How to get your CDL and get a job for life!
Have you ever seen one of those 18-wheelers go by and wondered if you could drive one yourself? Have you ever wondered what it would take to get your CDL license?
Have you ever wondered what life would be like on the road, traveling from city to city and seeing the sights?
What a great life it would be to be able to visit different interesting places and discover parts of the country that you have never visited before and get paid to do so!
If you have a clean driving record, trucking can be your ticket to prosperity.
Trucks are different these days. They come with beautiful sleepers with microwave ovens and flat screen televisions. They are equipped with refrigerators to keep all your food cold and AC units to keep you air conditioned and warm.
My truck has a 1,000-watt microwave, mini bar, 52-inch HDTV, satellite cable, and refrigerator. It has a 600-watt, seven-speaker surround sound theater system and a queen-size bed and Jacuzzi tub. NO!!!!!
I can dream right?
Wouldn’t it be great to have a truck like this? Yes, it would be if it were true. Fact is, trucks are different these days and offer some nice creature comforts, but how much can you fit in a 6×8 foot area? Not much, but they can be made to be very comfortable.
Driving a truck isn’t glamorous and you’ll probably do nothing but drive and sleep, and all you’ll see are the interstates and mile markers as you go by, but don’t be put off.
Trucking can provide you with a very enjoyable life if you like to drive and don’t mind coming home every week, or every two weeks, or even every three weeks, or maybe never!
Forbes rated Trucking as one of the top ten jobs that can pay $100,000 per year, and you don’t need an advanced degree to get it.
It is one of the few occupations that will train you to learn the business.
Can you earn $100,000 a year? Well, probably not right away. But after a year of safe driving, $800-$1000 a week isn’t out of the question. All you have to do is keep your driving record clean, show up on time (and I mean always), (it’s not that hard to do), and keep a good, positive attitude no matter the situation. If you can do that, you can name your work.
After a year, you can apply for most regional jobs that will cost you 35-50 cents a mile. After two or three years of driving, you can apply for trucking jobs that will bring you home every day, such as Line Haul and Intermodal, food delivery companies, and tanker truck jobs. This is where the highest paying jobs come in. These are the cream of the crop jobs. You can be home every day and get paid to do what you love, which is driving down the highway and listening to the radio.
So you say I don’t know how to get into the business. Believe it or not, many companies will pay you to learn to drive. Trucking companies like Swift, Schneider or Werner to name a few will pay you to learn. Look around you as this changes all the time. Do an online search for trucking companies that are hiring.
These aren’t all the trucking companies (there are literally hundreds), but give them a call and ask about any trucking schools they might recommend. After graduation, most trucking companies will reimburse you for the cost of your tuition as long as you stay with them. And most truck driving schools will offer you a job with a training company while you work toward your CDL. Trucking companies are always hiring due to truckers retirement and many other factors like bad driving record and such.
I would not pay more than $4,000 for a reputable truck driving school. And make sure you do your homework. Remember that all truck driving schools do for you is prepare you to pass your CDL written and road test. I paid less than $3,000 for my studies. The building they taught from looked like it was about to collapse, but as the instructor said, “We don’t teach you how to drive a building.” They took me to school and got me a job. The company that hired me has financed me for my studies.
And remember, the real training comes when you hire a company. After you are hired, you will drive with a trainer for 4-8 weeks before the company delivers a truck to you. After that you on your own.
Don’t expect to make too much money in the first six months. This is where many drivers give up and go home. Keep a good attitude, be on time, be courteous and confident and you will see that you will start to make a more consistent paycheck after the company becomes more comfortable with you.
Good luck and God bless you!
bob warner