Part Time Runner On The Weekends
Topic 2310 | Page 1
Brad, as much as I'd like to tell you that you can fit right into a parttime job driving on weekends...it may take some doing. Now there are CDL schools that do the weekend training, and some of the community colleges offer that, so thats one place to look, along with any private cdl schools. But I doubt you will find a company training school willing to take you on, when you only want to drive weekends. They invest alot of time and money in training you, and most of them want their return by you driving for them over the road , all lower 48 states (atleast), for about a year or so. That being said, IF you can get your cdl, there may be weekend work for you, with delivery companies, Pepsi, Coke, FedEx, UPS.etc. But before you stick your neck out to pay for the cdl training, check out the job possibilities in your area. And you can always stick around TT...we don't have any rules that say you HAVE to be a trucker...we welcome the dreamers who are taking care of family responsibilities, and someday may want to chase the white ribbon.......
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.
Star - Thanks for the reply. Definitely some valid points and I understand where you are coming from. You provided some direction there as well. It is not in my cards quite yet to be OTR. I know at some point I will be. Like so many that love the open road and to hit all or most of the lower 48, thats where i want to be (in time). I figure its a good time to get that experience started and earn some extra stratch that i could use.
I will continue studying and seeing what i can find out there. I will be lurking on TT.
Thanks! Brad
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.
Brad...you are ALWAYS welcome here at TT !!!! Your situation is a special one. But I just read on here that Werner has a new service for weekend deliveries..they call it "pony express" or something. Now if you could get your cdl , and hook up with something like that...you would be GOLDEN !!!! So theres opportunities out there...keep us updated....we'll help all we can.
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.
Brad, Welcome to the forum!
I think it's going to be next to impossible to get a company sponsored training deal where you just run weekend runs for them. They're investing too much in you to get such a small return on their money.
You may have to go for a truck driving school where you pay your own way. But I would sure try to get a promise from someone that they would be willing to hire you for a weekend job first before I spent the money. If you get that CDL and then can't get a job it hurts you in the long run when you start trying to get a job later. If you don't have recent experience or haven't just recently graduated from school it is hard to get the insurance companies to cover you, and therefore it makes it tough for anyone to hire you at that point. If you think you need to wait for a year or two before you can go over the road , then it may be best to wait until then to get your CDL.
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.
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.
Yeah, I agree with Starcar and Old School - part time work is very difficult to find in trucking, especially if you're brand new to the industry. If you can find someone that will hire you then I would pursue getting your CDL , but it won't be through a Company-Sponsored Training Program. It will have to be a private Truck Driving School.
If you can't find someone to guarantee you a part time job like you're hoping for then you're better off waiting until you're able to run over the road before getting your CDL and getting started in trucking.
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.
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.
Guys - Thanks for the responses!
I can swing the training school, but was hopeful someone else would pick it up. I get why they wouldn't. Very good points made in this thread.
That Werner opportunity looks interesting. I will look into that!
I did not consider what Old School said as well about the time between getting my CDL and getting a gig from an insurance standpoint and recent experience.
I will keep in touch fellas -
Happy New Year! Brad
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.
Brad,
Don't give up on your quest for a weekend gig. I went to a local CDL school and let them know that my situation and what I was looking for. At the time I thought I was a couple of years from retirement and wanted to get a jump on my next career. Through their contacts, they had pre-interviews set up with two companies before I started school. Was hired out of school and spent a short period of time with a trainer and then turned loose in Chicago from Friday night/Saturday early morning to return home on Sunday at mid afternoon. I ran for them 2-3 sometimes four weekends a month. Met both mine and the companies needs. Now I have a rather unique background and that may have helped my cause a bit, but there are possibilities out there.
As it turns out, it made it possible for a smooth transition when I got a layoff notice for an "early" retirement. You never know what doors are going to open or close unless you knock on them.
Good luck in your travels.
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.
OOS:
When a violation by either a driver or company is confirmed, an out-of-service order removes either the driver or the vehicle from the roadway until the violation is corrected.
Wow,i didnt know part time was an option. my kid needs her benefits and i do have a limit,her dads dead so i have to be careful. i'm available 24/7
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Hello everyone!
What a great site! So i have been studying the CDL book and taking online exams and doing pretty well.
I came across this website and this forum and I thought it would be cool to share my plan here and if my plan would actually work in the real world.
I have a 9 to 5 job right now. I am looking for something on weekends. I am looking for something from Friday night till Sunday night. I am a single dad that has my kids during the week and need to make extra cash. There are other jobs out there I am sure that might be better suited or something, but since I was a kid, I have loved trucks and since I had been driving, I had wanted to drive a truck. I have no idea how long the 9 to 5 will go based on the industry I am in, so I also figured that if I can get experienced, it would be easier to convert to later.
So after my long winded intro .... my questions:
Can I be hired by a company for weekend runs? I know a lot of guys/gals like being home on weekends, but the wheels are still turning.
I am doing well on the exams at home, but should i be taking a course or signing up for a school?
Or .. would i look for a company sponsored deal and do something through them? Would they hire me knowing my requested hours?
I dont care where I drive as long as i can get back on Sunday late afternoon..
What do you folks think? Do i need to readjust expectations or am i way off looking for something like this??
Brad
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
OWI:
Operating While Intoxicated