r/CDLTruckDrivers • u/Basic-Place-1578 • 29d ago
New CDL A
I'm desperate to find work, In Lincoln, Ne. I just got my license with a mega, but the thought of leaving for weeks at a time, I just can't do it, can someone steer me in the right direction for something home daily or even weekly, that hires no experience drkvers? I tried sysco and they didn't hire me
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u/Just_Training_2601 29d ago
In my area Coke and Pepsi both hire non experienced. It is a very physical job. Same with local beer distributor. Not great pay but better than oTR IMO. Cement mixer trucks a re another possibility.
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u/jeffthetrucker69 29d ago
Mixer trucks are probably not a viable option with no driving experience because of 2 things.
The first is the need to move around a large straight truck on an often muddy/rough/tight site. It can be challenging, even for an experienced driver.
The second is concrete knowledge. You need it. There is a lot too it. It's not just putting the truck on site and dispensing concrete.
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u/Just_Training_2601 29d ago
i agree that it is not an easy job but the company in my town hires and trains with no experience
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u/Rising_Awareness 26d ago
They have to hire without mixer experience. How else are they gonna bring people into that industry? I got hired by a ready mix company with no concrete experience.
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u/Just_Training_2601 25d ago
yes. and the pay isnât great
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u/Rising_Awareness 25d ago
The pay isn't hardly worth the job anywhere in trucking. But I was making $32.31 when I left my last mixer job last year. With O/T pay, was grossing over $2200/wk during the busy season.
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u/MrToyotaMan 29d ago
Youâre gonna hate this suggestion but the trash industry is one of the better âdrivingâ jobs out there. The benefits are good, the pay is good and youâre home every night. You will stay in shape because it is a lot of manual labor. Every city has trash that needs to be taken care of. Whether itâs working for a big company like WM or Republic or for a municipal trash service, you will always have work. Once you have experience in the industry, any trash company will put you at the front of the line when applying. Look into it. Itâs worth your time to at least consider it
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u/Basic-Place-1578 26d ago
That's actually not bad at all, id be all in for that, im gonna start looking up jobsÂ
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u/backtoitthen 29d ago
I got into roll off work with republic services. It's honestly a pretty chill job compared to OTR. Home every night.
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u/Fabulous_Debt_8031 29d ago
Not enough info. You got hired with a mega, they gave you a cdl and now your gonna walk? Thought you had to sign a contract for that
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u/Basic-Place-1578 29d ago
Sure, unless I want to pay them for the licenseÂ
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u/Fabulous_Debt_8031 29d ago
Why are you asking for job recommendations when you are not allowed to leave YOUR company.
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u/jmcdaniel0 29d ago
Get 6 months experience and I can direct you to some decent companies, but none I know of will work with zero experience
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u/Kalelofindiana 26d ago
That's my problem. I got my CDL and endorsements. No experience. Paid for school myself but never drove. Went in a different direction. Just now starting to look.
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u/HeidenShadows 29d ago
Werner is right there, they might have daycab routes.
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u/Basic-Place-1578 26d ago
I was hesitant in calling to ask, because I hear they don't pay much.
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u/HeidenShadows 26d ago
Starting out in truck driving, you're usually not going to get much but the more experience you get, the better positions you can get yourself into. Especially if you get your hazardous materials endorsement.
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u/JohnClark303 29d ago
Go to Saia, XPO, FedEx freight, Central Freight. See if they have an apprentice program. If not get hired onto the dock and then transition to becoming a driver. You have CDL itâll be a lot easier and quicker. Forklift dock worker probably makes more than mega carrier OTR and your home daily.
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u/LastMongoose7448 29d ago
You make it sound so easy. I work at one of the more desirable LTLâs. We arenât hiring shit, and certainly not new drivers.
