I think your best bet would be to find a company that pays for your schooling,stay with them the amout of time you have to so you don't have pay back any of the tuition money.Buy that time you will have the amout of experience needed and be able to find the job that's right for you. Just out of curiosity what part of the country do you live?

Connor, You may try to find a O/O that will give you seat time. Also, check with the Oil & Gas industry, Tankers and site work. They all need CDL drivers. Good Luck!

Conner, I am looking for a second seat. I am contracting for JB Hunt, I would like to get those team miles and you can get your experience too while making good money.

GRADUATED 8/07 FROM CDL SCHOOL THROUGH COMMUNITY COLLEGE IN OREGON. I GOT A JOB RIGHT AWAY HAULING APPLES UNTIL APPLE SEASON DRYED UP. SINCE THEN ....MAN....I'M STRUGGLING. I NEED A PERMANENT JOB BUT EVERYONE SAY I NEED 2 YEARS EXPERIENCE. HOW DO YOU GET THAT? HAD AN OFFER 2 WEEKS AGO FROM SIERRA-PACIFIC, PASSED BY DRUG TEST, CLEAN DRIVER RECORD, REPORTED FOR ORIENTATION FOR 1 DAY AND THE FOLLOWING DAY THEY WITHDREW MY OFFER. NEEDLESS TO SAY I WAS SICK ABOUT IT. THEY SAID I WAS "UNTRAINABLE". I NEVER EVEN HAD TRAINING. NOW I WENT TO ANOTHER PLACE THAT HIRES RIGHT OUT OF CDL SCHOOL ...THE GUY TELLS ME TO FILL OUT AN APPLICATION AND HE WOULD SEND IT OVER TO HIS INSURANCE COMPANY....I CALL BACK 2 DAYS LATER AND HE SAID THE INSURANCE COMPANY WANTS MORE EXPERIENCE. WHAT DOES THE INSURANCE COMPANY CHECK WHEN THE STUFF IS FAXED OVER? DOES ANYONE KNOW OUT THERE? I'M 33 YEARS OLD AND GOT INTO THIS FIELD BECAUSE I HURT MY BACK DOING ROOFING WORK. MY CREDIT RATING ISN'T SO GREAT? I DEFAULTED ON SOME STUDENT LOANS ABOUT 13 YEARS AGO. AS A TEEN I HAD SOME SCRAPES WITH THE LAW BUT NEVER A CONVICTION. ALL WERE DISMISSED. I'M AT A LOSS AS TO WHAT'S GOING ON AND IT'S GETTING ME DOWN. ANY SUGGESTIONS WOULD BE HELPFUL. I AM IN REDMOND OR

I have just recieved my CDL License today,II graduated from AMERICAS DRIVING FORCE), and am ready to take on the next challenge. Also, I will be adding my Hazmat Endorsement on my license. Do any of the Historic Veterans have any suggestions, ideas and/or "words of wisdom" for a Newbie? I am 32 years old , my license is clean and I'm clear with my background at DAC; I reside in the Georgia state.

Iam a recent CDL-A grad. and would like to find a current driver who would like to give a recent grad a chance to learn some more about the industry.

if you are hurtin for a job that bad then come down to johnson county texas, just south of dfw, every oil feild is hiring tanker drivers, experienced and non experrienced, cdl, and if you don't have they will train---good luck!

Ok this is really starting to become CRAP! I got into this industry because everyone kept saying that there is always work, there will always be a need for truck drivers. WELL that is NOT the case. I graduated from cdl school and worked for about three months and suddenly became a single father of two children. Now it seems to me that women have all the breaks out there when they are left raising children, but where the hell is mine. I just want to support my children and make a living at the same time. Men should not be treated differently because we are the single parent. I am a good worker and I just need a break. Someone, Anyone. Help! Put your selves in my position, wouldn't you want to be a good provider for your kids as well. I have a tanker and a haz-mat endorsement and have been hauling liquid O2 out of straight trucks. Any information would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

Where are you out of?

Akron Ohio

Hey twin stacks.Can you tell me what kind of pay ,their paying down in texas with the oil fields?Ive over the road for 25yeARS and the pay just isnt there anymore.I've still waiting and looking for info ot is to get into ice trucking.but cant seem to find out the qualifacations.im looking for a great paying job(dangerous if i have to),long enough to pay off the house/Thanks S_withdan@yahoo.com

Just graduated from All State Career August 2008 and can't find out anywhere. I always get need at least 3 months experience or not taking students right now. How can you get the experience if no one will hire you. At this point any leads or suggestions would be appreciated I live in the Pittsburgh PA area. Any Owner Operators out there looking to get a 2nd seat driver please let me know. I need income to support my family. Thanks

yes it seems that everything in the economy is tightening up! I have been told the reason for tighter requirements is the insurance companies making the rules more rigid. My nephew was a trucker for 15 yrs withover 3 million miles with no tickets, but he can not get a job because he has worked construction the last few years! This sucks! There is no job security for even a seasoned veteran of the trucking industry. They should make this type of job descrimination illegal. Contact your congressman and let them know. Maybe we can get a class action lawsuit against all the insurance companies for denying jobs. i was told in school when I got my CDL that it would always be there if I needed a back up job. Not so any longer. This whole thing sucks emergency tire cooling fluid big time! I think it must be tied to the financial markets and all the crap going on on capital hill. anytime people get scared, the money supply dries up, then non one wants to take a risk on anything.

i have 4 weeks left of school and i had second thoughts about the first recruiter because of a mandatory team for 6 mths. but after reading these testimonials i better take what i get just to get the experience.

if you cant find a driving job because of a lack of exper., than you might want to try delivering food or soda of alcohol, they usually need help and you can do for about a year just to get the driving exper.

