New Member Of The CDL Family
Topic 33738 | Page 1
Congrats!!! A big milestone.
Apply everywhere honestly. I don’t know if your school has placement assistance or not. They may not have been open about the nature of the industry, but it’s been a rough time and isn’t expected to really change much until Q3 of 2024. Experienced drivers with spotless records are having difficulty changing jobs. Many companies have froze or dramatically cut back on hiring.
Best wishes to you in your job search!!
Congratulations on the CDL. Not everyone who tries gets one, so good job.
You can apply for a number of companies through the link below.
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.
So you have that CDL , and ready to go, but you're a bit clueless of the next step?
BK posted the link to our "One and Done" application - your app will be sent to many trucking companies. A bit of bad news, this is the slow part of the trucking year, so you may have to wait a bit. Also, it seems in the last year driver hiring has lightened up. But those who pay attention and are ready are the ones who'll get in the first part of the line.
For what you have too look forward to, and for some guidance on your next steps, check out Trucking Truth's Truck Driver's Career Guide. You've already passed by the first five chapters, so start on Chapter 6: Types Of Truck Driving Jobs and on from there.
Brett has his own book (free download) at Becoming A Truck Driver: The Raw Truth About Truck Driving.
Once you get hired on, you'll still be in (paid!) training for a month or so. Check out other newbie's experiences in the CDL Training Diaries.
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.
HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.New Reply:
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I just graduated from 160 academy and passed my CDL Class A test on 12-28-23. Honestly I'm overwhelmed and concerned about where I should start from here. It's important that I make as much money as possible because I have bills. I'm willing to go OTR for long periods of time. Please help point me in the right direction. BTW in in Phoenix Arizona. Thanks gals and guys
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
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.