would probably still be working for them. People, routes, trucks, and schedules make a huge difference in a company you work for. It's not all about the money and benefits.

[BanditsCousin]

Let me ask this...

Why do you want to go into trucking?

Money, adventure, career, lost a bet...?

I got into it because I was around it a lot and spent many a summers on the road running to the coast with my Dad who ran hhg (household). It was a lot different experience thn if he ran freight and had to crank miles out. I mean he ran miles, but reloading and unloading process took time and we sight see(ed).
Inevitably, I got my CDL in college and started HHG and prusued it after graduation.

I guess I can relate, as I tested the waters at 22, also with a trucking background. Answer my question with whatever answer and I'll glad to give you my opinion with what I would do in your shoes, or just advice. No smart arsey remarks.....well, maybe if you say something off the wall like you LOVE buffets, etc.

The post above about being rode hard and put away and paid crap are true for the newb in most cases. If it's something you wanna do, and pay isn't an issue at all (and I'm talking enough to eat and have a little spending money ONLY and no bills at home), you could go with these training companies. Just set your mind to it and make a commitment to stick the terms of the contract out. Newbs willing to work cheap and go through the company sponsored traing (a major profit source for the carrier) and allow yourself 12-18 months to do trucking and see how it pans out.

You're young enough to kill a year seeing the country and getting by. But again, I am interested in your answer on the reason you want to get into trucking in more detail.

[Hawkjr]

Let me ask this...

Why do you want to go into trucking?

....
I am interested in your answer on the reason you want to get into trucking in more detail.

And my being around him the years growing up..i loved being around the truck and on the road

that all you need to know Bandit, its that simple, at least it was for me...

But what Joey said is half true and half out of hatred for OTR .. but your first couple years in trucking is probably going to borderline suck or just flat out suck... All depends how you take it and whats fun to you, odds are your going to be in a slow truck, have to sit at times at truckstops for a day or so and so on... but just put up wit what you can, try to find a regional spot where your out for 6 to 7 days and home 2.. Just know it wont be easy for the first couple of years plan and simple!!

[BanditsCousin]

Yeah, I know he was in love with trucks and the road, just looking for a more in depth reason like mentioned...like buffets. Maybe he's a loner, maybe he simply loves it, maybe hot dogs under a heat lamp are his favorite dish, maybe he wants to see each coast hundreds of times, or maybe just the money (however much or little it may be).

From my point of view, as a younger member on here as an OTR driver, I could give my perspective as well. The above information is pretty accurate though, and I won't discredit it one bit. That is all I want to contribute and help him do what he's gotta do.

Kinda reminds me of a slightly younger Double L. I miss that guy!

[Sealord]

Ready2GoTrucking - get the company you want to drive for lined up before you go to school. Would really suck to find out you have to be over 23 before you can to what you want. Won't even mention you'll be competing for that seat against experienced drivers including O/Os who lost their business due to the down economy. BOL

[BanditsCousin]

Real good advice. Setup a plan with a carrier and follow though. Take names for any guaratee and march on. My recommendation is Roehl , but I have no firsthand knowledge. This site can can give you aninclination and aspects first hand of carriers.

[rigidsporty]

First of all pay no attention to those who say there is no future in trucking... if it wasnt for my "class-a" I probably wouldnt be employed right now. Having a CDL doesnt mean the only job you can do/get is an over the road job. There are MANY other jobs out there that require a CDL without having to give up your current life to get. Granted most wont pay what OTR pays, but if money is all your interested in than I suggest bank robbery as your career as choice. LTL and food service delivery are just a couple that spring to mind. Personally I gave up $800 a week (take home) for $10/hr because I think happiness is more important than a few bucks. I'm home every night, off weekends, and I'm not handcuffed to a steering wheel. My 'free time" isnt spending 3 days in the bunk of a company truck watching the same movies on a 13" screen.

As far as "starting out," well there are several options to choose from. Most LTL require a year experience, but food service delivery companies will sometimes hire with no experience. Shop around, comb the classifieds, and more importantly... dont give up.

[GMAN]

You may check with Milliis. I believe that they have a training office in Cartersville. Southern Express is in Tunnel Hill, just north of Dalton. They had a training school at one time. I believe they mostly run to the left coast and back each week. As others have mentioned, I would check to see if you can find a company at your age before spending money on training and getting your CDL. Many carriers will not hire a driver who is younger than 23.