5 CDL A Jobs With No Experience (And 5 Great Entry-Level Companies)

It can be difficult to find your first job since you likely have zero experience in the field you’re trying to enter. This is especially true for CDL A holders who want to be truck drivers but don’t have any driving experience.

After all, you can’t just take the family semi out for a spin a few days a week or create a portfolio of your driving skills to share.

Because of this, it can take some significant effort and creativity to get your foot in the door and start your truck driving career. It is certainly possible to get a truck driving job with no experience, though, and in this article, you’ll find out how.

1. Truck Driver Jobs (Overview)

2. Delivery Driver Jobs (Overview)

3. Bus Driver Jobs (Overview)

4. Garbage Truck Driver Jobs (Overview)

5. Mixer Driver Jobs (Overview)

Types of CDL Jobs You Can Get With No Experience

You might consider applying to several positions if you have a CDL license and need experience.

1. Paid Trainee/Student Truck Driver

   Average Annual Salary: $51,000

   Often truck driving companies will hire someone with no experience and a CDL A license to complete their training at the company. After completing their program, these trainees will be paid while learning and will usually land a full-time driving job immediately.

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2. Delivery Driver

   Average Annual Salary: $37,000

   Shipping companies need truck drivers to deliver packages of all kinds, and while this role may not require a CDL A license, it will get you a paycheck and some good commercial driving experience.

   You may not be driving a tractor-trailer, but you’ll at least be racking up the minutes driving a company’s vehicle safely. Plus, if you have your CDL and prove yourself with smaller trucks, you might move up within the company to get some experience driving larger vehicles.

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3. Bus Driver

   Average Annual Salary: $33,000

   School districts, cities, college campuses, and airports all need bus drivers, and many of these positions only require applicants to have the appropriate CDL and a good driving record. You may have to complete additional training once you’re officially on with the company, but usually, you’ll still be paid while you’re doing so.

   Once you have some solid bus driving experience under your belt, your stock will go up with trucking companies, especially if you don’t have any safety incidents or complaints during your time in this role.

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4. Garbage Truck Driver

   Average Annual Salary: $66,000

   Serve your city and get some commercial driving experience by driving a garbage or recycling truck. Many of these positions don’t require applicants to have any experience beyond a CDL, but it’s a great way to get used to driving large vehicles with heavy loads.

   Your experience in this area will also count for something if and when you decide to pursue an OTR trucking job. Plus, you’ll get to know the city you live in and feel the satisfaction of knowing that you’re helping it operate smoothly.

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5. Mixer Driver

   Average Annual Salary: $31,000

   Construction companies need a wide variety of trucks to get their projects done, including mixers, the trucks that mix and pour concrete. Like other positions on this list, many of the job openings for mixer drivers only require applicants to have an applicable CDL, making it easy to enter if you don’t have any experience.

   Driving mixers and other construction-related trucks is a great way to get CDL driving experience and to build a reputation for being a reliable and efficient employee, all of which will make you more attractive to trucking companies in the future.

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Good Entry-Level Companies for CDL A Jobs

1. Roehl

   Based in Wisconsin, Roehl is one of the largest logistics companies in the world. It also offers CDL training and entry-level positions for drivers with no experience. Since Roehl has various fleet options, new drivers can get experience with dry van, flatbed, refrigerated, and curtain-side trucks.

2. U.S. Xpress

   U.S. Xpress is a well-respected company that offers training to new drivers and a tuition reimbursement program for drivers who still need to earn their CDLs. The company has various truck types and treats its employees well with generous salaries and benefits.

3. Schneider

   Headquartered in Green Bay, Wisconsin, Schneider hires inexperienced drivers over 21. They offer good benefits and have a wide variety of driving jobs, making it a great place to figure out what you want to specialize in and get some experience in that area.

4. CR England

   Founded in 1920, this family-owned business is respected for its ability to adjust to and succeed in an ever-shifting market, making it a solid company to begin a career with. CR England is also willing to hire and train new drivers and treats its employees well.

