Advice/questions

To preface this let me state that the free resources were a huge help in obtaining my learners permit. I plan on doing OTR for at least one year just to have on my resume.

My reason for obtaining my CDL A are from my years of experience as a heavy equipment operator. In this economy you must be able to do it all in order to land the dream job, and name your price.

The more I research the industry, the more trucking appeals to me, which somewhat changes my motives ( it is about paying off my mortgage). A family friend has suggested I obtain reefer experience asap, though for equipment I would deal more with flatbed and oversized loads.

I am starting a truck driving school very soon and know recruiters will be there a lot. ( roadmasters, Tampa, Fla )

What I need to know is how to ask the right questions, and if flatbed/lowboy experience is that big of a deal where it is essential to get that experience. It seems easier to get with a company such as Werner, coevenant, or swift but the lowboy experience won't be there.

Should I focus on just truck driving for now? Or try for flatbed specifically?

Any advice is appreciated and trucking really looks ideal for my small family so this can go either way.

Hello, and welcome to the forum

If flatbed is what you want to do, I would say try to do flatbed. You can make a little more typically and be doing what you want.

The larger challenge may be finding the right company depending on where you are located in Florida. From what I understand there are plenty of loads into Florida but not as much coming out (except for produce) so at times it can be a little harder to get hired if you live in Florida.

Now that being said, I made a friend at CDL school here in Indiana that happened to live in Florida. He had some offers for work before he left so it may just depend on where exactly your located.

I imagine you have already looked into getting hired, just thought I would mention it just in case.

Woody

Tho Woody has a relevant post, I tend to disagree. Trucking is all about diversity...the more you have experience in, the better you look to more companies. I pulled a reefer for the most miserable year of my trucking life. My salvation was when we sold the reefer and bought the flatbed. BUT, having that reefer knowledge still comes in handy !! I've helped drivers with reefer problems, and at the loading facility where I worked seasonal driving, I taught the hyster drivers how to load reefers, which load different that dry boxes. Pulling heavy haul is a specialized area of trucking, that you probably won't get training in until you hire on with the company that you want to stay with. And those heavy haul outifts understand that drivers hiring on won't have that experience, unless they come from ANOTHER heavy haul company. Most of them are more than glad to train their drivers, cuz then they know they are trained the way THEY want them.. So my advice is.work thruHigh Road Training Program.It will make your permit tests and schooling ALOT easier. .get your cdl permit, and ALL the endorsements you can, cuz you will need them if you are going to heavy haul, then get your cdl school done. And go out there are pull a reefer, and a dry box, and maybe even a flatbed...They are all different, and unique....

Welcome aboard Charles!

Yeah, if flatbed is what you'd like to do then go for it! There are several companies like Maverick Transportation and TMC Transport that hire student drivers straight out of school.

Now you might have to work in the industry for a year or so before they start giving you oversize loads or drop-deck trailers - things like that. Or maybe they don't even haul drop-decks and oversize loads. I'm not sure. You'll have to look into that a bit.

But you can certainly go straight into flatbed if that's what you'd like to do. We have several drivers that are regulars here in our forum that are pulling flatbeds their first year in trucking and they seem to be enjoying it.