How to Find the Best CDL Jobs for Your Experience Level
Especially when looking for CDL jobs, you want to find the best trucking job for your experience level. We currently have a truck driver shortage of around 82,000 drivers in 2026, so luckily, you can find a job in this profession easily if you look hard enough. Trucking companies across the U.S. compete for the best trucking talent.
All of this makes it easier to land the best-paying jobs if you know how to look for those jobs for your experience level. With this article, we’ll take a look at how you can find the best jobs regardless of your experience level.
One thing we’d always recommend is that you explore your options because there are many carriers looking for truckers. Don’t sign up automatically for the first offer. The turnover rate for large long-haul truckers sits anywhere from 90% to 94% on average. Drivers keep switching because better offers keep coming along to make it worth the switch.
What CDL Jobs to Look for as a New Driver?
Dry van tends to work best for new drivers. This is because it’s safer and the most common, so you may want to look for those types of jobs first. Other good choices for CDL jobs with no experience include reefers, flatbed freight, and tankers.
Let’s say that you just graduated from trucking school yesterday. Now, you need a job, but you’re trying to find a good place to look. We’ll start with the essentials.
Before you finish trucking school, make sure that you go to a reputable school because this will help you find a job. Some trucking carriers offer training, so you can get a job right away. You want at least 120 hours of experience behind the wheel with a trucking school because most trucking companies nowadays won’t even look at drivers without that behind-the-wheel experience.
Some truckers only received 19 to 35 hours of behind-the-wheel training, and this can make it much harder to get hired. Many trucking schools only teach the bare minimum required by the state for them to pass you through. Here are 10 considerations when you look for a CDL training program.
If you do run into this problem as a new graduate, look for the mega carriers because these trucking companies often have their own in-house training, and they’re self-insured. It’s less risky for them than the small trucking carriers.
You’ll most likely spend several weeks with an over-the-road trainer before they will let you go solo. This is known as a finishing school, and it will help you get the experience that many trucking schools fail to give.
The Best Places to Find Trucking Jobs
We’re going to look at a couple of the best places where you can find trucking jobs to match your experience level. Some of the places include:
Recruitment Agencies: Going with a recruitment agency will work well because the agency will match you up with a company according to your preferences and experience level. They can also help you navigate some of the more complex trucking regulations, and they can handle the paperwork, compliance, and licensing documentation.
Specialized Job Boards: One of the cool things about the job boards is that they will give you your desired home time, your freight type, and your pay range. Look at specialized job boards because this will give you some of the smaller jobs that have less competition, and they weren’t given as much advertising.
Trucker Social: You can find CDL jobs right on Trucker Social, where you can network with other truckers (sometimes you find jobs by networking), and you can look at our Job Board to see what’s being posted. We have different recruiters who seek talent from our platform.
We don't recommend as a new driver that you would go owner-operator. See the differences between owner-operator versus company driver here.
What to Seek in a Company?
Look at CDL jobs that offer consistent time at home. Weekly or bi-weekly home time is a good choice. Unless you want to be out on the road all the time, and some truckers want that, you need to seek this out for the amount of time you want.
Also, look for fair compensation. The average sign-on bonus, even for new truckers, ranges anywhere from $1,000 to $15,000, but the average is usually between $2,300 and $5,000 for basic entry roles.
If you want the biggest bonuses, mega carriers tend to offer the biggest bonuses. It ranges anywhere from $5,000 to $15,000. Mid-size carriers will be anywhere from $2,000 to $8,000. If you’re a small carrier, it’ll be anywhere from $1,000 to $3,000. Read the fine print, however, with whatever you choose. Sometimes a smaller bonus is better because it has fewer disqualifications.
New truckers typically earn anywhere from $40,000 to $45,000 per year. Make sure you know the pay structure before you go into it. Before you sign with any company, check the average pay rates in your area for drivers with your experience level. See the top 10 countries where truckers earn the most money.
Types of CDL Jobs
When it comes to trucking, you have over-the-road (OTR), regional, and local trucking jobs. Local trucking jobs are very hard to get in most cases for new drivers because most trucking companies want you to have at least one to two years of OTR experience.
Local jobs also typically don’t pay as well, and you make more frequent stops and deliveries. Regional jobs can be moderately difficult for a new truck driver, but you could get this type of job if you look for the right companies.
Generally, they want 6 months to 2 years of OTR experience for regional jobs. This is because insurance premiums are higher on newer drivers, but it’s a good choice if you want more home time.
OTR jobs are the most common, and these are typically the easiest to get if you’re a new trucker. OTR trucking jobs catch a lot of flak for less home time, but they’re a great way to see all 48 lower states, and you can also go to Canada and Mexico.
How to Make the Best Deal
First, you need to educate yourself about the trucking jobs in your area. Look at the industry pay scales, the benefits, and the scheduling norms. Some things you want to always do to ensure you get the best deal are:
Ask for clarifications about bonuses, promotions, and pay raises.
Draw attention to your endorsements, experience, and safety record.
Speak directly about what you want for scheduling preferences and lifestyle needs.
You want solid market knowledge before you step to the negotiation table because it increases your chances of getting the best deal. Set your priorities and lay them out clearly.
Sign Up with Trucker Social and Look for CDL-A Jobs
At Trucker Social, we’ve got you covered. Begin your search for CDL jobs by signing up for our social media platform made for truckers. You can use it as a tool in your arsenal for hunting trucking jobs. We have a job board, but another big advantage is that you can send recruiters direct messages right from our platform. Create a profile Trucker Social and browse through verified jobs.
