Why Is Finding A School So Difficult?

Topic 33909 | Page 1

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Shawn P.'s Comment
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Hi I live in Northern California and I'm trying to find a school from a big company that will hire. And all I'm getting is we don't hire out of California from the schools that I have applied for. A little about my situation, I am 50 years old, willing to relocate, I have a dog. I am unemployed at the moment so I can't pay for the school. I've been trying to look into the grants but that also has been very difficult. Anybody got any suggestions on how to go about finding a school or getting a grant? I'm just getting frustrated with the online applications and bs on the internet. Thank you!

PackRat's Comment
member avatar

Trying for hire on with a company that will train and offer you a job, too? It could be your location (CA), and it could also be the economy situation (D.C.) that are two factors. Companies are extremely selective on who is considered with less freight now and into the near future.

How many companies did you send in applications to?

BK's Comment
member avatar

Shawn, what companies have turned you down as of now? Have you applied through the shotgun application link on this site?

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Also, are you in a position to relocate to a different area? Many big carriers don’t care where you call home if you go OTR and don’t need to be routed home to a place they don’t do business in.

I’m not so sure being in Northern California is a deal breaker. You haven’t looked at all your options yet.

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.

BK's Comment
member avatar

The other issue is your job history. How long since you had a job? Companies look at this, so it would be best to get a legit W2 job while you wait to see if you can qualify for a paid training program. Sooner the better.

Stevo Reno's Comment
member avatar

RoadMasters is south of you, in Fontana, Cal. and they are owned by Werner.....I don't know if they have a school in Nor Cal.

Then based in Yuba City, is the last company I drove for, "New Legends". They (used to?) require at least 6 months experience.

If I hadn't already planned to retire early @ 62, I'd probably still be driving for them ! They treated me good, didn't micro manage me, and paid me very well (with my 2 years experience)

Dm:

Dispatcher, Fleet Manager, Driver Manager

The primary person a driver communicates with at his/her company. A dispatcher can play many roles, depending on the company's structure. Dispatchers may assign freight, file requests for home time, relay messages between the driver and management, inform customer service of any delays, change appointment times, and report information to the load planners.
Trucker Kearsey 's Comment
member avatar

Prime would send you to salt lake city. The dog situation will be an issue. What can you do with the dog during training? Prime allows pets after training but not during

Davy A.'s Comment
member avatar

Same with Knight on the dog and most likely SLC. Although we do have a new terminal being built in Acompo CA, Im not aware of there being a school there. We do SLC and Phoenix. Im assuming though you were perhaps looking at the route of going through an independent school? If so, Id highly recommend company provided training instead.

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.

Zach 's Comment
member avatar

RoadMasters is south of you, in Fontana, Cal. and they are owned by Werner.....I don't know if they have a school in Nor Cal.

Then based in Yuba City, is the last company I drove for, "New Legends". They (used to?) require at least 6 months experience.

If I hadn't already planned to retire early @ 62, I'd probably still be driving for them ! They treated me good, didn't micro manage me, and paid me very well (with my 2 years experience)

RoadMasters is south of you, in Fontana, Cal. and they are owned by Werner.....I don't know if they have a school in Nor Cal.

Then based in Yuba City, is the last company I drove for, "New Legends". They (used to?) require at least 6 months experience.

If I hadn't already planned to retire early @ 62, I'd probably still be driving for them ! They treated me good, didn't micro manage me, and paid me very well (with my 2 years experience)

I think they are requiring a year or more experience now

Dm:

Dispatcher, Fleet Manager, Driver Manager

The primary person a driver communicates with at his/her company. A dispatcher can play many roles, depending on the company's structure. Dispatchers may assign freight, file requests for home time, relay messages between the driver and management, inform customer service of any delays, change appointment times, and report information to the load planners.
Zach 's Comment
member avatar

If you can hold off a but until harvest season AG jobs could be a good start. Morningstar and Mike Lowrie come to mind, not sure where exactly you live but those could be options. I don't know about Mike Lowrie but Morningstar has its own CDL training program out of Williams. Only downfall is it's a temp job but those fee months of experience can help you get your foot in the door and will open up some opportunities that wouldn't be available to you with zero experience such as KKW, JB Hunt, Marten Transport, Heartland Express which all have terminals up that way. Not gonna lie you have in a real crappy spot. I live in Fresno so I know how it is.

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.

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.

HOS:

Hours Of Service

HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.
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