Understanding Your Pathway in Trucking
THE GOAL
In 5 short chapters, help you understand the reality of trucking, so you can decide if CDL training is right for you.
01
- The CDL journey is like baking a cake. Yum!
Think about baking a cake—there’s no question you need sugar, right? Without it, it’s just not a cake. Your Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) is kind of like the sugar. You definitely need it for a trucking career, but it’s just one ingredient. Too many folks get focused on just the sugar! But remember, a great cake needs more than one ingredient—and the same goes for a trucking career. To get the final result—a real job—you need the full recipe. Let’s make sure you’ve got all the right pieces to get that sweet outcome!
02
- You are excited about trucking, we are too!
We’re here to cheer you on as you start your CDL journey! But before you jump in and put your time, money, and hard work into training, we want to give you an honest look at what truck driving is really like—so you know what to expect and can feel confident moving forward.
When we ask students what they plan to do with their Class A license, most say, "I just want to get my license—I’ll figure that out later." We totally get the excitement, but that’s kind of like putting the cart before the horse. Instead, let’s flip the script: we’ll help you understand what kind of jobs are out there, what they pay, and what the day-to-day is really like. Then, if it sounds like a good fit, we’ll hit the ground running with training!
03
- Uncle is wrong about the trucking industry
We all have that one family member, friend, or co-worker who swears they know it all. But with over 33 years in the industry, we’ve seen what really works—and when it comes to trucking jobs, things haven’t changed as much, despite what Uncle Ned says!
Pop over to Instagram or TikTok, and you’ll likely stumble across tons of videos from freshly graduated CDL students all across the country, sharing the same wish—that someone had just sat them down and explained the path into trucking. You’ll hear them say things like, “No one wants to hire me without experience." I wish someone had told me!” It's a common chorus, and it’s clear— new CDL drivers need more guidance up front.
04
- The lifespan of a new CDL driver = 1 year!
I heard local drivers in the Los Angeles area make over $90,000 as commercial drivers—is that true? Yep, it sure is!
So why do some people leave trucking after just one year? Most never get the chance to land those high-paying jobs. Here’s a look at a few of them you can check out for yourself:
If you reach out to their recruiting department, chances are they’ll tell you the same thing everyone else does—you need experience before they can bring you on.
Now, maybe you're thinking, “But my Uncle Ned works at ABC Trucking, and he said they'll hire me right after school for a local job.” And hey, if that’s truly the case, that’s awesome! You're one of the lucky few—maybe 1 in 10—who already has that kind of hookup. Just a heads-up though, we’ve seen those offers sometimes disappear once the CDL is in hand… why that happens, who knows?
Local jobs can happen for new drivers, but they’re tough to land right out of school. It’s not the fun part to hear, we know—but it's an important part of making sure your “cake” turns out the way you want it to!
05
- Let's fordge your pathway in trucking
How do I get CDL driving experience?
Great question! There’s a whole part of the trucking world designed just for new drivers—but here’s the catch: most of those jobs are Over-the-Road (OTR), which usually means driving cross-country and being away from home for 2–3 weeks at a time. The good news? Some companies are getting creative and finding ways to get drivers home more often, sometimes even weekly.
This is where you build your experience. There’s no secret sauce or shortcut—it’s just part of the journey. Think of OTR as the flour in your cake. It may not be the flashiest part, but you can’t bake the cake without it! New graduates who remain with an OTR company for 1 year will often see pay range from $54,000 - $65,000 their first year, depending on how much they drive. Remember, there is still a whole lot of on-the-job training happening the first couple of months.
But here’s the exciting part—you live in Southern California, and that gives you an advantage most people don’t have. A lot of companies around here are willing to hire drivers once they have just 6 months of driving experience. That’s the real trick: OTR doesn’t have to be forever. In fact, it might only be a short chapter in your driving story.
When you hit your 6-month mark, you’ll be hearing from us again—but this time, we’ll be reaching out with local driving opportunities that open up once you’ve got that experience under your belt.
To wrap things up: for more than 90% of new drivers, starting out with cross-country (OTR) driving is part of the deal. While we do help some grads find local jobs right away, that’s the exception, not the rule.
If you have commitments at home that make it hard to be away for stretches of time, we totally understand—and we’ll be the first to tell you that trucking might not be the best fit right now.
We’re a career training school, but more importantly, we’re here to help you make the right decision for your future. We believe in being real with you—because at the end of the day, we want you to succeed, not become another “one-year and done” story.
P.S. We have the best sugar in town!
ONE OF OUR INDUSTRY PARTNERS
WERNER ENTERPRISES
Werner offers industry-leading benefits and career opportunities for our professional truck drivers so they can thrive both on and off the road. Drivers choose us for the ‘Werner Difference’ and our commitment to providing the benefits they deserve. The average salary for our drivers is $75,000+ annually, with top performers earning $90,000+. We also provide new drivers with top-of-the-line, brand-new equipment.
ACCEPTS NEW GRADUATES
Werner continues to offer over-the-road entry-level driver positions to our student driver graduates.
TUTITION REIMBURSEMENT
Up to $15,000 tuition reimbursement for qualified CDL training tuition payments or student loans
MEET THE RECRUITERS
During your CDL training program you will get to meet Werner Enterprises recruiters.
