Advice For A Newb

Good evening y'all.

So I'm in the CDL School's Troops into Transportation program down here at Fort Hood, TX. My issue is that I graduate o/a 10 Oct 17. Yes I'll have my doubles/triples, tanker, endorsements. They did say however, to wait 'till I move home to MT to get my hazmat. Gonna get that one, one way or the other. But the moving "back home to Montana" part is the main issue right now. I get my coveted "blue ID card" 1 Mar 18, but my ol'lady won't move until the kids finish school next June.

So this means I have from 1 March to end of June/beginning of July before I am available to work. I've been interested in this industry since I was just a boy, but y'all know how persuasive that military pay check can be. So I really need advice as to weather or not I should look for work here in TX, knowing I'll be leaving soon, or just wait 'till I move home to get a job driving? I'm seriously more excited about this career transition than I've been about anything work related in the last 10 years and don't want to screw it up from the start. Please advise.

A big thank ya, to all of you admins and members for making such a fantastic resource for newbs like me just starting in the industry.

Simple answer is you could go with a company that runs in both locations and it shouldn't be a problem.

Yep, what Parrothead said. Werner, Schneider, and Watkins Shepard (now owned by Schneider) are all good starter companies that have locations in both states.

Or Jim Palmer out of Missoula. Being part of the Prime family, they have access to yards all over the country.

Most national companies can pick you up in Texas now, and when the time comes to move up north, allow you the off-time to move in June. And you'll still have the same job!

In checking out companies, look for their hiring area covering both places as Parrothead said.

What everyone else has said. I just wanted to thank you for your service. You picked a great career field to transition into. Stick with it and it will be one of the more rewarding things you'll ever do.

Wow, thank you all for the help and advice. I just passed the CDL written test today. More than half my class no-go'd. Pretty disheartening for me. Our instructor is really good, they just didn't put out the effort at home to study. I felt confident going in however, being towards the back of the line classmates were coming out of the testing room with heads down, cussing before I even sat down to go over my paperwork. Sort of shakes your confidence to say the least. Anyways, I'm rambling. My point is, thanks to all of you that have gone before me for all the great advice, and this enormous web-based library of human knowledge. Y'all are the transportation industries most vita resource. Keep 'em rolling.