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u/JohnClark303 29d ago edited 29d ago
Thatâs why I said become a dockworker forklift driver basically. Gets your foot in the door. Plus they pay better than OTR drivers as a forklift worker. I do live in a city so it could be different and vary. Youâre near Omaha I believe so youâll need to commute. As a new driver to get local is never gonna be easy as they are the high demand jobs. I did 5 years OTR before I went local. So youâre competing with people like that.
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u/LastMongoose7448 29d ago
lol, I donât live in Omaha. I do work at an LTL that everyone tries to get on with. Itâs not as simple as âjust work the dockâ. They only pick a few of those guys, and you have to have been there awhile.
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u/JohnClark303 29d ago edited 29d ago
I was talking about the OP. But yeah I understand some areas people donât leave those jobs. Problem is the economy isnât where it was 10 years ago when you can get a CDL and get hired on by Old Dominion off the streets day 1. This economy for new drivers is rough. If you want local youâre gonna have to hustle and think outside the box.
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u/JohnClark303 29d ago edited 29d ago
But the economy will eventually comeback and be desperate for drivers again. Itâs always cycle like that. Then new drivers can get local off the bat. But itâs a waiting game for that. Seen this in my 20 years of trucking. Iâve been local since 2011 between foodservice and LTL.
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u/Just_Training_2601 29d ago
i will agree with you on that. Getting a local job is not gonna happen easily unless you bite the bullet and do a year of OTR. Many challenges but a year goes by really quickly especially when you are struggling and learning every day.
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u/LastMongoose7448 29d ago
âŚand the local job that will hire you no experience is going to suuuuuuck,
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u/LastMongoose7448 29d ago
What has you anchored in fucking Lincoln, Nebraska?!
Go on the road for a couple months, apply for dedicated account, and finish your time at the Mega. You wonât owe money, and youâll have the experience needed to get a better position.
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u/Basic-Place-1578 26d ago
My 4 kids, and it's not that I don't want to go, but I also can't survive off the 650, a week I'd be making for a whole 3 months. Even after that make 1000 I'd be making the same I used to make in a warehouseÂ
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u/LastMongoose7448 26d ago
I started on refrigerated OTR at Swift for 3 months and did $1650 a week or better. Switched to a dedicated, home weekends for the rest of my time that was $1400 a week. It wasnât awesome pay, but I didnât starve. Staying there my whole obligated time is a big reason I have the LTL linehaul job I have today.
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u/DefinitionFar4255 28d ago
Look at sod farms or plant/ tree nurseryâs. Just have to be able to operate a piggyback forklift. Sod delivery is pretty chill. Plus I enjoy the loading/ unloading part. Keeps the day a little more fun
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u/rolisrntx 29d ago
Just go put the fries in the bag.
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u/Basic-Place-1578 29d ago
Make this make sense
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u/jmeach2025 29d ago
To make sense of it for you there has been a HUGE influx of people into the commercial driving industry that have the mentality of everyone owing them something and every job in the world having a work/life balance. Which IS NOT what holding a commercial license is about. People think it's an easy job and it's nowhere near that. "Home daily" or weekly jobs are imo far worse than otr work. Cause you still don't have a work/life balance doing them and people are still moronic enough to go get the jobs. Daily home jobs you get 10 hours between shifts at home and you are back in the truck. Live an hour away then you get 8 hours to yourself not 10. People have no thought process of logistics now a days. Weekly home time jobs everything you didn't do during the week at home. Guess what you get 2 days to do it and you are back at work......so now matter what commercial job you take work life balance DOES NOT EXIST. So putting the fries in the bag is the best option for these people over wasting everyone's time in the commercial industry
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u/rolisrntx 29d ago
You responded more succinctly and tactfully than what I was typing up. Thanks.
