EveryTruckJob.com

I'm a 28 year old out of work painter looking to become a truck driver can anyone tell me what is a good school to go through or a good company to work for Thanks

Remember that the economy dictates and predicts the world of trucking. Right now it is a very slow time for the trucking industry. Many drivers are out of work and there is not a driver shortage. I'm working with many new drivers that are finding it difficult to find employment. But, I do know of a few companies that are still offering a training program. CR England, Swift, Conway Truckload and are still training and offering a employment program.

The companies that take students on,,most or all have a freeze on for students
limited openings if any .Or they have a hiring freeze period til economy looks
in any way hopeful...not enough freight to run the trucks ,some of the fleet of
trucks are parked until further notice...The terminals are outsourcing drop lots
to even store empty trailers they dont need now.
The trucking industry by speculators are predicting will continue to be slow
way into the year 2012.(speculators who study the economy).

Truck driving is NOT an option as has been stated by many here as well as many other Trucking websites.
There are TOO MANY DRIVERS AVAILABLE and not enough FREIGHT to justify employing them.
LTL companies are as well struggling and have been eliminating drivers/positions.
ConWay recently laid off a few hundred in Charlotte, NC.

Food delivery companies will continue because WE have to eat.
Waste collecting companies will continue to ease the stench.

Yes, there ARE COMPANIES HIRING but have dropped their starting pay rates and a driver will sit still more than drive.
Example:
You get an average of 1900 miles a week and you're out for 2 weeks.
You'll drive for a total of 3 days (600 something miles a day) and sit for 4 therefor you'll be out 2 weeks, work 6 days and sit for 8 days. What kind of thrill is that?
More miles equal less sitting yet for that example the answer is for me No Thanks.

Swift recently announced they have MORE drivers than equipment for the first time since they began business.
Schneider closed their driving school in '08 and only accept a minimum 6 months experience (with conditions).
JB Hunt eliminated 948 Owner Operators this year and has as well reduced company drivers somewhat.
Celadon had or has a hiring freeze.
Maverick had or has a hiring freeze.
CR England is hiring yet they prefer TEAMS or the Lease purchase ripoff.

Companies have revamped their Qualifications/Requirements and CAN BE VERY PICKY as they have the ability now.

Best of luck to Newbies yet you're competing with WELL QUALIFIED DRIVERS and US WELL QUALIFIED are beset by the abundance.

For the drivers that have been OTR since 2000, WE have noticed a LARGE DROP in Trucks on our roads.
The Trucks seen rolling during the day this year alone is the amount WE USED TO SEE AT NIGHT.
240,000 plus Driving jobs were lost in January '09.
40,000 Truck companies CLOSED in '08.

If the stats suggest trucking not to improve until sometime in 2012, there will be A FEW companies moving freight.

It's a bleek picture but all the facts are true and well stated. The times of 80 to 100 percent trunover in recruiting is a thing of the past. In trucking it's a money factor on weather to hire a new driver or an experinced driver with a clean record. The cost of insurance and training is the difference. Allot of trucking companies are just keep their head above water so the cost of recruiting is a big part of that. However I feel, the neebies are not getting the proper information from the trucking schools. One of the things a new student needs to be told is if they don't get out of school and put their licence to work with in 60 to 90 days there are a lot of companies that won't hire. Recruiting has changed in this industry but part of it needed to change. Now if the will find ways to treat drivers better and with more respect maybe the changes will all be for the better.

There are a lot of things, as far as experience goes, that you can't put on an application because nobody keeps track of your positive accomplishments, only your negative ones. For instance, I'm always in the top of the revenue list because I get good fuel mileage and never have any claims because I drive to protect profits. But where on my app does that show? Isn't that what companies really need to know to make a determination about who's worth hiring? My record is clear of any moving violations and accidents has been since I started driving truck 20 years ago. But I've still been out of work since November. I don't require much training either.
I think a lot of it is because I live in a bad place for OTR drivers in this economy. I would be willing to relocate. But nobody asks me that question. What determines a drivers eligibility is out of whack if you ask me.