New Here, Have Questions
Topic 28080 | Page 1
Hi Rick,
Sorry I do not have any wisdom to impart, but you've come to the right place, these guys are the genuine articles ... they know this stuff. I am going to be an opportunist and get a piggy-back ride on your inquiry.
ADDITIONAL ADVICE requested from the experienced folks:
After being put on hold by Schneider, I frantically applied to several carriers and have to-date got three green lights. SWIFT (dry van OTR). Kennesaw (Reefer OTR) and Wiley Sanders (dry van OTR) ... I'm tending towards SWIFT ... Any words of advice /caution or reconsideration. I have about 10 12 days at most.
Thanx.
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.
Dry Van:
A trailer or truck that that requires no special attention, such as refrigeration, that hauls regular palletted, boxed, or floor-loaded freight. The most common type of trailer in trucking.Reefer:
A refrigerated trailer.
Rick, welcome to the Trucking Truth site.
Why not attend a company-sponsored school, which will already place you in the driver's seat, literally?
You can live just about anywhere and drive. You're going to stay with the same company, you may just need to switch the terminal you're assigned to.
Terminal:
A facility where trucking companies operate out of, or their "home base" if you will. A lot of major companies have multiple terminals around the country which usually consist of the main office building, a drop lot for trailers, and sometimes a repair shop and wash facilities.
I'm in southern NC, and would like to find a paid CDL school near here that offers job placement, but after I get my CDL I want to relocate to the Las Vegas area in the fall and be based from there, is something like that possible?
Thanks
O.k mixed on that. But it doesn't matter where you start we all end up on the road. Easy enough let go of the comfort zone 2 weeks in and you won't believe your comfort zone. You won't ever care where you are one month in. I know sounds crazy leave home and travel far and train in a strange city or state. Dipping toes is out cannon ball or your not going to get wet promise. It's scary but worth it!!! Yes your idea of changing homes is prolly easy it's called OTR. Go to company training. Save your cash bro.
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.
I highly suggest you Apply For Paid CDL Training instead of coming out of pocket for school on your own. If the school isnt nearby they will cover your bus ticket and most will take care of your lodging. Typically you need to agree to stay for 1 year and your contract is fulfilled but it varies by company. Personally I'd wait until I get moved before getting started. The logistics involved in moving cross country sound like it would be a nightmare. If you do move to Vegas, You would probably need to request hometime in Vegas. Then buy a plane ticket back to SC to grab a moving truck and get back to Vegas then be pretty much expected to jump in your truck and get back to work. It's possible but it sounds like alot of additional stress. Keep in mind companies try hard to get you home when requested but sometimes it can be delayed a day or 2 depending on freight headed that way.
Liahos I'd pick Swift. They are the largest truckload carrier in the country and will have more opportunities than the others. Depending on where you live you may be able to get on a dedicated account where you're home more frequently. You may even be able to be home daily after you get some experience. Also its possible to switch divisions. Say you wanted to start by pulling a reefer for longer runs and seeing more of the country. 3 months in you're getting burned out because you aren't sleeping well due to reefer noise, appts in the middle of the night etc. You can transition to dryvan , flatbed (dependent on location) or even a shuttle run like Errol did with them. Ignore all the trash you read about Swift, you will find the same garbage written about all the major carriers.
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.
Dryvan:
A trailer or truck that that requires no special attention, such as refrigeration, that hauls regular palletted, boxed, or floor-loaded freight. The most common type of trailer in trucking.Reefer:
A refrigerated trailer.
HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.
Roehl has a training facility in Conley Georgia but will also send you to one of the other sites if needed. Once don with training we have a few drivers that live in the Las Vegas area. One of the is actually in our heavy haul fleet.
Liahos I'd pick Swift. They are the largest truckload carrier in the country and will have more opportunities than the others. Depending on where you live you may be able to get on a dedicated account where you're home more frequently. You may even be able to be home daily after you get some experience. Also its possible to switch divisions. ... Ignore all the trash you read about Swift, you will find the same garbage written about all the major carriers.
Super ... I was having similar thoughts but wasn't certain. Coming from one who has been there, done that, it gives me confidence. I have confirmed with them and my orientation begins on the 18th (ten days from today) in Decator, GA. Thank you for the sage advice. It makes perfect sense.
HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.New Reply:
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Hi All,
New here, looking into a career change, and need some advise -
I was in the NASCAR and NHRA auto racing parts industry for over 20 years, and was let go last month when race shops started to slow up, and furlough some of their employees as well.
It's always been an up and down business, but I'm done with it and am really interested in learning more about truck driving.
I'm in southern NC, and would like to find a paid CDL school near here that offers job placement, but after I get my CDL I want to relocate to the Las Vegas area in the fall and be based from there, is something like that possible?
Thanks
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles: