It was a long time ago, but I started driving smaller vehicles back in Ontario when I was 17. After a break from the industry in the late 90s, I decided to get back into trucking again. I went through unemployment, and then I got my license. That was a bit of a painful process. It was discouraging, but I stuck with it. I got my funding and my Class 1. From that point, I ran into personality conflicts, and it took me almost a year and a half before I got myself into a legitimate, solid job. It’s that same old saying, “You got to get the experience to get a job,” but how do you get experience if nobody hires you? That’s the problem I fell into. It took me a good year and a half before I actually found a company that was willing to say, “Okay, we’re going to take a shot on you. Let’s see what you can do.”

Nowadays, I see a lot of people get their start by having some connection with someone who owns a truck or company. Or, they go someplace that has a solid training program that can take them from being new to being out on their own. While it can be hard to find a job at first, there are good companies out there that can help new drivers get their start.