Considering A Trucking Career After Dropping Out Of College?

Topic 451 | Page 1

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Will S.'s Comment
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I dropped out of college about a month ago, and recently came across trucking while trying to figure out a career path. I just did an interview with an East Texas grocery store warehouse (Brookshire's) and the guy interviewing me said they hire a bunch of their truckers from their main warehouse, which is what got me thinking about it. I won't be 21 for about a month, but I think I might pursue a CDL sometime this summer.

I'm not stupid or anything, I've just never really enjoyed school. I hate listening to someone drone on about a 5 minute concept for an hour, and just plain don't like sitting inside all day either. I've always loved being on the road since I was a kid, some of my favorite childhood memories were driving from Texas to Wyoming every summer. I'm a pretty simple person too, like to camp, be out in nature, meet new people, but the idea of having the same boring routine everyday drives me crazy. I don't really have any full time job experience, just some part time stuff in HS/College; but I've got a perfect driving record and all that.

I read a lot of the stuff on your blog, but if anyone has any additional good resources on starting a career on trucking I'd appreciate it. Also if yall know of any good (or more importantly bad) schools/entry level jobs in East Texas please let me know about your experiences with them. Thanks in advance!

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.
Special K, aka Kathy's Comment
member avatar

Company-Sponsored Training

How To Choose A School

Trucker's Career Guide

This is a great site to help you with your decisions, ask questions and take advice from all the experienced drivers on here. Welcome and good luck!

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.

Company-sponsored Training:

A Company-Sponsored Training Program is a school that is owned and operated by a trucking company.

The schooling often requires little or no money up front. Instead of paying up-front tuition you will sign an agreement to work for the company for a specified amount of time after graduation, usually around a year, at a slightly lower rate of pay in order to pay for the training.

If you choose to quit working for the company before your year is up, they will normally require you to pay back a prorated amount of money for the schooling. The amount you pay back will be comparable to what you would have paid if you went to an independently owned school.

Company-sponsored training can be an excellent way to get your career underway if you can't afford the tuition up front for private schooling.

OOS:

When a violation by either a driver or company is confirmed, an out-of-service order removes either the driver or the vehicle from the roadway until the violation is corrected.

Brett Aquila's Comment
member avatar

Welcome aboard! Definitely start with our Trucker's Career Guide. That will give you a ton of information about getting your trucking career underway.

Roadkill (aka:Guy DeCou)'s Comment
member avatar

I dropped out of college about a month ago, and recently came across trucking while trying to figure out a career path. I just did an interview with an East Texas grocery store warehouse (Brookshire's) and the guy interviewing me said they hire a bunch of their truckers from their main warehouse, which is what got me thinking about it. I won't be 21 for about a month, but I think I might pursue a CDL sometime this summer.

I'm not stupid or anything, I've just never really enjoyed school. I hate listening to someone drone on about a 5 minute concept for an hour, and just plain don't like sitting inside all day either. I've always loved being on the road since I was a kid, some of my favorite childhood memories were driving from Texas to Wyoming every summer. I'm a pretty simple person too, like to camp, be out in nature, meet new people, but the idea of having the same boring routine everyday drives me crazy. I don't really have any full time job experience, just some part time stuff in HS/College; but I've got a perfect driving record and all that.

I read a lot of the stuff on your blog, but if anyone has any additional good resources on starting a career on trucking I'd appreciate it. Also if yall know of any good (or more importantly bad) schools/entry level jobs in East Texas please let me know about your experiences with them. Thanks in advance!

Brookshire Bros, eh?? I had my first job in high school with them..boy THAT brings back memories..you wouldn't happen to be from Hemphill would you?? shocked.png Seriously, though..I am kinda like you in that I couldn't really stand the classroom experience when I was in school..turns out I had a "learning disability" that wasn't diagnosed until years later..I learn visually rather than orally..meaning I can watch someone do something and learn it first time, but I tend to zone out if I have to read some long epistle about how to do something...but that being said I don't see any reason why you would have issues learning all you need to know to start a career in trucking...the High Road series is long enough to teach you everything you need to know, but short enough to keep you engaged and not become bored...welcome and good luck on your journey..

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.
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