Trucking: New to this and want to be home as much as possible, trucking experience, truck driving school

Question
Hi, I'm an E.M.T. (drive an ambulance) that was recently laid off and was looking into getting into trucking for a few years cause it makes a lot more money and I love driving, but I don't have a C.D.L. and I'm getting married in three weeks and don't want to start the marriage without being able to see her cause I'm stuck 500mi away. I was basically hired for Werner and they say that they'll sponser me to get my C.D.L. From what they tell me it's possible to get a local route cause I live in Chicago,IL. Yet I don't quite buy it. It seems fishy. Is it really that easy to get a local route without any trucking experience or are they just trying to recruit me?


Answer
Hi Joe,

Sure you can get a local route and stay within 150-250 miles of Chicago.  Problem is, you'll be working such long, odd hours, that you might as well be OTR (Over-the-road).  Go to a truck driving school that is PTDI certified.  There are plenty of great schools in Chicagoland.  Tour every campus that you can to see which one you like better.  Also, find out which instructor you'll get and meet him/her.  Usually, you'll find one instructor that you can tell knows his stuff and that's the class you want to be in.  Then, let them get financial aid for you and let Uncle Sam pay for it.

Driving schools will push you to work for certain companies.  Take it with a grain of salt.  There's money changing hands between trucking companies and driving schools when you sign up.  That's why you should do your own research.  There are a lot of true local companies in Chicagoland.  The railyards, for one, keep a lot of drivers busy.  Look in the Sunday Tribune, talk to other drivers, make phone calls to Chicago area trucking companies and see what leads you can find.  I would also apply to companies like Averitt, Fedex, Yellow and other companies where you get paid by the hour.

Good luck!

Bob Stephens