From what I have learned over the last few months most company's will not hire you without the proper education. It appears that for insurance reasons most companies require a 160 hour training course. Check out the link above on trucking schools.....and the companies that offer training. A lot of them will train you with no money up front, but a contract for a certain amount of months you must work for them to satisfy the cost of training.
Richard G., my suggestion would be to do a little research that may provide you with the answer to your question and help develop your plan to get into trucking. This will also provide information for your father and help him decide who to hire to drive his truck.
Have you father call his insurance agent and get three premium quotes.
First quote: a driver of your age and driving record, has a CDL without going to an accredited school or getting a certificate showing 160 hours of training, and has no OTR experience.
Second quote: again, a driver of your age and driving record that has a CDL, and has gone through an accredited school and has the 160 hour certificate, but still has no OTR experience.
Third quote: a driver, one year older than you are now, with CDL, documented training, and one year of OTR experience.
I think you will find that the best road may be to attend a company driver training. You can start with a company that will pay you while you are in training, charge you nothing (or small amount, $100-250) up front, then by driving for them for your first year, you will "pay-off" your training and gain that valuable one year experience.
Also, have your step-brother call his insurance agent and find out what the insurance cost would be for you to drive his truck while learning.
Hope this helps answer your question.
Buying our own truck is a whole different story and almost everyone (including myself) here will strongly discourage you.
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
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.
Operating While Intoxicated
Welcome aboard Richard. Ok, I can't live with myself if I don't mention this first.....
My father just bought a nice used rig as an investment (he will not be driving)....he's fixing to retire from a refinery where he's been employed at, for 39 years. Retiring in 2-3 years
Ok....that is serious terrifying. Buying a truck as an investment??? He's getting ready to enter his retirement years and he's going to take a stab at making it in the trucking biz???? It's one of the most cut-throat industries you'll find anywhere with razor thin profit margins of 3% industry-wide, mountains of financial risk, a ton of cash outflows, high litigation risk, and a learning curve steeper than the Empire State Building. I am not kidding when I say he should abandon that idea entirely and immediately and go find something far more productive to do with the retirement time and money he spent four decades earning. Now I'm certain he's not going to do that because I said so, but I can't sleep at night without at least warning people about the brick wall they're heading for at 100 mph. My policy is simple....I tell people what I know and they can do with it what they like.
As far as the schooling you should definitely attend a legitimate truck driving school. You're only talking a few weeks and a few thousand bucks to get your career off on the right foot. Pinching pennies when you're learning to handle an 80,000 pound death machine is not the way to go. Get the proper training. If you don't have the money for Private Truck Driving Schools then attend a Company-Sponsored Training Program.
Also, go through our Truck Driver's Career Guide from beginning to end and follow all of the links you come across. That will help you understand the industry better and make informed choices about your career.
But seriously, tell your dad I said he's absolutely insane and I insist that he sells that truck immediately. My mom is going to turn 70 in a few months and I've helped her with her retirement planning for many years. The idea that your dad worked for four decades to set himself up for his glory years and now he's about to dive head first into a shark tank before he even sets foot in retirement is just terrifying. I don't care how much money he has saved up it isn't enough to learn the hard lessons everyone learns when they take a stab at this industry. Not when he's retiring.
There's an old joke in the restaurant biz (we were in it at one time) that also applies to trucking...."Do you know how to end up with a million dollars owning a restaurant? Start with two million." It's funny to joke about but it isn't funny to see someone work their entire lives, set themselves up for a glorious retirement, and then lose it all on some dumb ass, naive scheme to go into business during their retirement years. Happens to people all the time and it's heartbreaking. So I hope I've at least given you guys something to think about.
But definitely attend a legitimate school. You don't want to cut corners when you're learning to drive a rig.
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
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.
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I am 37 years old and new to trucking, never drove a rig before. I can't afford schooling and since My step brother has had his CDL for several years, It seemed to make sense for me for me to study for the exams, get a learners permit(he'll teach me to drive) and eventually obtain my CDL. I rode as a passenger the other day(observing/learning) and I'm mechanically inclined to be a good driver. It didn't seem too difficult. My step brother has his own truck(owner/operator/local) here in Houston, TX. My father just bought a nice used rig as an investment(he will Not be driving) and he's also trying to help me get on my feet driving local and told me if we're doing good and making a decent profit maybe he'll get another rig and get a couple of drivers- people that we know). More than likely if we're successful he would unquestionably sell or leasing me one of the rigs (loads would primarily be pipes at the port of Houston and surrounding areas). Basically I would be working for my father. He's cool and he's here to help me(he's fixing to retire from a refinery where he's been employed at, for 39 years. Retiring in 2-3 years). To be honest... I need the work & money and I'm currently unemployed/laid-off. Trucking is a New experience for both my father and I, kinda of scary, kinda excited. What should I do? I would appreciate any advice and comments that would steer me in the right direction. Thanks for your time and patience in this matter.
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles: