As I stated earlier, in 1992 I became an over-the-road truck driver. In the fall of that year, my father passed away. When you're driving down the road in a big truck, you have the opportunity to do lots of thinking. One day, as I recall, my JD Truck Training Centre was out in the great northwest, Montana to be exact. Thinking of my past, my dad, and where I was, I started to create a poem. I call it This Great Land Of Ours.
Well after 5 or 6 more hours you finally get your load unloaded. This is probably 12:00 midnight by now and going on 3 days with no sleep,no eat,no shower, and guess what you still have a half hour of driving left to hopefully get into a truck stop and parked.
I remember when the Truck driving school was teaching me how to meet all the CDL requirements. They taught me how to back up, shift and do lane changes and everything. But the real deal of getting loaded, to driving through the mountains is another thing.
You must be a U.S. citizen, speak English, and have a valid copyright from the state in which you reside. In addition, you must be at least 21 years old to drive across state lines. Some trucking companies will hire 18 year olds to drive within a state.
Out of all the endorsements, you must be fingerprinted and pass a background check for only one: Truck driving school the HazMat endorsement. If you have been convicted of arson robbery smuggling HR Truck Licence bribery or other serious crimes you cannot obtain a HazMat endorsement. Your HazMat endorsement must be renewed at least every 5 years.
Now that you know how much it costs for tuition, you should also consider other costs like financing, room and board or hotel stays, transportation to the school, amenities etc. Be conscious of the numbers game. It might be $5000 for one school all-inclusive and $4000 for another but you still have to pay for hotel. That makes them the same. So you really have to evaluate the schools and do your due diligence.
Besides the compensation for the work you perform, there are other reasons to consider this type of work. Namely because most trucking companies will also provide health/life insurance and retirement plans. Every companies compensation plan and benefits will differ, so be sure to review them carefully.