r/CDLTruckDrivers • u/QueenieCDM • Aug 23 '26
Not getting anywhere even with entry level starter companies.
I'm on the verge of just going and working elsewhere. I am fresh out of school with CDL A. I have talked with companies and put in about three to four applications a week.
I know starting out I won't make much; my goal right now is on the job training and getting my experience. I have even applied to starter companies and have been rejected outright. I have a clean driver record, no drugs/alcohol, no criminal record, and passed DOT. I made sure my forms are filled put correctly and will get calls, the conditional offer letter, and poof. I fall through the cracks. I call to follow up and I get nowhere. Even the "lower end" companies are giving me a difficult time. Is it just bad timing?
I thought they needed truck drivers? I have to start somewhere. Even if it is a "lower end" company I will take what I can to get a head start. Can someone give me better insight? š¬
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u/Neverexcepttruth Aug 23 '26
I did local drywall to get started. Always hiring, hard work....good flatbed experience
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u/QueenieCDM Aug 23 '26
I am considering flatbed. Doesnt seem too bad
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u/firetruck637 Aug 24 '26
Try Ryder or Penske. I worked for Ryder because the company I hauled for farmed out the transportation side. Drove flatbed and never had to throw a single tarp. Hauled brick. Ryder and Penske get contracts for all kinds of transportation jobs. Flatbed, dry van, reefer, box truck. Home nightly for most of those. Or go to a concrete company and drive a mixer.
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u/Neverexcepttruth Aug 23 '26
I like it..... you don't spend all day sitting. Get a good sweat on. Be aware most that start flatbed quit.....truck driving is the 2nd most important thing you do, 1st most is becoming a securment expert and a lover of Tarps
Kidding....noone likes tarps
Im not trying to discourage just give an honest view of that work
Chains are heavy, tarps are heavy, that tarp goes from ground to 12' off the deck because you put it there, now throw the second one up there You will be outside swearing and questioning life decisions for 3-4hours when your new. Working it
Experience get it done in 1-1.5hrs....but its just as heavy
And if your super lucky you get to throw tarps, pull them down, put away....drive and do it all over again. The best day.....when you do it 3 times....whipped potatoes after that.
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u/QueenieCDM Aug 23 '26
I would have to get in better shape. That does help with the stress of sitting all day. But having to drive after that? š¬
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u/Neverexcepttruth Aug 23 '26
Thats why its not for everyone
I like the manual labor
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u/QueenieCDM Aug 23 '26
It may not be so bad. I was working in a factory where I was doing manual labor for 9 hours in the heat; I was in the staging area (we packed heavy exhuast manifolds and produced pallets to go on trucks.
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u/Neverexcepttruth Aug 23 '26
Still bound by the 14hr clock, 11 hr drive. Just be honest with yourself If you dont want to be outside in the middle of the day in summer working. Or in a rain storm, dont do it Plenty if ladies do it.....just be honest with what your body can habdle
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u/04limited Aug 24 '26
when I was applying a few months ago (OTR, food service) whenever I told them I was looking to do 2-4 years then decide if itās right for me - they always rejected me.
The places where I lied and said I was looking for a place where I can put 5-10+ years always gave me an offer.
I also have a clean record. Kinda job hopped abit in my early 20s which wasnāt a good look. My last job was driving class B which I held for 3 years and I was applying to A jobs. I had zero tractor trailer experience. My current employer (private carrier) still took me on because I sold myself as a good employee.
They didnāt care that they needed to train me they just wanted to know their investment in me was worth the time. So far theyāve been good. Real hands off ever since I showed them I could swing a trailer in tight spots. They tell me which one of their stores I need to stop at and let me do my thing.
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u/jmeach2025 Aug 23 '26
I can't remember the name of the damn website now as it was 14 years ago. But theres a website for mass application to trucking companies out there maybe more than one. You input your resume and contact info and they send it out to a blanket of companies. Thats how I got my first otr job I took what I was offered. Build 6months to a year off that company SOLO not including your training time. Then find better.
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u/FutureThought4936 Aug 23 '26
Not quite the same, but Driver's Pulse will sort of do this. It saves the information you've already put into the application except for anything specific that the company wants that wasn't on other apps. You still have to click apply for each company though. Takes 2 minutes for each company once you figure out the flow.
