School Options For Seeking Work Close To Jacksonville, FL

Hey y’all, I’ve been seeking a stable career now for a few years. And with the disruption lately knocking out the office work I was doing, I’ve came back to delivering around here in Jacksonville, FL and can’t put it down again. I’ve considered driving a truck in the past and this has confirmed it.

I am looking for regional or local work that I can be home at least 2 or 3 times a month, but I figure that might be unrealistic with no experience. Hourly jobs with delivery like Sysco are okay though. I’m currently applying to Roadmaster here and my credit isn’t great, so I’m getting the impression that this job placement process will help qualify a loan to help cover the — 7k —price tag. The recruiter said they would help with any type of work, but job placement has made it sound more OTR nationwide. Maybe got sold too much on that.

The community college offers an 8-week course for only $2500, no aid so I feel I would be in the same boat as to financing. I did apply to Cypress but didn’t hear back yet.

Of course 2.5k is waaay less than 7k, but am I missing something as to going with Roadmaster? Also, any thoughts or advice is very appreciated. Thank you!

The recruiter said they would help with any type of work, but job placement has made it sound more OTR nationwide. Maybe got sold too much on that.

Cody, welcome to our forum!

We always try to teach best practices here.

One of the best ways to get started in trucking is to do an OTR job for one full year. There's a lot of benefits to that approach. Foremost is that it's something that most trucking companies look for in their hiring process. Another great benefit of it is that the OTR jobs are the best way for a rookie driver to absorb the steep learning curve that comes with trucking.

Local delivery trucking jobs are not only physically brutal, they are also oftentimes career ending jobs for rookies. They have a lot less leniency for the inevitable rookie mistakes. If you get let go from a local delivery job for an accident, then nobody wants to touch you. Other local jobs can't hire you because their insurance company won't underwrite you. OTR companies won't hire you, because they don't consider what you've been doing as "experience." And to add insult to injury, they consider your CDL as "stale" because you've been out of school too long without establishing any type of "experience."

Your location is somewhat limited also. I would seriously look into Swift or possibly Knight were I you. They've both got terminals in Florida. Swift would be my first choice because I know they cover a Wal-Mart account down there. You could get on board with Swift as an OTR driver at first, then once you establish yourself start working on getting switched over on their dedicated Wal-Mart account. Knight probably has some local work, but I'm not familiar with what that may be.

Look into that possibility and let us know what develops.

Thank you for the advice. That definitely sounds like the best choice. I know it will go fast. I have two young ones at home that I really need to make a change financially for, and the sacrifice will be worth it. The time sounds right to get it out of the way.

Live like no one else, so that later you can live and give like no one else.

Hey Cody. I completely understand about wanting and/or needing to be home while raising a family. Hopefully you and your wife can understand how important it is for you to get yourself established well in this career. It can be very rewarding in many ways, but we see a lot of people disgruntled with it. I think it's really important that you get a good start. You want to build a solid foundation for success at this.

We've seen a few newbies make a go of it as a local driver right from the start, but by far, they've been the exception. You might want to try looking into some of the flatbed companies like Maverick, TMC, and McElroy. Many times those three can have you at home briefly almost every weekend. I'm really not familiar with their hiring areas, and that's something that's subject to change. Those jobs are more regional , which helps them to get you home more often. They are still considered as OTR , and they involve some physical work.

I wish you the best, and I hope you'll hang around with us keeping us posted on your progress.

Just like you I chose to get into trucking to help provide a better life for my young family. I went against the advice of our very knowledgeable community and went local. I started at Performance Foods doing the same type work as Sysco. Trying to maneuver a truck as a greenhorn into some of the places I needed to was brutal. The unloading everything by hand was even more brutal. I got very lucky and made it through my rookie year without hitting anything. We have a member, Yuuyo, that started at Sysco fresh out of school. He also got through his first year without hitting anything. It's by far a much more difficult way to get started and your body will go through hell. You may be home every night but all you're going to want to do is kick back and relax to get ready for the next day. You won't have much meaningful time with the family, atleast I didn't.

Commit to one year OTR or regional and you'll have a better idea of the kind of job that fits your situation best. Many of the flatbed companies can get you home every weekend. Take a look at my Food service diary of my first year for a peak. I included pictures of some places I had to deliver, problems I faced with the way the truck was loaded and product stacked on my wheeler to run down the ramp.

You should look into LTL companies, linehaul out of Florida is different since you can only go 1 way but you should get home for at least 2 days a week maybe even a few days during the week.

Thank you all for the advice. I have taken into the picture everything y’all have said. Since I am still waiting to start school, I’m starting to feel the burden that would happen being away most of the month. I’m 25 with a 2 year and 2 month old, and now seems like the time to get it done. Anyone have their account of how this went?

Have you checked out the Training Diaries section?