RECENT GRADUATE Cant Find A Job

I just recently graduated from truck driving school with 16 hrs behind the wheel and managed to get my class A here in NJ. I've contacted Werner, Roehl, US Express, Schneider, and JB Hunt and none of them will send me to orientation without at least 160 hours of BTW driving. Any ideas on how I can get to a company with steady decent paying for a new driver thats willing to put the work in?

Prime pays .34¢ a mile if I'm not mistaken. (In not sure if that is considered good for starting pay for rookies) only thing is in pretty sure they would still make you go through some kind of training, but I would look at companies that train their own drivers because they are always hiring the inexperienced ;)

I think you may just be telling them the wrong info. If you went to a legit school and got the certificate of completion then you should have the prerequisite amount of hours. Call your school, get the certificate and call the companies back and tell them you have the hours required. Also did you ask the school if any companies hired students from that school. Of so then you should be just fine.

If that's the case you could do a couple of different things.

You could go through a Company-Sponsored Training Program like Josh mentioned with Prime Inc. Those programs will give you the minimum amount of training they feel you need and get you on the road as soon as possible.

The other thing you could do is ask the companies you're applying to if they'll let you pay for like one more week of schooling to get that 160 hours. Hopefully you're within a week or so of getting that many hours.

Oh, and by the way - you don't need 160 hours behind the wheel. You just need 160 hours of total schooling which includes classroom, backing range, and road driving.

Prime pays .34¢ a mile if I'm not mistaken. (In not sure if that is considered good for starting pay for rookies) only thing is in pretty sure they would still make you go through some kind of training, but I would look at companies that train their own drivers because they are always hiring the inexperienced ;)

sounds like a good idea, ive been doing online research and certain companies such as prime have been butchered by reviews but you cant take everything you hear online as definitive proof of what a company is truly about you have to speak to a driver from that company face to face to get a better feel for what that company is about. i will definitely look into prime.

I think you may just be telling them the wrong info. If you went to a legit school and got the certificate of completion then you should have the prerequisite amount of hours. Call your school, get the certificate and call the companies back and tell them you have the hours required. Also did you ask the school if any companies hired students from that school. Of so then you should be just fine.

im going to check back in with my driving academy and see if they can explain what the 160 hrs thing is all about. Brett mentioned in the last post that the 160 is combined hours of traing not just behind the wheel maybe i did mention something wrong. i have to look into this matter further.

If that's the case you could do a couple of different things.

You could go through a Company-Sponsored Training Program like Josh mentioned with Prime Inc. Those programs will give you the minimum amount of training they feel you need and get you on the road as soon as possible.

The other thing you could do is ask the companies you're applying to if they'll let you pay for like one more week of schooling to get that 160 hours. Hopefully you're within a week or so of getting that many hours.

Oh, and by the way - you don't need 160 hours behind the wheel. You just need 160 hours of total schooling which includes classroom, backing range, and road driving.

Brett,

Glad you seen this and responded, I read your book and it was such a good read. The points you mentioned as far as what to look for and how to keep the miles rolling, all invaluable things to keep in mind for this process of starting a new driving career. I mentioned before i'm going to talk to my driving school about what these companies told me so i know how to respond when I hear this from the next place I apply too.

In my situation do you have any advice for me? Companies to look into? things to keep in mind? anything that'll help a new drive such as myself?

Roehl offers their company paid CDL school. If it turns out that you need more hours, I would suggest you ask them about attending the school, then go into orientation. The school recruiters are NOT the same as the company recruiters...so be sure to talk to the right people. Good luck!

In my situation do you have any advice for me?

First we need to clarify how many hours you're being credited for. If indeed you can't find work then you'll be looking to either pay for a little more schooling or attend one of the Company-Sponsored Training Programs. I think the company-sponsored programs are going to be perfect for your situation. They're only going to keep you in training as long as necessary. Most people that show up have no training whatsoever. You already have the training and your CDL so they're going to see what you need help with and get you on the road as quickly as possible.

Get the scoop on the hours you're credited for and we'll see where you stand.