Just Got Your CDL? Now You Need A Job?

Just Got Your CDL?

Now you need a job...

You are not going to want to hear this... but you've just entered into a field dominated by old school people. No one is likely to take you seriously without experience.

It is what it is.

The oldtimers paid their dues!

You're going to have to take jobs that suck. Everyone wants to get paid to drive, not so many want to get paid to unload. You are the lowest man (or woman) on the totem pole. Last one hired is the first one laid off, take it like a man (there I go again, getting myself in trouble with the ladies, there are a LOT of women in this field..)

If the "ink is still wet" on your CDL, take a job and stick with it for a year, even if that job sucks. My first truck (non seasonal) truck driving job was hanging off the back of a trash truck.

My first truck driving job was a winter only job: I delivered heating oil, the job ended in spring.

In Frederick Maryland you could apply at the local refuse companies, we call it "trash", they call it refuse.. or recycling.

SHOW UP ON TIME

Being late is not going to win you any points in this industry, just showing up ontime every day will go a very, very long way in helping you "get your year in".

Driver supervisors will forgive a lot of stuff if you are known to come in, every day, ontime.

Strategy #2 (looks like I'm numbering them here...)

Take a job that's part time

There are a lot of part time driving jobs, hauling stone from a quarry for example.

The part that will suck? You are paid by the ton, not by the hour. You show up and wait... and wait, you might sit there for a couple hours waiting for your turn to come up.

It will suck... but you will get your year in.

Put in a year, somewhere, anywhere... you gotta get a year in

THEN go apply for a better job.

My 2 and a half cents worth

This site is not responsible for libel, any driver who ever worked for a truck company is welcome to rate any company they worked for, of course if they got fired, they might not give an accurate description of what it was like to work there.