For years folks have asked me how to get their foot into the door of the trucking biz. I’ve been driving rigs for around 13 years now so i figured it was time to give out some pointers to my fellow drivers out there or fellow future drivers. So here is, in my opinion, five things you need to consider before you go out and spend money on a trucking school.
1. Make sure your driving record is clean
Head over to your local DMV and pick up your H-6.(driving record) and a Commercial Drivers Handbook. Depending on what state you reside in, the cost of this will vary in price. Typically a few bucks. Employers want clean records. No driving under influence, reckless driving, or points on your record. The company insurance will not cover you. This means you won't be hireable. Unless its been years since the offense. Typically 5-7 years on big offenses and less than 3 points on your H-6 (report)
2. Consider living on the road (its a lifestyle)
This job is not for everyone. Typically a drivers first job is over the road. Local jobs can be hard to find with no experience. So get your road cred living in a big rig with a bunk. Sounds fun until you get sick or have family that misses you. You do get time off to reset though. You'll have to start somewhere as "they" say. You'll definitely see the country so that is a plus. So if you're ok with this then read on.
3. Read the handbook (there's no shortcuts)
You should have picked up a CDL handbook by now. Read this till your eyes go numb! I can't stress this enough. The chapters you want to read to get started will be combination vehicles, general knowledge, air brakes. This will prepare you for your permit test. If you want additional endorsements, which I suggest, study for those too. You want to be able to drive any or all semi-truck configurations. There’s nothing worse than getting turned down for a job at the last moment because you don’t have a haz-mat endorsement or a tankers endorsement. Get them all!
4. How old are you?
You must be 18 years old to drive in most states. Others may require you to be 21. Drivers must be 21 to drive cross country. This means crossing state lines.
5. Call a recruiter
Call a local trucking company and ask questions. Someone will pick up and be able to answer your questions. There are companies that hire and train. Many companies have similar requirements for employment but it is always wise to find out what they are. Especially if you have no idea what the baseline requirements are.
You're ready. Now go find a trucking school. There's much more info to be had. So bookmark this page/site and come back later for more info. Also listen to the podcast about this blog post here: https://www.spreaker.com/show/the-zombie-trucker-show