The insurance and safety reviews are making it tough.Add the economy and increasing unemployment numbers and its becoming a crisis.If youre OTR and want to drop out and go local you may not have anything to go to.If youre local and want to get back to OTR, options are starting to dry up.Its easy to fall between the cracks in this industry and get shut out of a job. Do you know of any other job that stops counting your experience if they have to go back more than 3 years?Or a job that holds a mistake against you off the job.I'm not talking about a crime just simple misdemeanor speeding ticket in your own personal car. They dont hold these same issues against doctors or engineers.You can be out of a job for 3 years in other fields and not get penalized nearly as bad.Seems unfair.What are these trucking companies going to do when all the baby boomers in their 50's and 60's retire and the demand for trucking goes back up when the economy comes back? There not going to get drivers from Mexico like they had hoped because people/Congress are against it.Theyre going to have to reduce restrictions and stop keeping safe drivers who dont have the "perfect" employment history off the road.If youre safe youre safe and if you can drive you should be allowed to drive.Who cares if you have had 4 or 5 jobs in 3 years?Who cares if you havent driven in a few years but have 10 years experience.Instead of companies trying to shut good people out find solutions on how to bring them back.It's gotten ridiculous!

Hey tufftimes you have some great points and I'll bet the regs will have to change when the economy comes back. Thanks for sharing!

If you go to Swift or other and have them pay for your classes you can earn a decent living driving a truck. Don't expect BIG miles right out of school either. They will get you enough to pay them back for sure but be prepared for a of year of hs. Trucking is a big pain in the ass. I went to Swift and worked for them until I paid them and they reimbursed me eventually. If your married and a solo driver better take your spouse with you when possible or there's a good chance you won't have a spouse soon. I worked some mighty long hours, cheating on my log book and then getting violations. It was either that or sit, wait in fing truck. After your first year, you'll be doing ok. Like any job, don't expect to start at the top. Be prepared to kiss your life goodbye for a year. You'll either be running constantly or if you turn down a load, sitting. There are some slow months too. Usually Jan-Feb are like being unemployed. All those ads you see are hooks. They have more hooks than fishing derby. The company I work for now is a 4 on a scale of 1-10. Often they leave us drivers sitting without pay, lie to the drivers so they can cover their own ass. The basic reason I keep the job is the benefits. Pretty good bennies. 80-20. Some weeks I took home 1k but remember thats 8 days a week and only a few weeks a year. Avg. take home with benies is 560.00 for a 40+ work week.

Just looking.

Jeff, Graduated driving school 3/08. CDL-A. All endorsments. Boston Area. First time passer of Mass. MVR. Can't get into the industry. Looking for O/O looking for second seat. Will work for experince.

Jeff from Boston. Forgot ot leave my email. jeffking8268@yahoo.com. Help!

now that the price of gas has dropped it should be somewhat easier to get a trucking job, especially if you live in the midwest. truckers are needed everywhere and many trucking companies will pay for the training, you just have to do a little research. -jack

I just graduated Feb.6,2009 from a 9wk/270hr school and am having trouble finding a job. I know freight is slow right now,but,I didn't think it would be this hard finding a job. If any one can help or knows a company that is hiring recent grads please post a comment or e-mail me at maglenn1974@yahoo.com..

I am a class A graduate i need help or tip to get into the industry of driving company wants 6 month of exp, can someone please help me i willing to Long haul any kind of driving either solo or team. I live in Florence SC.

Sorry is Miguel also with double/triple,tanker,passenger Endorsements.Looking for O/O looking for a second seat.Will work for experience. my e-mail is Miguelangel_villalona@yahoo.com

I just graduated Feb.6,2009 from a 9wk/270hr school and am having trouble finding a job. I know freight is slow right now,but,I didn't think it would be this hard finding a job. If any one can help or knows a company that is hiring recent grads please post a comment or e-mail me at maglenn1974@yahoo.com..

I had to switch careers due to the economy. I was told that trucking was great! It was until this past November. Now it seems like the recession has even hit the trucking industry. I only have a class B and the only jobs I see are for class A. I would have thought that class A paid a lot more than I have seen. The max seems to be between 55-60K. I was making 50k+ sitting at a desk in front of the computer. Trucking is a lot harder and I had to pay for the training. I have a class B with the schoolbus, passenger and tanker endorsements. I am now studying for the hazmat. Does anyone have any ideas as to where I can apply for a job?