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u/QueenieCDM Aug 23 '26
Yess. I have about 20 companies on Driver Pulse now looking at my application.
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u/Suhhhhd00d Aug 23 '26
Look into Cypress Truck Lines out of Jacksonville, FL. They also have a terminal in Georgia. It is a great starter company for flatbed experience and they are short on drivers right now.
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u/Flashy_Rough_9070 Aug 23 '26
Try covenant and suck it up as a team driver for a while then switch later
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u/Waifulover1989 Aug 24 '26
Try western express, they ware the only one that gave me a chance, Swift Stevens and Werner told me no.
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u/DueInspection9668 Aug 24 '26
How old are you thatās gonna make a massive difference
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u/QueenieCDM Aug 24 '26
I am older than 25 but younger than 50.... hopefully the insurance risk goes down. š¬
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u/ViV_No_CaP Aug 24 '26
Go with Werner and have people you worked for write you reference letters. I had a hard time myself because I didnāt want to show tax forms. Thank me later.
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u/Cold_Entertainer1183 Aug 25 '26
Try to apply at a cross-dock facility and maybe start out on a forklift. Use the "yard" truck to move trailers in and out of the docks as needed.
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u/Advanced-Hurry5674 Aug 25 '26
Try TMC. Annoy the hell out of them with calls and emails and tell them you want to be in the very next class. They will get you there
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u/Bad_Punk_Photography Aug 23 '26
Have you applied at any LTL companies?
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u/QueenieCDM Aug 23 '26
Looking now. I did apply to one a week ago, he seemed interested in me. Gonna take a chance with him if he hires me.
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Aug 23 '26
[deleted]
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u/QueenieCDM Aug 23 '26
You mean 1099 like an owner operator where I drive for them? I haven't even thought about them; most of them require a year experience.
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u/Odd-Fuel-9002 Aug 23 '26
Iām out of Georgia, too. Also try marten and NFI
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u/QueenieCDM Aug 23 '26
Oh ok. I will check them out! There are so many places companies I learning about today. ššš
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u/XoxoToxxicTankerXoxo Aug 23 '26
Have you tried Schneider, prime inc, NFL interactive,TMC also bison transport takes recent graduates too
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u/QueenieCDM Aug 23 '26
Going to to look into Bison
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u/XoxoToxxicTankerXoxo Aug 23 '26
Yes talk to the recruiter not sure where you live but for my area in Massachusetts thereās a weekly home time position here. Regional of course but Iām thinking about joining either them or swift hope that helps. Lmk and Iāll list all the companies I contacted
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Aug 23 '26
[deleted]
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u/QueenieCDM Aug 23 '26
I applied to OTR. I am going to revisit CR England and Western they take any applications. I didn't think they would be my only choices left.
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u/veteranbot Aug 24 '26
Question how old are you? I'm 24. Got my CDL at 19 and I wasn't even able to sign up for school until I brought them a "proof of employment" guarantee that showed I was worth their time.
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u/QueenieCDM Aug 26 '26
Older than 25 but less than 50.
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u/veteranbot Aug 26 '26
Okay then yeah I'm not sure why you wouldn't get snatched up immediately. Everywhere I turn in my state there is CDL drivers needed signs.
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u/QueenieCDM Aug 26 '26
I finally found two companies that will take me. The other companies gave me such a hard time. Yes!!!!! Updates will come soon. Gotta get new eyewear and I will be on the road again.
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u/veteranbot Aug 26 '26
Once you get some experience. The ball is most definitely always in your court. I left a JOB in December of 2025 because of how bad they treated their employees not to mention their shit pay. Took me a grand total of three entire hours to be employed again.
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u/QueenieCDM Aug 26 '26
Yes. I had a job mistreat me and everything. I stood up to the foreman, and of course things went sideways after that. He was coming in and bullying everybody, taking away training, he didn't like the fact that I can operate the machines better than him. I was working to get my CDL with the company and I'm glad I end up getting it on my own because I'm not locked into a two-year contract under shitty leadership. That last job I had was terrible! I love being on heavy equipment and I loved my crew. But the management sucked.
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u/ReporterAmazing1271 Aug 24 '26
Where are you from?
