Should I Take A Chance On This CDL Class?
Topic 20045 | Page 1
How would they know you're a hard worker if you have no trucking experience, nor do you have any experience with their company? That's an odd condition for hire.
What you can do is look into getting pre-hire letters from these companies. Here's some information about what they are and how it works:
- Article: Understanding Pre-Hire Letters: The What, Why, And How Of This Important Step
- Trucker's Wiki: "Pre-Hire Letters"
- Forum Topics Tagged "CDL Pre-Hire Letters"
If we knew more about your goals we could give you better advice. Why have you specifically chosen "waste management companies?" Are you trying to avoid going over the road and you want to stay local?
Tell us more about your goals and your situation and we can give you some better information.
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.
Over The Road:
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.
Pre-hire:
What Exactly Is A Pre-Hire Letter?
Pre-hire letters are acceptance letters from trucking companies to students, or even potential students, to verify placement. The trucking companies are saying in writing that the student, or potential student, appears to meet the company's minimum hiring requirements and is welcome to attend their orientation at the company’s expense once he or she graduates from truck driving school and has their CDL in hand.
We have an excellent article that will help you Understand The Pre-Hire Process.
A Pre-Hire Letter Is Not A Guarantee Of Employment
The people that receive a pre-hire letter are people who meet the company's minimum hiring requirements, but it is not an employment contract. It is an invitation to orientation, and the orientation itself is a prerequisite to employment.
During the orientation you will get a physical, drug screen, and background check done. These and other qualifications must be met before someone in orientation is officially hired.
HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.
Yes, I want to stay local and I chose WM companies because they usually have good hours, no nights, no weekends and usually no holidays either. No, I do not want to go over the road. I chose trucking because I'm almost 30 with no career and thought this would be the fastest way to get a good paying job. They do not know I'm a hard worker correct, but that was their response to me when I asked them if they hired new CDL grads. One company told me he hires new grads because he wants to train them his way because old habits die hard and that everybody had to start somewhere. Another company stated that once I graduated that I should apply to them in person because as long as I was a hard worker they would hire me. How they would know that before hand? I have no idea. It seems as though a lot of these trash companies have high turn over because I see a lot of "stay on" bonuses. Like I said, it seems like perhaps they are desperate for help. I'm not sure, but I'm just going off what they told me. Also, it seems like a lot of their hiring is predicated off of certain locations. For instance, Advanced disposal requires no experience in WI areas, but in IL they require 3 years. I can never seem to get definitive answers regarding the experience thing, but this is what I'm being told from these companies. I just feel like maybe I'm being lied to and I'm just wasting my time with this whole CDL class.
How would they know you're a hard worker if you have no trucking experience, nor do you have any experience with their company? That's an odd condition for hire.
What you can do is look into getting pre-hire letters from these companies. Here's some information about what they are and how it works:
- Article: Understanding Pre-Hire Letters: The What, Why, And How Of This Important Step
- Trucker's Wiki: "Pre-Hire Letters"
- Forum Topics Tagged "CDL Pre-Hire Letters"
If we knew more about your goals we could give you better advice. Why have you specifically chosen "waste management companies?" Are you trying to avoid going over the road and you want to stay local?
Tell us more about your goals and your situation and we can give you some better information.
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.
Over The Road:
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.
Pre-hire:
What Exactly Is A Pre-Hire Letter?
Pre-hire letters are acceptance letters from trucking companies to students, or even potential students, to verify placement. The trucking companies are saying in writing that the student, or potential student, appears to meet the company's minimum hiring requirements and is welcome to attend their orientation at the company’s expense once he or she graduates from truck driving school and has their CDL in hand.
We have an excellent article that will help you Understand The Pre-Hire Process.
A Pre-Hire Letter Is Not A Guarantee Of Employment
The people that receive a pre-hire letter are people who meet the company's minimum hiring requirements, but it is not an employment contract. It is an invitation to orientation, and the orientation itself is a prerequisite to employment.
During the orientation you will get a physical, drug screen, and background check done. These and other qualifications must be met before someone in orientation is officially hired.
HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.
I would say try to speak with some of the drivers or someone in the offices at your local Waste Management facility. Show up there in the morning, speak with some drivers, and try to talk to the people in the offices, see what you can find out.
I know they have a variety of trucks. They have residential pickup service and they have dumpster roll-offs of different sizes. Everyone always has trouble finding drivers with a CDL so I wouldn't be surprised if they could put you to work coming straight out of school, but I wouldn't want to fork over a few thousand bucks for school and just hope for the best. That's why pre-hire letters usually work well when you're applying for OTR carriers, but I don't know if Waste Management does that sort of thing.
I think I would just show up there one morning and see what I could find out.
If your background checks out pretty solid - no felonies, no DUI's, and a reasonable driving record you would be able to find work somewhere for sure. But there's really no guarantee you'll be able to start straight out of school at the company you'd like to work for. A little bit of OTR experience opens up a lot of doors though, that's for sure.
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.
Pre-hire:
What Exactly Is A Pre-Hire Letter?
Pre-hire letters are acceptance letters from trucking companies to students, or even potential students, to verify placement. The trucking companies are saying in writing that the student, or potential student, appears to meet the company's minimum hiring requirements and is welcome to attend their orientation at the company’s expense once he or she graduates from truck driving school and has their CDL in hand.
We have an excellent article that will help you Understand The Pre-Hire Process.
A Pre-Hire Letter Is Not A Guarantee Of Employment
The people that receive a pre-hire letter are people who meet the company's minimum hiring requirements, but it is not an employment contract. It is an invitation to orientation, and the orientation itself is a prerequisite to employment.
During the orientation you will get a physical, drug screen, and background check done. These and other qualifications must be met before someone in orientation is officially hired.
DUI:
Driving Under the Influence
The hours for Garbage truck drivers can be a little odd for those used to 9-5. They usually start work 2-3 am. Finish up between 2-4 in the afternoon. For a local job, garbage truck drivers make good money. You just have to get use to the sights and smells. Not to mention coming home smelling like rotting garbage everyday.
HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.
You just have to get use to the sights and smells. Not to mention coming home smelling like rotting garbage everyday.
Yeah, your wife was excited to find out that you weren't going to be a commercial fisherman anymore, now you have to break this news to her!
Just kidding of course.
Did not get much help here but thanks.....
Did not get much help here but thanks.....
You most certainly did get much help. I told you exactly what you should do to find out if going to that school will land you a job with the company.
Their drivers have already been through the process, right? They already have the same job for the same company you would like to have, right? So go directly to the source and find out what their drivers recommend for landing a job with the company.
Then, while you're there, go inside the offices and speak directly with the people who do the hiring for the company. Tell them your situation and find out what it will take to get started there.
Pretty much what Brett said. Your best bet is make a friend or two at the company you want to work for. Understand local positions are rarely in a shortage of applicants. Sometimes having an inside man to grease the wheels is what gets it done. The old adage proves true often enough. It isn't what you know, but who you know. I have a friend that drives for a trash company. He got his foot in the door because he had friends that worked there. He went to CDL school with the job already lined up.
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.
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Basically, I am taking a CDL course this Fall at my community college. My goal is to drive locally for a waste management company. Most local companies require at least 1 year of driving experience due to their insurance requirement. However, I have spoke with at least 5 companies locally that stated they would hire a new CDL graduate if they were hard workers, but I feel like I m wasting my time with the class because I m depending upon these select few companies to hire me, but if they don t for whatever reason, then I just wasted all that time and money. Should I take the chance?
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles: