Best States To Drive Trucks

Hi all,

I am located in Texas and looking to start CDL training for a career change at the age of 51. Question: what states are best career wise for truckers? I have a family of 4 and would entertain moving out of state if possible. Are there companies that help with relocation? Or should I stay put and drive in Texas?

Thanks in advance, y'all!

Jonathan G.

Welcome, personally I see no reason for you to relocate your family. Texas has alot of oppurtunity in this industry. Most if not all big carriers have terminals there and with the amount of freight that comes into and goes out through Laredo I would think your chances are good there.

Companies have hiring areas based on their freight lanes. I have never heard of a company relocating a driver, but that may be possible.

I much prefer staying in the south or midwest. I try to stay out the the northeast and west coast. Just my preference.

With Texas you should have plenty of opportunities for driving. You are within range of quite a few large cities which may offer you regional or home-weekly routes.

"I have a family of 4 and would entertain moving out of state if possible."

Unless you want to move,I wouldn't be thinking about it. As others said, there's probably no need to.

"Are there companies that help with relocation?"

Given the current state of the economy, I'd imagine most companies won't pay for relocation. But, I might be wrong.

"Or should I stay put and drive in Texas?"

You can go with many companies, be based in Texas and I'm sure you'll be travelling many of the states outside ofTexas.

You may want to keep in mind that a majority of people who set out to become drivers wash out in their first year, sometimes their first few months, for various reasons. So before I'd think about uprooting my family, I'd want to get a better idea of whether this work is going to be a good fit long-term. Another reason to stay put for the time being.

Assuming it turns out well and you get a year or more of safe, reliable driving, you'll then have a very marketable skill, so if you do want to relocate for quality of life, so another family member can pursue career opportunities, or any other reason, you'll be in a good position. This is especially true if you work for a large company with a nationwide presence. Every once in a while I check the internal job postings for my employer, and its nice knowing that there are places all over the country where I'd have a job waiting for me.

It might be of interest to Jonathan that I drive for a Texas company but my home base is in Wisconsin. Texas is a good state to live in if you plan to drive a truck, so you shouldn’t have to consider relocating to start a career. Schneider has an operating center near Dallas. They have recently restarted their “from scratch” training program. I’m not sure if Dallas is one of the locations for new students to train for getting a CDL. To find out, all it would take is a phone call.