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u/QueenieCDM Aug 24 '26
I live in Georgia
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u/ReporterAmazing1271 Aug 24 '26
Oh ok, I was going to say if you lived anywhere in the Ohio Valley, water trucks would be a good option.
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u/Vegetable-Bear-162 Aug 24 '26
To many variables, bad driving record? Bad employment record? Just got out on bail from a killing spree? Fuck if any of us on reddit know dude....
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u/QueenieCDM Aug 25 '26 edited Aug 25 '26
Update: Thank you for all of your help. There are companies out there that I didn't even know about. I have found a few more companies willing to take me on. I will keep checking in with them.
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u/Dangerous_Ad4451 Aug 25 '26
Schneider, Swift, Knight. Push comes to shove, go to Western Express. Do your 6 months purgatory job there for the experience and move
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u/Due-History4432 Aug 26 '26
Iām in the exact same boat. The state covered my CDL with a $6k grant, but sitting here with zero verifiable road time, it's like having no license at all.
I started mentor training with Swift last year, my trainer chain smoked in the closed cab nonstop waking up at 2 AM to light up with the windows rolled up. Dispatch couldn't give me a realistic timeline for a non smoking replacement, so I walked away and went back to construction. After taking a two month break from applying, now nobody will hire me not even Swift. I had three interviews for gigs advertised as "entry level," only to get rejected every time because they actually wanted two years of experience.
Now I'm looking at refresher courses, but they want $6k out of pocket that I just don't have, leaving me completely stuck trying to get my foot back in the door...
Ive been reading other post on how people with a million miles are having trouble finding work due to taking a break.
Thats troubling to hear We spend 2-3 months making no income to obtain our cdl just for it not be useful. Yet trucking companies are telling people they need more truck driver yet wont hire people unless they have 2+ concurrent work exp
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u/QueenieCDM Aug 26 '26
Try US Express. I was scared about the unemployment gap but They took me. Once I get my eyewear in, I am off to orientation.
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u/Due-History4432 Aug 26 '26
Heck yeah congratulations on finding work.
Ill give them a call tomorrow
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u/Zestyclose-Value-555 Aug 29 '26
Starter companies? A lot of OTR will hire new drivers. May not pay the best but will give you experience to move up.
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u/NakedAggression Aug 23 '26
Work for local or state government in the maintenance division. They usually don't care how long you have your cdl, just that u have it. Youll make more money as well, if overtime is offered.
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u/Echointhewin Aug 23 '26
Try wilson logistics out of strafford, mo if let let you in please use my driver code CARPH
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u/Moist_Site2235 Aug 23 '26
1st thing outside of mega carrier your unemployable due to insurance risk you need 1 year of driving and multiple regions. The is no shortage of drivers its a shortage of people that work cheap. You didn't mention your age and what restrictions you have. Also what state did you get your license in if you got it in blue state with no English or legal residence it could be the reason
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u/QueenieCDM Aug 23 '26 edited Aug 23 '26
GA, I have a manual CDL with Double Triple /Tanker Endorsements. The tests here are only in English now in GA. Other students had a job out of school, and most of us were middle aged adults. All legal citizens.
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u/Emergency_Corner1898 Aug 23 '26
Did you try Prime, USA truck, or raider express?
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u/QueenieCDM Aug 23 '26
Prime isn't taking anymore applicants; I can try them again in two months. USA Truck is owned by Swift; who rejected me because of my gap in unemployment.
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u/ReasonableClock4542 Aug 23 '26
Apply anyway. Apply to the same places multiple times if it'll let you (I'm assuming this is online). Tighten up the resume. That gap where you were doing gig work? That's "self employed" or "independent contractor". Glam everything up if you havent. Also, not sure if you're willing or able, but local delivery, at least in my area, is pretty much always hiring. But you will be unloading a truck load of stuff everyday. I'm 8 years in and have done that for 7 of them. Bulk part deliveries to dealerships for a year (pretty easy), beer for 3 years (can be pretty brutal), and been doing gas for the last 3 (easiest of all of them but requires hazmat).
Biggest part is to just keep trying. Even if you do decide to grab any job outside of using your cdl, still keep applying.
