Passing a written test + driving test = CDL You don't need a work program from a big company, but it's easier to start making money.. unless you know somebody. Can you already drive a manual transmission?
I dont have a CDL nor have I ever driven a semi truck but I can tell you all about that lifestyle. I used to design software for trucking fleets. Before you jump into this, make sure you understand how that life works. Long haul trucking is one of the hardest (and in my opinion undercompensated) jobs that you can find. Your experience will vary drastically depending on the company that you choose to work for (even as an owner-operator). The big companies will pay for your training but your starting salary will start out at the low end of the scale. Even though their pay is terrible, its a good way to get some experience. If you can go a year without an incident, then you can probably move on to a smaller company that will pay you more and give you more consistent loads to drive. One of the things I worked on was dispatching software and it was truly disgusting how some companies just left their drivers out in the middle of nowhere for over a day sometimes with no delivery (so virtually no pay). The pay is tricky because its generally done on a per mile basis so if a dispatcher isn't properly assigning deliveries, your pay takes a big hit. The other part is that companies will promise to get you home by Friday when in reality all of that is tied to the ability of your dispatchers to route you home. All it takes is an idiot dispatcher to ruin your weekend because they sent you towards California instead of back towards Texas. Bottom line, know what you're getting into and understand the company you are working for. Companies will promise you consistent loads and schedules but I personally have heard enough to know that most big companies simply can't deliver on that. And frankly if you know that going in and you're ok with it, then have at it. It's definitely a change from most people's line of work. Also if you have a family, make sure you understand how a job like this will impact your family.
I should also add, one thing that never gets discussed is your health. Driving a semi truck is one of the most unhealthiest professions you can have. Aside from the rigors of driving for up to 11 hours a day, your choices of food are mostly junk from diners and truck stops and regular exercise is nearly impossible. For 99% of new drivers, your physical health will suffer. FMCSA regulations allow for up to 14 hours of work a day with 11 of those being driving hours. And if you manage to driving in oil fields, the regulations there allow for even more rigorous work. There are also plenty of mental health challenges in the industry as well which shouldn't be surprising considering you're usually driving by yourself for all of those hours. I certainly don't want to discourage truckers. We actually have a pretty big shortage of drivers at the moment. But there's no sense in rushing into this line of work without understanding the implications.
^Your covering the over the road portion of it but the majority of people I know in it including family are local drivers home every night. They landed union positions and are banking!
Unions have been decimated in trucking. Median trucking wages are lower than they were 30 years ago. If there's an industry that is in desperate need of collective bargaining, its the trucking industry. Large long haul companies treat their drivers like expendable resources and it's extremely hard to get local routes until you have some experience. Odds are a fresh driver will end up with a large company because of the paid training and you need to build up a safety record before the more lucrative positions become an option. More than bargaining over money, unions can protect employees with stable schedules, guaranteed home time, overnights in hotels, health benefits, etc.. But most truckers never get a union job and so they're left with companies that will happily toss them aside if they can't survive the brutal schedule. Even large companies have stable roles. Hell over time you can get a job in intermodal where you just ferry items from a train station to a fulfillment center with a fixed set of hours. Or you can work in direct store delivery (if you have solid sales skills you can do quite well) and just deliver food in a small area. Or even better, if you have a perfect safety record, you can make 6 figures doing hazmat hauling. But most people never get to that point.
Do you occupy the left most lane while driving below speed limit with your buddy parallel just to block of traffic?
Yeah. Trying to figure out the toughness, driving in traffic, angle views for safety when turning and more.
If you are serious, I can put you in touch with a great friend of mine who did that for several years off and on, and has turned that into other interesting jobs.
Driving is easier than it looks, but your first miles will be intimidating. The fact you already know how to shift helps. Trucks have more gears, but less clutch-use. Once you conquer turning wide, it becomes a fun game. I call it, the "Big Swang". A spinner on the steering wheel gets it extra hype. I like when cars and bystanders are watching, so I can show them The Swang. LMAO. The skills are impressive, and the audience agrees. Avoid big companies for reasons @geeimsobored mentioned. Those conditions also require 1-3 years of your working for them. Get your license on your own, then start working at whatever job you can get. A Class B job gets you in the door. Stack your paper and get your own truck and company. Less than $5000 gets you a truck, insurance, and all licensing.
Excellent Detail, I have worked with Logistics companies for 20 years, one thing they all want when you start is experience, most insurance companies demand this. Companies like Werner, JB Hunt subsidize your education and training but then work you for next to nothing while you train. Very demanding work for such little pay. Once you have experience you can do intermodal drayage or local LTL and be home every night but you have to get experience first
The local stuff is definitely available over time. I should also add that there are long haul companies that offer stable schedules and assignments as well. I've seen long haul companies that give you fixed Monday-Friday routes (as in you literally do the exact same route every week with no worries about scheduling) with hotel stays every night. And because they offer fixed routes, I've seen companies pay by salary instead of the per mile pay scale. But those companies tend to have little driver turnover so they get to be really picky about who they hire. If the OP goes into trucking, focus on safety first and foremost. Tell your dispatcher to go to hell if he or she tries to push you into doing anything reckless. I've seen dispatchers try and push drivers to go through storms, unsafe routes, etc.. You're judged on your safety before anything else. The dispatcher is judged based on deliveries but look after yourself first. Your career is 100% tied to your safety record. If anyone pushes you to do something unsafe, throw it right back in their face.
Wow I am happy I posted this here. Thanks Rocket fam. To be honest, I was trying to cheat the system I guess. Metro is offering paid training and I thought buses were the same as trucks. Thought it was CDL A. Figured do that for exp and paid training then move on. Going thru some marital issues that I doubt will get fixed and want tomove on quickly as possible. I posted another question about Connecticut that is kinda in conjunction with this one. As in starting over in another state. But if the Metro training is a different license then hmm. Thanks again so much, the info in here is helping a lot!
Ooooh another question. Probably stupid but gas. Is that reimbursed or do they give you a card. You guys also brought dispatcher, does that mean you dont know your next route once at your destination?
