CDL But Not Thru A School - What Are My Options?
Topic 4683 | Page 1
I'm getting my CDL on my own and just have the Inspection to complete this Wednesday (hopefully). We are now in Nebraska, but am moving back home to the Madison, Wisconsin area in less than 2 months. Most job leads I read say they need at least 6 months of experience, but I'm guessing just having my CDL will not fulfill that requirement. Any suggestions about how to get the experience or what company might be good to start out with? I'm open to being over the road , dedicated, local or any other options. Thanks in advance for any/all advice.
There was a guy in cdl school with me that already had his cdl's. He came just so he could get the certificate for completing the coarse because nobody would hire him. Even the outlaw companies I checked with required 2 yrs otr due to their insurance. Best of luck to you! Hope you have better luck than he did!
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.
Over The Road:
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.
Hello Steve, welcome to Trucking Truth!
This is one of those questions that comes up in here pretty regularly. It's hard for some people to understand why they can't get a job if they have a license. Unfortunately people don't realize that having a training certificate is just as important as it is to have a CDL. Trucking companies have a tremendous burden of liability on their hands. If this job only required the ability to drive then there would be lots of qualified people who would be jumping at all the jobs available, but it involves driving a tremendous piece of machinery that weighs up to 80,000 pounds, bends in the middle, and is around seventy feet long. One of the first things I saw when I got my first truck driving job was the "grave yard" of wrecked trucks at the main terminal where I went for orientation. Man that was a sobering sight. These things can, and will, do some serious damage in an accident. You may be thinking "heck, I'm gonna be real careful when I'm driving", and I hope you will, but there are so many things that take place out on the road that you have absolutely no control over that will affect you in so many diverse ways. I once had a car come around the left side of me on a perfectly clear sunny day in Colorado and just as they got even with me something happened and they started spinning out of control dancing all over the road and doing three sixties right in front of me while I was skidding and trying to get out of their way with smoke just boiling off my tires - it was nothing short of a miracle that I didn't just run them right over and squash them right into the next world.
Okay, I'm getting a little side tracked with my point which is, if you want to play this game you've got to play it by the rules. The most reliable way to get in the game is to have your CDL , and your training certificate which states that you have had at least 160 hours of training from a recognized training school. This is going to be what allows an insurance company to take you on and be willing to cover the great liability that you are going to be to them for at least a year or two until you get the hang of this career. Yeah, that's right, it will take you a year or two to become moderately proficient at this.
So, what are your options? You could go to a private truck driving school. But that costs money, which while I don't know, I can only assume that you don't want to spend it or you would have already done it that way. Or you could go to a Company-Sponsored Training program. These are companies that will train you with little or no upfront expense to you and then will put you with a trainer until they think you are ready to have your own truck. Many of them will pay you while you are training and they will house you and even feed you during the training. They will even pay for your transportation to their facility. If you will follow that link you can research the different companies that offer this type of deal. It's a great way to go for someone in your situation because basically they will guarantee you a job once you have completed the training. Check it out and if you have some more questions just jump in here and we will see what we can offer as solutions to your dilemma.
If you follow the right path you will get to your desired end. 
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.
Over The Road:
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.
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.
HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.
Try Schneider they offered me a position and I got my Cdl in june on my own no school or anything but I passed on the offer to get this oil tanker position which I got with no experience but I've worked for this company for 3 years so I lucked out
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.
Hello, I just wanted to say that Thomaspetro.com is hiring drivers for fracking sites as long as you have your CDL. The positions drive on site so there is no public hwy driving which gives you an opportunity to get hours in experience. 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.
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I'm getting my CDL on my own and just have the Inspection to complete this Wednesday (hopefully). We are now in Nebraska, but am moving back home to the Madison, Wisconsin area in less than 2 months. Most job leads I read say they need at least 6 months of experience, but I'm guessing just having my CDL will not fulfill that requirement. Any suggestions about how to get the experience or what company might be good to start out with? I'm open to being over the road , dedicated, local or any other options. Thanks in advance for any/all advice.
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
Over The Road:
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.