18 Year Old Driver

Topic 12969 | Page 1

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Andrew B.'s Comment
member avatar

Hello my name is Andrew and I really want to become a truck driver and I have already saved up enough for CDL training, but I am still 17 turning 18 in August but I am worried that even after I get my CDL license that companies won't hire me due my young age. I am right in worrying about this or will companies hire me.

Thanks

Andrew

P.S I know I can't drive nationally till I'm 21 but I would still like to drive locally.

CDL:

Commercial Driver's License (CDL)

A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:

  • Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
  • Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
  • Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
  • Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.
Blue Hotel's Comment
member avatar

When I was 19 I wanted to drop out of college and drive a truck too. I was burned out with all the stuff going on at home, with my friends, with writing bull**** essays about things I knew more about than the professor, etc. But everyone told me no, I was too young. I think they were right.

A lot of the age restrictions are due to insurance reasons. This even applies locally. Knowing where you live would help us better answer your question, but chances are good that you won't be able to get a job regardless.

However, two examples stand out. The county I live in is always training school bus drivers and they are self-insured so they aren't worried about your age. Perhaps you could get your CDL and drive a school bus until you're old enough to be considered by a tractor-trailer, dump truck, straight truck, etc company. It's still good commercial vehicle experience. There is a 19 y.o. girl in my school who has a job offer from a local towing company. They have CDL tow trucks and often pick up the school's trucks when they break down.

I don't know if the military would allow you to drive trucks, and if it was a possibility it probably isn't guaranteed they military would let you drive their trucks. But if that also interests you, you could see about enlisting. Maybe if you got your CDL before enlisting, they'd take your desire to drive the army truck more seriously. But, in my personal opinion, you'd be better off not enlisting to be a bullet-sponge for some politician and his wealthy sponsors.

CDL:

Commercial Driver's License (CDL)

A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:

  • Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
  • Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
  • Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
  • Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.

OWI:

Operating While Intoxicated

Errol V.'s Comment
member avatar

Blue Hotel comes from another dimension:

I don't know if the military would allow you to drive trucks, and if it was a possibility it probably isn't guaranteed they military would let you drive their trucks. But if that also interests you, you could see about enlisting. Maybe if you got your CDL before enlisting, they'd take your desire to drive the army truck more seriously. But, in my personal opinion, you'd be better off not enlisting to be a bullet-sponge for some politician and his wealthy sponsors.

The US military will train you to do what they need you to do. If you are interested in military logistics, talk to a military recruiter. Having military driving experience will go a long way to getting you into the seat of a Peterbilt. There are many other benefits available for Veterans. Many trucking companies have special deals for vets.

As for being under 21 with a CDL-A, true, no interstate destinations for you. But you may find a local company that could take you on.

Bus and tow truck experience will not count when you do talk to an OTR type company.

CDL:

Commercial Driver's License (CDL)

A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:

  • Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
  • Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
  • Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
  • Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.

OTR:

Over The Road

OTR driving normally means you'll be hauling freight to various customers throughout your company's hauling region. It often entails being gone from home for two to three weeks at a time.

Interstate:

Commercial trade, business, movement of goods or money, or transportation from one state to another, regulated by the Federal Department Of Transportation (DOT).

Andrew B.'s Comment
member avatar

Well then would it better to pay for CDL training by myself or for find a company that will pay then work for them that way I am guaranteed a job after I get my license? If that is true how do I find a company that is willing to do that? Just call each company till I find one?

CDL:

Commercial Driver's License (CDL)

A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:

  • Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
  • Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
  • Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
  • Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.
G-Town's Comment
member avatar

Andrew inquired

Well then would it better to pay for CDL training by myself or for find a company that will pay then work for them that way I am guaranteed a job after I get my license? If that is true how do I find a company that is willing to do that? Just call each company till I find one?

Andrew, Unfortunately the carriers that offer Company-Sponsored Training Programs require you to be at least 21 years of age before they will accept you into their program. Calling all of them will likely be an exercise in futility. CDL schools (Truck Driving School Listings) are expensive and like the larger carriers, may not accept you until you are 21. Not completely sure if that's the case, you can call around to local schools to determine their pre-qualifications.

Its a tough spot because most of the companies that would hire you for local CDL-A intrastate work may require previous experience. Another option is to hire on with a construction company as a general laborer and make you future intentions known. They might be willing to train you. That is exactly how I was able to drive a 10-wheeler (CDL B) at the age of 19, I started as a construction laborer working summer vacations in High School and eventually got myself into a larger dump truck. It was a start and as a result, I was hooked on truck driving.

Good luck

CDL:

Commercial Driver's License (CDL)

A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:

  • Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
  • Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
  • Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
  • Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.

Intrastate:

The act of purchasers and sellers transacting business while keeping all transactions in a single state, without crossing state lines to do so.

Company-sponsored Training:

A Company-Sponsored Training Program is a school that is owned and operated by a trucking company.

The schooling often requires little or no money up front. Instead of paying up-front tuition you will sign an agreement to work for the company for a specified amount of time after graduation, usually around a year, at a slightly lower rate of pay in order to pay for the training.

If you choose to quit working for the company before your year is up, they will normally require you to pay back a prorated amount of money for the schooling. The amount you pay back will be comparable to what you would have paid if you went to an independently owned school.

Company-sponsored training can be an excellent way to get your career underway if you can't afford the tuition up front for private schooling.

Errol V.'s Comment
member avatar

One place to look is LTL companies. You might be able to start working the dock right now. Then when you're 21 and your boss sees how well you do your job, she may be able to get you trained for a driver position.

LTL:

Less Than Truckload

Refers to carriers that make a lot of smaller pickups and deliveries for multiple customers as opposed to hauling one big load of freight for one customer. This type of hauling is normally done by companies with terminals scattered throughout the country where freight is sorted before being moved on to its destination.

LTL carriers include:

  • FedEx Freight
  • Con-way
  • YRC Freight
  • UPS
  • Old Dominion
  • Estes
  • Yellow-Roadway
  • ABF Freight
  • R+L Carrier
Andrew B.'s Comment
member avatar

Thanks for the advice I figured it would be hard to find a truck driving job at 18 I think I will look for a ups/ Fedx job. I have no money to go to college so driving is really my choice plus I also would rather drive than spend Thousands to go to college, for a job I would be bored at anyways.

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