How to Get Trucking Jobs with No Experience

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Landing your first trucking job can prove to be a bit of a conundrum; you get the commercial driver's license (CDL) just to find that you can't actually get the CDL jobs without trucking experience. What's a new trucking graduate to do?

Apply to long haul trucking jobs.
Local trucking jobs tend to be the most sought after, and they also tend to go to the veterans of the road. If you are looking to get a trucking job with no experience, start focusing more on the over the road, longhaul trucking jobs. The competition will be less fierce and the employers will be more likely to take a chance on a trucker with minimal or no driving experience. Keep in mind that the first CDL job that you get will not be your last; you can use it to get your foot in the door and land your next perfect job.

Seek out team driving opportunities.
Sometimes you can get trucking jobs with no experience if you offer to do team CDL driving jobs. Especially if you can get paired with someone more experienced, this can be a great opportunity for a recent CDL training graduate.

Offer to drive for a company on an internship/probationary status.
Many times a CDL trucking job will be more likely to a driver without experience if they agree to do a probation period, possibly without pay. Granted, working without pay is never ideal, but it can be what gets you in good with an employer. Once they see that you are a good CDL driver and an accountable employee, they may wish to offer you a more permanent, paying position.

Lower your standards.
There, I said it. In my place of employment, I frequently work one on one with new CDL training grads to guide them in their job search. A common mindset (in any new graduate of any subject, for that matter) is that they are going to land their dream CDL job right off the bat. Many of them wait and wait for that perfect CDL job, all the while not realizing or embracing that with a CDL, time is of the essence when it comes to employment. Finding a job as quickly as possible after finishing CDL school is one of the best ways to ensure that you start a fruitful driving career. So, even if only temporarily, be willing to compromise if you are looking for a CDL job with no experience and you will be better off in the long run.

Build a strong trucking resume. If you have just recently earned your CDL, that certification will be the first thing that you will want to list on your resume. List previous work experience, even if it is not in the trucking field, because it still serves to show that you can be a reliable employee.

The important thing to do is to realize that you do have options and that if you keep pushing, you will also be creating opportunities for trucking jobs. You can get trucking jobs with no experience- at one point everyone was a new CDL driver; everyone had to start somewhere.