I have a suggestion for new drivers. If you want to learn how to drive an 18-wheeler, it would be a good idea to start as a local driver - as opposed to long-haul. As a local driver, you will back your truck to docks at least 4-5 times a day, you will frequently shift up and down, and you will make tight right and left turns everyday. You do all of these at low speeds, and so you will less likely crash it due to losing control at high speeds.

If, however, you jump right from driving school into a long haul job, you'll be driving that truck in high speeds, and you will have little chance to practice these mentioned skills. I myself did several months of local driving, and after that, long haul driving was not that much of a stretch.

Im more or less a rookie, and the above is just my opinion.. do more experienced drivers agree with this :?:

This is great if you live in an area that has this option...the problem is, most of us dont seem to live in an area that have many local jobs and alot of the local jobs that are available want experience as well or pay really really piss poor and you dont want to drop anywhere from 3 to 5 grand on school to get a 350 a week job. Thats a great idea on paper it just doesnt really translate into a valid option for most out there.

While you make a valid point about the backing and city driving skills there is another issue beyond what was already mentioned.

If the open road is your calling, many trucking companies will not recognize local driving, especially if that is all the experience you have, and if too many months pass between graduating CDL school and taking that first OTR position you will start hearing a lot of "No's" and "You need to take a refresher course."

Aside from that, most "local" jobs are using single-axle tractors and anywhere from 23' - 48' trailers.

I ran into a problem this summer after I left Pepsi and tried getting on with a local fuel hauling place that only required 6 months experience. Between Swift and Pepsi, I had almost a year driving experience. However, Swift only accounted for 3 months of that and they turned me down for employment on the fact that I only had 3 months experience instead of 6.

They wouldn't count ANY driving job where a single-axle tractor was used...it had to be 6 months on a dual-axle tractor. Just one of the many things that drove (pun intended) me to go back to college.

Yes, I did think in the back of my mind something wasn't quite right with that idea.. hah.. Well, it did work for me (actually I drove a tandem axle tractor. The trailer was tridem, but I dont care one way or another about the trailer axles). But some drivers who have the chance to work locally, might find that idea fitting. I certainly do enjoy driving long haul too, and it's good seeing different cities, and yeah the money isn't bad either comparing to local..

It's not that local companies don't want to hire newbies, it is their insurance carrier that will not write a policy on them. If you can't insure them you can't hire them.

Im stuck in a similar situation, I wen tto CDL school, got alot of seat time and I am driving a Chevy Kodiak 5500 hauling steel walls regionally on a 40ft flatbed. Its an automatic. I really wanted a tractor trailer job to get some experience but I had to settle for this, but I am home daily and the pay is OK

I worked as a yard jockey for a couple months. I got to be very good at backing, but when I got in a conventional it was completely different. Same thing between a daycab and a sleeper.


My advice is to have a good trainer, someone who will actually teach and use you for a second driver.

I bet you are from canada are ya?since you talked about a tridem trailer, don't these those in the US much.
I also started trucking local for about 2.5 years before i did any OTR, and i am damn glad i had all that local experience!

There is no way a new driver right out of school is safe to run OTR.
Local is more forgiving if you make mistakes, but when you are on the interstate and in downtown citys, you have to drive perfect, no screwups or stuff gets smashed and ppl hurt.
At least running local in the country like i did, there not as much traffic around you if you do mess up.

I think these insurance companys are nuts if they would rather insure new guys running OTR before local. At least when you are local you become familiar with the roads and your suroundings, OTR is new roads everyday, so more chance of screwups!

Yup, You're right, .. I'm Canadian. I drive both US and Can. Both have their dis/advantages. Being in Canada, you probably know about the rest areas.. how they're only made for cars and not trucks :shock: (at least where Im at).

It's not bad driving Canada.. for example, I hear you need a special driving license to pull doubles or fuel trucks in the US. I have a basic Class-1 license with Air, and in Canada I can drive anything from a bob-tail rig to a double-tanker (if I got on with those companies)