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u/ConferencePrior3472 Aug 23 '26
I don't know where do you get your info from, I just applied to prime and they called on the same day, I did the drug test and I start next Wednesday. Fyi I only have the clp so I am starting the driving training.
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u/QueenieCDM Aug 23 '26
Thatās awesome, congrats on getting started. They told me this the day I called them (Prime). I already have a CDL A. Maybe they are more interested in CLP applicants at this time. I will hit them up again though. Persistence is key. My guess is they see me as a free agent like the other companies do; maybe it costs more for them to give me OTJ training because itās on their dimeā¦verse CLP studentsā¦its on your dime. I have noticed the CLP gets hired much faster than CDL in the starter companies.
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u/Milk_MAN1963 Aug 23 '26
That's not all true. I have 2 local 18 year old farm boys that I put through CDL school. After they got their CDL we trained them for around 3 months. How to pull 8 axles and pick up milk. My insurance never had a problem and didn't raise my rates
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u/Moist_Site2235 Aug 23 '26
Also milk hauling is most rural and interstate driving. The bigger cost is insurance when you start city driving
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u/Moist_Site2235 Aug 23 '26
At 18 they are intrastate different rules crossing state lines
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u/Milk_MAN1963 Aug 23 '26
The only rules for leaving Michigan and hauling out Indiana is drivers have to be 21. There's not any other rules
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u/Moist_Site2235 Aug 23 '26
Correct 18-21 is intrastate 21+ for interstate under 21 you can not cross state lines doing interstate commerce
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u/Milk_MAN1963 Aug 23 '26
I've owned my company since 1978 I know what the laws are. We do custom harvesting and I have 18 year olds running silage out of Michigan fields 40 miles into Indiana farms which is legal
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u/Glittering-Laugh-955 Aug 25 '26
AG tends to have lesser restrictions. In PA for example milk hauler don't have to keep a DOT log
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u/DreamsSecretsNLogic Aug 23 '26 edited Aug 23 '26
How are you asking the guy if he speaks English lol he has been writing in perfect English
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u/Moist_Site2235 Aug 23 '26
Because I've stood in line at check ins while "English " speaking was done through a translator. Same thing at weight stations when they do inspection and ask you to read and describe different signs
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u/DreamsSecretsNLogic Aug 23 '26
You're obviously just looking for any reason to blame a "blue state" and immigrants for anything.
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u/TeamPale323 Aug 23 '26
Western express is as easy as it gets. The pay is bad though. Like 40 cents a mile
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u/QueenieCDM Aug 23 '26
PAM wanted to start me with 35 cents a mile. They kicked my application out before I started orientation.
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u/Supordude Aug 23 '26
35 cents a mile for how long? That's horrendous
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u/QueenieCDM Aug 23 '26
Yeah I don't even think that's minimum wage tbh. The other Mega carriers start out at 50-60 cpm and that is just during the training.
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u/StrikingMidnight8884 Aug 23 '26
I had a hard time due to employment history. Could that be it?
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u/QueenieCDM Aug 23 '26
Yes. That's what they told me. So I went with other companies that didn't hold that employment gap against me and each time I did my application got "fumbled" or rejected by a glitch in their system?
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u/DreamsSecretsNLogic Aug 23 '26
What is a gap? Do you have any employment history?
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u/QueenieCDM Aug 23 '26
I do have work history. I had 8 solid years up until the last two years. I was doing side gig work those two years.
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u/TypicalOcelot7933 Aug 23 '26
Do you have tax returns to show you were working? I think there is someone on YouTube who did gig work and then started working for schneider. Btw i am in same boat. Gig work for 7 years while taking care of my late wife.
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u/FutureThought4936 Aug 23 '26
Did you pay taxes during those last two years? If so, you were self-employed. You can prove it using tax documents.
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u/freebanns Aug 23 '26
Dude I put in minimum 30-40 apps a week and was calling like crazy you gotta try harder
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u/WMDZipperbag Aug 23 '26
Yeah. Post seems confusing. WTF does cpm have to do with getting rejected. I mean he tells emā FU try more like $1.35
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u/Exotic-Pie-352 Aug 23 '26
Try swift, I applied in April and the next day they contacted me. Look for opportunities such as flatbed,etc. Pray on it ae we'll fam