like I said they hire hostlers here at the brewery with a cdl obtained with no 3000k school requirded ...most hostler jobs are like that ...I've held off going to orientation at conway b/c I think hostling for 20hr with ability to work 7 days 8hrs a day most of the year will be more pay with 1-1/2 time and double time on 7th day plus it's set shift with set start/finish times and 16hrs free time everyday...it don't matter if i pull 100 trailers or 10 I still get paid ...Just saying i think you can get a job without the school or ever doing OTR ...At just $20hr drivers here have already grossed mid-high 40k and will exceed 50k by years end granted they have worked 8hr 7day weeks nearly 8 months straight but only 8hr set shitfs OTR you'll techncally be working 24/7 and much unpaid and maybe earn 50k with a couple days home every 4-6 wks ...And there are better local jobs with more experience .

 

5-7k miles is not a lot of miles. A solo driver can do that in 2 weeks- some guys will go 5k in a week (not saying they can log it... I'm not doing the math in my head- just saying there are those who do it). A team can easily do 7k in a week. If you were in the truck with your dad, that's just not a lot of miles. And it's unverified.

The advice (and reasoning) you're getting here is good. Insurance is a big deal. Just because YOU say you are a better driver than a guy who just graduated trucking school doesn't mean the insurance company believes you.

Uturn said to try small companies and that is my advice as well. Try a local company- don't know where you live but if you've got some decent companies in your area and you're a local boy that may be more attractive. They may be willing to put you in the truck with a trainer and, as long as s/he okays you, you'll be good to go. This also depends on their insurance.

A lot of companies will allow a husband who has been properly trained to train his wife. Generally, though, I think she is still required to go to school.

I never went to school- my husband went and worked for a company for 3 months and they allowed him to train me. I did wind up taking a refresher course when we changed companies just in case- it was like 3 days. I didn't wind up needing it though- go figure.

The advice to find a company that runs their own school is good advice.

Just don't get sucked into a lease purchase program. Even if you wind up with a so-so company job, you'll be able to survive until you can either afford to leave them (and pay them back) or until you complete the requirement. But if you do the lease purchase program you're liable to get the shaft.

If you're just looking for a job and not planning to go OTR, check out your options as a yard jockey (the day cab type truck that just moves trailers from one dock to the next- sometimes from one building to another- but not far). That's not likely to help you toward an OTR job, though- it's not OTR experience.

 

Try food service... their desperate.

 

10% driving 90% lumping .