🛣️ CDL Certified... Now What?

Your First Job Options + My Wild Ride from Bus to Truck

🎓 So You Got Your CDL. Congrats, Rookie.

You did the hard part—you passed the written test without crying, learned how to float gears (or slam them), and now that plastic card is in your wallet. The question is: what comes next?

Well… that depends on where you trained and what license you got.

🚍 Quick Reminder: School Type = Job Type

Let’s break it down:

• Private CDL School
  Fast, focused, often $$$. Most grads get snatched up by big OTR companies looking to fill long-haul seats ASAP. You’ll probably start OTR.

• Community College
  Slower pace, better value, more balanced. These grads often land local or regional gigs first—especially if they have connections.

• Grant-Funded Training
  Low cost or free if you qualify. But most of these funnel straight into mega carriers who take rookies like candy from a vending machine.

Either way, your first job will be based more on where you trained than what you want—at least at first.

💣 Truth Bomb: Most Companies Talk Sweet, But…

Let’s get real:

🗣️ “You’ll be home every other weekend.”
Reality? You’re out 18 days, maybe home for 3. If you're lucky.

Whatever they tell you—add time. If they say 2 weeks out, expect 3. If they say local, expect over-the-road.

And most entry-level carriers? You’re just a unit in a driver count spreadsheet. That’s the game.

If you’re going OTR, pick a company based in your state.

• You can drive to orientation yourself

• You won’t be stranded in a Greyhound depot with a bag of Funyuns and no way home

• And if it doesn’t work out, at least you’re not 1,200 miles away with zero support

🧠 “Control what you can. Choose a company close to home. That’s your safety net.”

🛻 OTR Life: What You’re Really Signing Up For

If you’re headed OTR, here’s your starter pack:

• 🚚 Long Hauls & Longer Showers: You’ll be out for weeks at a time. Hope you like truck stop pizza and baby wipe baths.

• 🛏️ Tiny Home Vibes: That sleeper bunk? Yeah, that’s your house now. Decorate accordingly.

• 🪙 Starter Pay = Humble Hustle:
  Expect $600–$1,000/week after taxes as a rookie.
  If you run teams? You might pull $800–$1,300 a week each—if the miles are good and your partner isn’t a weirdo with tuna sandwiches and no social skills.

• 📱 “Training” at Some Companies Means “Good Luck”:
  Expect some carriers to toss you in a truck and hope you don’t hit a cow.

👥 Solo vs. Team Driving: Pick Your Poison

When you're fresh out of CDL school, companies love pushing team driving. Why? Because that truck never stops moving—and neither do their profits. But here’s the breakdown:

👤 Solo Driving

• Freedom to vibe with your music, your stops, your schedule

• More rest, more space, less drama

• But... slower miles, lower rookie pay, and yes, more loneliness

👥 Team Driving

• Truck runs 24/7—you drive while they sleep, they drive while you snore (or try to)

• Better miles = better pay (sometimes $800–$1,300/week starting out)

• But… you’re living in a closet with a stranger who might talk in their sleep or forget deodorant

🧠 “If you trust your teammate and like the grind, team can be great. If not, solo keeps your sanity in check.”

Test both if you can. Then decide what works for your head and your wallet.

🎤 My Story: From Sandwiches to Sleeper Cabs

In 2016, I was managing a corporate sub shop, working 17-hour shifts for $10.50/hour. Then I saw a Craigslist ad:

“Be a Motorcoach Driver. Make $60K/Year.”

I was in CDL school the next day.

They paid me $10.50 for a month of training, then covered my CDL B license. Life was good—until COVID hit. Bus jobs vanished. I was stuck with a CDL B that had a manual restriction, no tanker jobs, and limited options.

Even worse—most companies want stick-shift drivers, even if the fleet is automatic. So, I made a move.

In 2020, I got my CDL A with all endorsements. That’s when I learned the truth:

🧠 “4 years in a tour bus means nothing in a semi truck.”
They don’t count motorcoach experience because it’s one piece—not two. Total BS.

💩 My First Trucking Job Was... Not Great

Let’s just say I joined a company that rhymes with “Trucker Clown Show.” They called it “training,” but it was:

• 10 hours driving / 10 hours off

• No coaching, no guidance

• $90 a day

After that mess, I teamed up with another rookie—no clue what we were doing. We barely made it 3 weeks.

They sent me on flatbed jobs (I’m not a flatbed guy), botched the pick-up numbers, and left me unpaid for 4-hour waits. Couldn’t reach dispatch. No answers. No reimbursements. Greyhound to new city—they ghosted me. I paid my own taxi.

I quit. Immediately.

👉 Think about this when picking a school that locks you into a 1–2 year contract.
If your first company is like mine? You won’t last 2 months.
Personally, I don’t like being tied down where I can’t leave. Just something to consider.

🧡 Finding My Lane

Eventually, I landed at a major company with the big orange boxes. Way better.

In 2022, I went back to motorcoach driving. That’s where my heart is.

I’ve done both—OTR trucking and bus driving—and here’s what I’ll say:

🎯 “Get your endorsements. Get the right license. Start with whatever you can. But never stop upgrading your game.”

🛠️ Takeaways for New Drivers:

• CDL B with a restriction? You’ll be limited—fix it.

• Only have one type of vehicle experience? Start learning the other.

• Endorsements matter more than you think.

• Team driving works—if you trust your co-pilot.

• Your first job may suck. Just don’t stay stuck.

• Choose a company in your state—so you don’t end up stranded and broke.

• Be careful of contracts that lock you into a trash company.

🚦 Final Words: This Ain’t Your Final Stop

No matter where you start—whether it’s in a bus, a box truck, or a sleeper—you’ve already done more than most people ever will. The CDL world has thousands of roads. Some dead-end, some lead home.

If you’ve got your license, the only way is forward.