I graduated from Truck Driving school two weeks ago.
I live in Chicago and i've been trying to find a local job that will bring me home every night but nobody will hire me because of course I have no experience.
I know one of these bigger companies will hire me but I know I would have to go OTR for a few months for them.
So im thinking that if im unable to find something local within the next couple weeks im just gonna go ahead and do OTR.
I just wanted to ask for some advice from the older guys who have been in the industry long enough to know how these bigger companies treat their drivers.
What should I be looking out for?
How long is training usually?
How much can I expect to be making just starting out?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!

 

In talking with new drivers, training can run from a few weeks to a few months. Starting out you should be looking for a company who will give you the best training. If home time is important to you, then that is a question that would be at the top of my list when I talk with these companies. Pay is usually low with most companies until you gain some experience. Make sure you keep your MVR clean and stick with whichever company for which you decide to work for at least a year. Most employers like to see workers who can work through problems and stick with a company for a reasonable time. I have spoken with drivers who have had more than 20 jobs in 2 years. I rarely hire any driver who has had more than 3 jobs in 2 years. Good luck.

 

I have a suggestion. Try Roehl. You will have to stay after them in order to get hired on, but they do have what they call a Hometime Plus Fleet where you can choose to do a 7 on/7 off, 7 on/4off, or 7 on/3 off.

Granted the more time you take off the less you will make, but if hometime is extremely important to you then this may be the way to go. With a 7/3 option you should make at least 30,000 your first year.

A word of advice. There are several local companies up there in the Chicago area that hire newbies, however many of them will simply throw you in a truck with no training saying you learned all you need to know in school. If you run across one of these outfits run away. Over the years I have crossed paths with many drivers who were beyond lost because of these types of jobs.

 

Hey Uturn, is that 7/3, a slip seat job

 

I do not know.

 

Not many but some do offer to get you home most weekends, and a few will guarantee this. Just starting out is hard, and can sometimes mean that you have to be gone for a couple of weeks at a time.

Flatbed Companies seem to have a better ratio of getting home more on the weekends than most.

My advice would be go to a Truck Stop and get the small Magazines that have all of the companies listed on them, look them over and start calling.

One thing that schools don't remember to tell students is that after a period of time from completing school and not driving, you will have to get a refresher course, at guess where (Driving School)

I worked at on for a couple of years.

Most of them time this is 90 days for most companies, but some are on a 30, 45, or even 60 day limit.

Cost of refresher course could be 2 to 3 grand.

 

Try Roehl since they are in your area and do training out of the Gary, IN terminal. They are a training company and that is what you need right now. I was with them for 2 years and got my training through them. The only reason why I left is because I had to relocate to the PNW for family reasons otherwise I would have stayed with them. Would I go back to them?...yes because I like their flexibility in hometime. Pay sucked but sometimes there are other things that take a higher priority.

Someone on this board said "finding the right company is like a marriage, can you put up with their BS and can they put up with your BS". They may be the right fit for you to get your private stripes on your shoulder (a bit of OTR time) then you can try the local. Lot of local companies will not take a new driver on without 2 years and that is because the insurance company is in the driver's seat dictating the experience a driver needs.

In evaluating companies looking for my new ride (Roehl does not have a PNW fleet), Roehl has the best hometime policy. The 7/4-7/3 is slip seating (3 drivers/2 trucks). The 7/7 is basically part time driving and unless you have another income or are financially secure you can starve on weeks when freight is slow (tried that fleet during a time I needed to be home for things). Most of the drivers are on the schedule that putting in 11-17 days you are home 3 days. Some stay out much longer but it is more your decision your schedule.

They do have a good training program. With any training company, it can be a roll of the dice getting a good trainer. I got lucky and had a super trainer who I still talk to at times for advice. Roehl does teach good safe driving skills. Try to stay with any company you choose for no less than 1 year. Push your ego to the back, hunker down and learn as much as you can in 1 year. Take the 2nd year to polish up and then go job hunting. Keep the driving record and drug record spotless and then you will be a desirable driver to another company in time.

Roehl requires you to be into their training program within 90 days of completing CDL school.

Wish you luck and if you have any other questions on Roehl, please PM me so we don't bore anyone else on the topic. Even though I am no long with them I am willing to share what I know with new drivers.

 

You might try getting on with one of the LTL carriers as dock help, then wait for an opportunity to move up to casual driver status, then onward to full time driver. The process can take some time, but I've known guys who've had success going this route.

You can sometimes do a similar process by signing on with an excavation contractor as a laborer and move up accordingly. Some smaller outfits will start you as a 10wheel driver (straight dumps) then move you up as a seat becomes available. This might not be a good option now, as my driver friends in Chicago tell me construction is totally in the tank there and even the experienced guys aren't always gettin 40 a week. But, it's worth a look.

 

Check out Valley Express out of Oshkosh WI. You also could check out HO Wolding they get over 90% of their drivers home weekends.

 

I am not trying to rain on your parade but it took me a good 3-4 months to find a local home daily job even after I had 15 months OTR with no accidents/points on my license. I had several interviews and many rejections due to lack of experience.

It has a lot to do with where you are located and some old fashioned luck and knowing the right people.

GOOD LUCK