I recently graduated from CDL school in Tampa, FL and am also having a VERY difficult time finding a job. Does anyone know of any company hiring recent grads? Thank you so much for any help. wrighteman7@yahoo.com

I am 43 years old man and recent class a grad from asu haz tanker and find my self in the same boat as most new grad's trying to get started. I have always wanted to drive the big rigs. can any one help with my lack of experience? i need some Miles on my resume thanks curt

female recent grad-15000 miles OTR..need more experience..can i get a team/trainer to complete my OTR experience??love the OTR experience mostly thru the west mountains..pls leave legitimate contact info joy4pamela@yahoo.com

Any one out there looking for a second seat driver?just graduated from truck driving school 04/07/2009.class A W/hazmat, and dbl/trpls.

Ruben Alvarado info rualvarado@comcast.net

End of March CDL-grad that needs OTR experience. I am in GA and 31 y.o., good MVR and no felonies. Lots of local delivery-driver experience in the Atlanta-area, all straight-truck. Need tractor-trailer experience now. bigtim@hritz.net

My husband went to schiender training and graduated 8 montsh ago. Long story short he was unable to make it back to greenaby to take his cdl test so they terminated him. He jsut now was able to afford the cdl test and got his cdl but no one will hire him without a refresher course and we can not afford that. The couple places that said they would take no experience said that schiender national is a school they take from :( we are at a loss on what to do now. he's willing to work OTR and has his hazmat endorsement and everything except passanger. PLease we are desperate at this point. please email me at coodybear@yahoo.com

Hi Jessica: Maybe you could try a few local companies so he can get some driving time in and then start applying to the OTR companies?

TruckerJim: he's applied at the local places that had ads in the paper and online. Where else would local places be. Right now hes willing to do anything just for the experience , well anything legal that is.

@Jessica, are there any trash hauling companies, beverage hauling, local delivery companies such as bakeries, liquor delivery? Some companies like this would stay busy during this type of downturn.

Seems like there are plenty of stories out there,, you get your cdl , and you are ready to go to work , and then u can't seem to find work because know body is hiring ,, its weird i just got my cdl and hazmat, tankers, doubles and triples........... and i am in the same boat, been looking for work thought i had a couple of big fish on the line , then i lost em, that was swift and may trucking , just here the economy is real bad. so i think i am gonna start applying for those alaska jobs working 16 hours a day. if ne one can help or want to hire me email me at burnt_ice_x@hotmail.com

I feel everyone's pain. Timothy, I think we might have done some "schooling" together my friend, back in Feb. You are a great guy, and I wish you all the best, you deserve to find something where you'll be treated well and go far, all the best. Our whole group was definately top notch. My story, had (as many of you have) a big fish or two hooked on the line, jumped thru the hoops, gave consent to the recruiters and played their games. After jumping thru all the hoops, my "60 days" expired. Most of you know what I'm talking about. That dreaded period where you are now required to go back to "x amount of hourse refresher" before anyone will touch you. It's just too expensive for me to shell out more thousands at this point, already oweing for my initial training. So far I've not had any luck on anyone taking a chance on me either. Perfect background, MVR and work history, but no bites. I'm continually praying for all of us in this boat, that the upturn is forthcomming, and we thrive before we parish. Best of luck, and god bless. Anyone want or need to talk about it...? Drop me a line at hotcracing@hotmail.com Stay safe, good luck.

My name is Nikki and my boyfriend just got his CDLs recently and couldn't find any work either. Finally he got a call from CR England and for those of you who don't mind being gone for a couple months for training then give them a call. They require that you take a two week refresher course which costs you and then you go through phase one with a trainer for 30 days and then phase two with a trainer for 60 days. The bad thing is that you get no home time in between but you are guaranteed a job after that so some of you may want to try them. Not sure how good of a company they are or anything but it's better than nothing. At least you get your experience.

Nikki, thanks for the tip, we appreciate it!

I have 4 months all winter, OTR experience and am looking for any company driving job. I am located in California. Any ideas for companies. I think comp. are changing their criteria to 1 yr. min. exp. due to the sheer numbers of drivers to jobs available. contact maesetorres@aol.com Thanks

Last week I got my CDL, I trained with my husband passed all the test, and yeah... got my class A- CDL, but a lot of good it did me, because now nobody wants me because I didn't go to school. My husband has been driving for 4 years meets every company requirement, but nobody want's to hire me as a team driver because I don't have that piece of paper from school. We are owner operators and are looking for a company that will hire hime with me as a sturdent, without making me pay $4700.00 to learn something I already know, and to get a license I already have. I can get a refresher course were a school certifies I know what I'm doing with test scores and all, that only cost's $1300.00 but I can't find anyone that will take that either, they all want experience, or a school certificate.... HELP, any ideas?

PS. I'm in Oregon Portland Metro area, my e-mail is abest7205@msn.com thanks

For you drivers conteplating CR England, my husband went to their school, they have a great program. Just be carefull with their Lease program, don't let them talk you into one, it's all lies, my husband drove to pay for their truck, their charges are too high, you won't make that much money for yourself. just some advice from experience..