Hi to all. First things first "GREAT INFO SITE" for prospective drivers. Have learned much meandering the halls of CAD. Great input from most. That's whats needed: THE TRUTH in TRUCKING. After reading and reading and more reading and looking from others who have researched about which company to work for, and which not to work for, I have decided there are about 4 that top the list: CFI, Roehl, TMC, and Schneider respectively. All top notch for beginners. I do not yet have my CDL but will be starting @ Cross Country Driving School in Thomasville, NC. about the 4th of Dec. Course is 4 weeks long and I live 5 miles from it so its convenient. WIA will be funding it so that's a plus. Any info on this school will be appreciated. I see that all are hiring in my area but need to know a few things before I commit to a company. I feel the most honest answers would come from drivers like you all and not the company recruiters. I am a 47 yr old career changer with grown children and have been happily married for 26 yrs.

My questions are:
1- Would it be better to find a Co. that has a terminal close to home? Considering none of these companies have terminals in my area. Am i going to have to drive to the nearest terminal after my days off which is like 300 miles or so?

2-I had few part time jobs while closing my own business down due to the local economy before I found a more stable job doing retail (I was a HVAC and Electrical contractor for 12 yrs). Should I put these p/t jobs down on my applications? I walked off the first one because of the morons who worked there and i got fired off the 2nd one due to a safety violation. My helper forgot to turn ALL the switches off and I got fried and fired. I only worked at both of them for less than 6 months.

Thanks in advance!

Good luck in your future driving career. you don't really need a terminal near you as long as you have a place to park your rig when you are home.

trust what is said on this b.board....... hehehehehe okay I stop laughing but you do get some real advice from this place...

I live in washington state and drive for a company out of dallas texas.. the closest tetrminal to me is either in salt lake city or ripon california but those are the closest to me, I take my truck and trailer home, 99.9 percent of drivers that take the rig home just take the tractor and have to find a place to park the trailer like at a storage place or truck stop close by them, I am one of the few that take the whole thing home...

Most companies do allow you to be far away from them, some don,t like watkins shepard you have to be within 100 miles of a terminal and you MUST leave thhe truck and trailer there when on hometime and there are a few more but can't remember them unless I look them up or something....

Now for work history they will and thats all trucking companies want a complete work history and you must include the time when you were not working, you must provide a letter from someone who can verify you were unemployed during those times and you history is from the date you apply and some go back 3 years and some 5 and most want a 10 year history complete with no gaps... don,t lie about this at all , walking off the job is nothing they just want to know you are not a bum and have worked. plus its the law they do this anyway and they must keep it on file for the feds... thats goverenment for ya them democrats will do it everytime...

with the work history just be honest. Most companies can overlook small things as long as they know you are being honest with them

Proximity to a terminal is not important at all. At TMC once you get your own truck, you'll hardly ever SEE a terminal. As far as job history, YES, put down EVERYTHING. It is grounds for dismissal if you knowingly submit a false application.

Best of Luck to You!!
Call or write me if you have any questions.

Thanks for the info. Keep reading these forums and new questions come to mind as i read. Got a another one. Do you think its a good idea to get hired and talk to the companies before i go to cdl school, dont want to waste any time and not get a good job. The school says its has a 98% placement rate but I guess their all going to say that. If possible could someone list the steps it takes for a noobie to get it right the first time? I dont want to have to go to the timbucktwo orientation and get sent home. I have the MVR on the way and have passed the DOT phy. and drug screening, had to have then done before WIA would approve funding.

AsphaltBound: If you have some issues in your past like a bad driving record, criminal history, health problems, etc. Then "yes" it would be a good idea to get pre-hired by a company before spending the time and money on going to cdl school. Otherwise, you have nothing to worry about, there are plenty of companies hiring drivers. You will only have to find the one that is right for you.

INCORRECT!!!! Talk to companies you may wish to work for FIRST. Some companies have very specific requirements about WHICH driving schools and programs they will and will not accept. Not all CDL schools are equal and some downright SUCK. Even those that SEEM good, with long classes and great ads are sometimes refused by certain companies because of a companies bad experience with that school's students in the past.