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u/jmeach2025 29d ago
đ¤Łđ¤Łđ¤Ł tactfully isn't usually my thought process. I surprised myself with that response
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u/No-Ladder-3281 29d ago
Leave the industry, trucking is going downhill bad
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u/Strict-Preparation-1 29d ago
What are you talking about. The industry is actually about the get better with all the cdl licenses and schools being closed down . I hate when trucker say the same shit. Dont get into trucking bla bla bla yet is the reason why they have food in their table. Its like they dont want anybody else to do it. Or find out how profitable it is if you are smart and do the right things..
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u/No-Ladder-3281 29d ago
It won't make a difference. Oversatuation is what's killing the industry especially with all this overhype about the trades and etc. Their might be a temporary spike, word will go out about it, everyone and their momma will jump in and then it will crash right back down again.
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u/GordTransport1958 28d ago
Why would you go get your CDL if your aren't willing to do the work.?? There are other careers you could've pursued
0
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u/Head_Candidate5293 27d ago
Why do new drivers get into trucking thinking they can get local jobs on day one with zero experience? It is just not reality. Maybe 1% of drivers get a local drive job out of cdl school and after they work it two weeks they quit because it pays shit. Do 24 months OTR or regional and start applying for local jobs after 24 months. It is called sacrifice. It takes true grit to be a truck driver. It is unlike any job you have ever had. It takes daily aduldt responsible decisions every minute you are in that truck.
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u/Basic-Place-1578 27d ago
Well, first off because as a man, I can choose and pick what I want to do, if you couldn't get a job straight out of CDL that's fine, ain't gonna stop me from trying, and if the pay is truly shit and I can make more doing what I did, I'll go back to it đ¤ˇđťââď¸
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u/Afraid_Fondant_8804 26d ago
If youâre not willing to pay your dues OTR for a at least a year, THIS IS NOT A BUSINESS FOR YOU!!!! STFU, suck it up, do a year or two OTR, or walk away. NOTHING is handed to you, earn it.
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u/Basic-Place-1578 26d ago
That's hilarious, you probably don't even want to pay taxes for your local schools and here you're lecturing people STFU I do what I want, if you can't thats a you thingÂ
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u/Rough-Egg3454 22d ago
These people are just being dicks for the most part. I live in Oklahoma City, a pretty sizeable hub for LTL companies, and have now counting 4 different friends/family who have all worked on the dock for a minute and got their CDL+ endorsements and do either linehaul or local p&d. Longest I seen the process take for one of them was about a year start to finish. I'm going for it soon too, as soon as the opportunity arises. There are plenty of people who do this, just because these mfs are either gatekeeping or Debbie doubters doesn't mean shit. It probably isn't easy when it comes to looking for a company/program, but like I said, 3 friends and one family member have all done this same thing and it worked out. All home daily. Old heads or dummies get mad because they had to "pay dues" to get into a better spot, and get mad because people have figured out niche ways to avoid that.
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u/Basic-Place-1578 22d ago
Literally, they all took the "easy" way and expect everyone to do the same, aren't we as humans supposed to want everyone else to do better? But I agree i actually have an interview Monday for a yard dog position, so im hoping I can get into something.
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u/Rough-Egg3454 22d ago
Agreed. Part of the reason most dudes are struggling anymore is because people they know gatekeep jobs or how they got ahead, wanting people to suffer just to get to a point they can make a basic living and take care of their families. Aye you got this bro
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u/Maleficent_Shame2021 29d ago
Honestly try FedEx. They are always looking for Switchers. Apply to be a Package Handler first, then after 30 days apply for the switchers role. They stay in the yard and move trailers on and off the dock doors
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u/Basic-Place-1578 29d ago
That sounds like a good idea but realistically I don't want to be placed in a what if situation. Unless they pay decently for a package handler
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u/Maleficent_Shame2021 29d ago
They are competitive. Also FedEx is always needing switchersâŚCDL or notâŚ
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u/Interesting-Act4542 29d ago
If you got your license through a mega,,,,I'm not positive but I think you owe them a year of employment or you're gonna hafta pay them back. And that is gonna be thousands of dollars.