Trucking Company That Hires For Tanker Directly Out Of CDL School?

Well i considered Swift. However, I've heard that maverick is such an outstanding company, I don't really want to do flatbed for anyone else. If I must drive something other than flatbed, id rather deal with the challenges of a tanker.

Are there any other flatbed companies you've looked into?

Don't worry about the name on the door. Disregard 90% of what read online about companies.

The important things are:

- What kind of trailer you want to pull.

- What home time options are you looking for

- Rider and/or Pet Policy are you looking for.

- Area you would like to operate in.

Answer those questions then find companies that match your criteria. Pick one then do your best. It really is that simple. Every major carrier that hires drivers that are brand new have years of experience being successful.

Roehl has their own school. Actually in the Atlanta area and they DO have a flatbed division.

If you chose to attend a private school, McElroy is an excellent flatbed company, but they don't have their own school. You have more options than you may realize.

I highly encourage you to be more open to other companies if the school waiting list at Maverick is too long. For funding for school, it might be as easy as visiting your local unemployment office to get funding for a private/community college course using WIOA (federal) funding grants. Company Sponsored schools are awesome, but a quality private school may expand your options.

Such good advice. I will go ahead and apply to Roehl and Swift flatbed, and just go with the soonest option. Coincidentally, stevens tells me I can come to school RIGHT NOW, but they don't allow flatbed. Sigh.

Roehl has their own school. Actually in the Atlanta area and they DO have a flatbed division.

If you chose to attend a private school, McElroy is an excellent flatbed company, but they don't have their own school. You have more options than you may realize.

I highly encourage you to be more open to other companies if the school waiting list at Maverick is too long. For funding for school, it might be as easy as visiting your local unemployment office to get funding for a private/community college course using WIOA (federal) funding grants. Company Sponsored schools are awesome, but a quality private school may expand your options.

Just a heads up about flatbed at Swift--we had a member on here within the past six months who started his driving career with Swift. He told us the flatbed division was only open to drivers with at least six months experience. That may be something you want to confirm with recruiting. I also would check with them what areas are best for flatbed at Swift. Their flatbed division is not very robust at this point and is highly regionalized, from what I could tell from general observation and speaking with flatbedders when I worked for Swift.

Not necessarily trying to steer you away from Swift, but if flatbed or tanker is all you're interested in then it might not be the best place to go as neither are their specialty.

TBH, I know you have applied at Prime. They may be your best choice. They have both tanker (food grade) and flatbed. The only down side is you WILL be gone a month at a time once you go solo. Their training is one of the longest in the industry as well.

The training at Prime is a little longer than usual. Mine lasted right at 2 months from start to finish. But they also have the best training pay among the megas.

You don't have to be out a month at a time either. The OTR fleet may stay out 3-4 weeks, but there are numerous regional or dedicated positions that will get you home much more often. In some cases several times a week.

I am scheduled to start with Prime tanker CDL training in december, is what the recruiter told me.

One last question:

Is the tanker division of PRIME robust? Will I get plenty of miles or is it one of their less focused divisions? I don't want to ever have to pull a dry van , for any reason. Thank you!

Just an FYI if you do come to Prime to our tanker division we do haul alcohol at times. I have done a few wine loads myself. Just wanted to make sure you knew that before jumping in. Our flatbed division is awesome too though.

I talked with a guy in the Prime tanker division and he said those west coast runs for wine are very rare, and that by staying regional I could avoid those deliveries if they know ahead of time, about my beliefs. I have considered flatbed just to have 0% chance of carrying anything like alcohol, but then people say that if volume for flatbed is slow, they put you on dry van , which may very well contain it.

So it's like I can't win for losing. Tanker is a lower chance it seems like, but flatbed is an option. Ultimately as long as my creator sees me making an effort to do the right thing, he will forgive me if I have to deliver it once in a blue moon and "take one for the team."

Such is life.