once you get your cdl is it easy to get work?
 

How hard will it be to get a job after you go to school for trainning instead of getting hired by a company that will pay your schooling? Is ther really a big demand

How easy or hard it is to get a job after school depends on several factors.

The school you attend
Your age (over 25 have the easiest time)
Where you live
Your driving and criminal history.

Assuming you attend a decent school (160 hrs or more), have a clean MVR and criminal history, and do not live in like Maine or Florida (two of the toughest to break into the industry) and are at least 23 (25 is even better) you should not have any problems finding a job.

MaryKay, driving a truck is one of the most secure professions you can enter. Once you get a year or two experience you can go pretty much anywhere you want, providing you maintain a good work history and MVR. I read an article about the fastest growing professions in this century. Trucking was in the top 10. For you to do well you don't want to move around a lot. The better companies will not hire job hoppers. They like to hire those who will work through their problems or differences and stick around. I won't hire anyone who has had more than 3 jobs in 2 years.

and you don't mind making $30,000/per year for 75 hours per week. That's about $7.69 per hour.

Your pay goes up with your level of experience and specialization.

One thing you will learn about the trucking profession is that there is allot of negativity. You will get out of it what you are willing to put into it.

When it comes to good paying work, do your research, do a search on the past posts on this board, learn all you can and make an informed decision on who you want to work for.

A first year OTR driver can make in the range of 40K+ and an OTR driver with 1yr experience and a good MVR and work history can make 60K-70K. The key is do your research and don't jump into the first opportunity that presents itself.

Exactly, well said. Let me add that if all you want to do is get trained and go OTR running 48 states for weeks at a time then why pay $5000 for school. Go the company training route. In my case I did NOT want OTR and paid my way. I found a steel hauler that would hire me, paid me the same as everyone else, off every weekend, but OTR during the week. I made $1000 a week for a year and then got into local LTL work and now I'm home everyday making good money.

Prioritize what you want:
Money?
Hometime?
See the country?
Free training?
Then learn whats available in your area.

Snowman wrote:


My one argument here would be that these "free" school are not so free once you look at the numbers.

Example:

Pay for your own PTDI school and work the same company I do when you get out and you will be paid 33cpm

OR

Go to a "free" school and get paid low to mid 20s. Let's go to the high end to be fair and use Schneider in this little example. El Segundo said they are paying 27cpm out of school.

If you run 3000 miles per week for 50 weeks.

@ 33cpm = $990/week $49,500/yr

@ 27cpm = $810/wk $40,500/yr

The first choice pays $9000 more in 1 year.

I realize many people don't have the option to come up with the initial cost of school or the credit to carry them. But keep in mind. If you go with a free school and fail to stay with that company for the specified time you will be required to repay that company when you leave.

That doesn't mean that you will make $50,000/yr from the day you start your driving carrer. There is down time in the beginning where your not going to be making that $1000/week. What I mean by that is what ever time you invest in your schooling and the number of weeks you will be in a training situation when you're only making $2000/month. Or less if you drive for a "free" school company.

Once you get past that 1st year, $65,000 is very obtainable.

This is what I mean my research. You have to look below the surface.

This is an over simplified example of course, but I use it to make a point. You also have to factor in heath ins, 401k, profit sharing, etc.

If you don't have an adversion to working harder than you should have to and don't mind the continued risk of falling off your truck and breaking bones you might want to check out a couple of good flatbed companies that train. TMC and Maverick come to mind.

Good Luck