Small fleet owners hiring no exp H/W teams?

clcoil · Jan 8, 2004

Hi All

Me and my wife want to break into this type of work we were going to go the big truck route but after looking into expediting we think we would like that even better. My question is would it be hard to find work (like to start out driving for O/O) with no CLD exp. We both have lots of time driving local non-CDL box and step vans. We would be based out of centeral MO. and are willing to stay out there.

We would be looking for work in the May timeframe (waiting to get laid off from preasent job) and will both have class A CDL's by then.

Thanks

Weave · Jan 8, 2004

If the work you and your wife did in the vans and step vans is verifiable, many of the expedite companies will accept it as commercial experience and may allow you to run a CDL straight truck with them. A fleet owner with trucks leased to other companies does not set those company rules, they have to adhere to them (or are supposed to adhere to them) when submitting driver applications to the company.
It has been noted with me that many trucking companies are so desperate for teams that they bend the rules any way they can to hire teams on, experienced or not. I don't think that is such a good thing unless these drivers are out individually with a trainer for a while, but it is happening, and us experienced folks are paying for this with increased insurance rates due to the accident rate of these new commercial drivers with little or no training with heavy trucks.
For instance, in Minnesota one can get a fully endorced CDL B in a 12' airbrake flatbed truck with automatic transmission and a rear window, then drive a full legal capacity 50k+lb staright truck full of explosives the next day if one will let them. Sorry, not safe.
If you and your wife are going about it right and getting your CDL A's through driver schooling, you should be the best new drivers available.
-Weave-

clcoil · Jan 8, 2004

Thanks for the info, we are going to go to a school to get are class A's. We thought about just getting a class B but decided to go ahead with the school in case we couldn't find work expediting we could go to a tractor trailer firm.

thanks again