5. Swift Transportation

   Swift Transportation hires drivers with no experience, focusing on hiring and training candidates who have their CDLs, are reliable and are professional. This company is based in Phoenix, Arizona, and offers competitive salaries to entry-level drivers. Drivers’ salaries go up as they gain more experience, rewarding employee longevity.

How To Find a CDL A Job with No Experience

Even though it may not seem like it at times, finding a CDL A job is possible without driving experience. Companies are aware that drivers have to start somewhere, so often, they have programs designed to train new graduates in your shoes.

In these training programs, you’ll be treated like an apprentice. This means you’ll usually be paid, but you won’t make as much as you will when you’re working independently, and you’ll have to be supervised whenever you do drive.

These programs have more than a few benefits:

1. You get a job. It may not be much, but you are getting paid to complete your training and are likely guaranteed a full-time position once you do. Plus, companies provide training programs to train their employees how they want to, which will make your transition into being a full-fledged driver for the company much smoother.

2. Often companies that offer these programs will reimburse your tuition. If you paid for classes to get your CDL A, sometimes companies will reimburse you for those and any testing fees.

   This can help make up for the lower salary you’ll get while you’re in training. Just make sure you look into this option as quickly as possible after you’re licensed, as often there’s a short window of eligibility.

3. You get a stamp of approval from a reputable company. Sometimes an independent owner-operator is willing to train and hire a CDL A holder with no experience, which can be a great way to get your foot in the door.

   Unless you rack up several years of experience there, however, if you decide you want to switch companies, you could run the risk of larger companies being a bit skeptical of your abilities since they don’t necessarily know how the company operates.

   If a future employer sees that you were trained and hired by a large brand, it will carry more weight in your future job searches. Even if the new company doesn’t necessarily agree with every detail of how the large company operates, they’ll at least know what they’re getting in an employee.

While a training program isn’t the only way to get a CDL A job with no experience, it’s one of the best and most guaranteed.

Tips For Searching For a CDL A Job with No Experience

1. Don’t be picky. Remember, your goal is to get a job to get some experience, not select the company you want to work with for the next 20 years.

   Mega carriers, for example, may not be your long-term employer of choice, but often they’re the ones that have training programs that are designed for licensed drivers with little to no experience, which could make them your only option.

   Even if you don’t love the company you end up working for, just remember that it’s only a few years of paying your dues, and then more opportunities will open up for you.

2. Apply to as many positions as possible. Yes, even the ones that don’t necessarily thrill you. Your goal is to get your foot in the door and some experience under your belt so that you can move into something more attractive, but you have to start somewhere.

   A company may be far more willing to hire an inexperienced driver for a long-haul team driver position than your dream job as a single short-haul driver, so raise your chances of getting a job by applying to as many different positions as you reasonably can.

3. Get creative. So maybe you don’t start out driving a semi-truck. Driving construction dump trucks, gravel trucks, railroad service trucks, or delivery trucks will still get you commercial driving experience, which many OTR trucking companies will accept as years of driving experience.

   At the least, it’ll make you more attractive than you are without any experience at all. And who knows, maybe you’ll find you like this type of driving so much you decide to stay with it in the long term.

4. Build a network. With any job in any industry, often knowing the right people can open doors that wouldn’t be open otherwise. Talk to instructors, family friends, or your local towing and construction companies about what openings they may know about.

   You can even ask for an informational interview with an OTR trucking company representative to express your interest and ask for their advice on how to go about getting driving experience.

   Not only will you likely get valuable advice, but you’ll also make yourself more memorable (in a positive way) for when you do apply for a job in the future.

Author

Abby McCain

Abby is a writer who is passionate about the power of story. Whether it’s communicating complicated topics in a clear way or helping readers connect with another person or place from the comfort of their couch. Abby attended Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where she earned a degree in writing with concentrations in journalism and business.