Starting in USA ?

[Daxaero]

Hi guys,

i was always interested in spedition and always wanted to try USA style rather than european. Im somewhat familiar with differences between USA and Europe laws regarding driving trucks, working hours etc. Currently im working as a manager of a family owned truck company in Bosnia.

Can you please tell me next:

- I have EU citizenship, regular driving licence, good english speaking and ambition to head up to the USA in a year or two maybe. Salaries here as a truck driver are around 900 - 1200 dollars. What qualifications do i have to aquire so i can commercialy drive a truck in USA ? Do i need some kind of a working permission since im not USA citizen ? What are the costs of receiving truck driving licence ? I heard that truckers in USA make up to 5000 dollars per month and that's if they are working for a company ?


Thank you in advantage

 

[Injun]

Otr driver ? Over the road.

I don't understand why people settle for going to a training company. You obviously have the experience, once you get licensed, you should be able to get a job for 40cpm on the bottom end.

Getting you license would consist of finding someone willing to let you get some wheel time to get familiar with the truck and using same truck in a test.

Unfortunately, all the foreign experience the man has will count for nothing to the insurance companies in the US. He'll have to start all over again. He will have an advantage (of sorts) over brand-newbies, but he will also have habits that worked well in Europe that can get him in trouble here. These habits will have to be changed.

My own experience showed me European roadways are not the same as ours and driver behavior is different. He will have a learning curve, even if it is a bit shorter than the average noob.

Once he establishes his record, he will be able to pretty much go where he wants.

 

[mndriver]

I have driven in Kosovo. Former Yugoslavia. Other than words actually on the signs, there's not a lot of difference.

But he still doesn't HAVE to go to a mega training company. Plenty of smaller operations would be able to hire him.

 

[Daxaero]

But i have to do my CDL and it' mandaory or not ? And that's 3000+ dollars. The best training i had here was a dual crew with older coleague at the FRONT LINE in a truck and on the road. I would like to find someone to get me into job..... for instance: dual crew and minimal salary just to teach me

 

[mndriver]

You have experience though driving a tractor trailer. So that's not any big issue. Its just getting used to new equipment.


For you, the hardest part will be the written test as you will be thinking back to European standards and not US standards. The basic rules of the road really aren't that different between here and there. The signage will be easier coming this way vs going to Europe. Namely because where you just have the image for "yield", here, the word is in the middle of the sign too. Road stripes might be interesting too. Europe has areas with zigzig and such where nothing is here like that.

You can do the practice written test and studying right where you are. Just a matter of walking in then to do the written test for a cdl permit.

Experience tells me that from teaching 125 soldiers drivers training for us to get certified to drive in Kosovo.

 

[Injun]

There is a fair number of companies run by people from your neck of the world. If you get hooked up with one of them, you can most likely get your training from them, running as a team. I'll try to keep my eyes open for such a company, see if I can get you some leads.

 

[Injun]

Okay, try this guy:

[email protected]

Alen Selimovic, driver manager at Vega Transport in St. Louis.

Here's a little about the company:

Vega Transport is the product of Irfan and Nick Sinanovic, who started the company while students at the University of Missouri– St. Louis. In the ‘90s, the Sinanovic brothers were part of a wave that gave new starts to roughly 60,000 Bosnians.

http://blogs.umsl.edu/news/2014/05/08/bosnians/


Company website:

http://vegatransport.com

 

[Daxaero]

i already sent a mail to Vega Transport but still didn't get any answer. Im searching Google for more results. Till now i found few companies and got two answers but those conpanies don't have a good reviews and i don't want to get stucked over the pond making money for everyone but for myself. I will try to get in with company which will pay me CDL and quarantee me a job so i don't have to get worried about those 3000 dollars and working visa. But from other hand, there are qualified drivers on the market so in worst case i will stay here for a few months more and earn few thousands more

 

[Injun]

How long ago did you contact them and was it to a general email account or to a specific person?

 

[Daxaero]

It was 5 days ago, i sent a mail to mr. Ervin Bradaric

 

[Injun]

mmmm...

Response times are most likely delayed by the holiday season. If you haven't heard back from them by the second week of January, I'd send them another message ..or tell me, PM your name and email address to me and I'll call them on the phone.

It appears to me this company was set up with the specific purpose of giving recent Bosnian immigrants a shot.

 

[Daxaero]

I have that in mind, so i will wait for a few days on. It looks like a nice company. Thank you for your assistance in contacting them. If i don't get an answer, i will resend to another operative inside Vega. Maybe they are full right now but anyway i will report you in a few days

 

[Injun]

The website indicates they're looking for drivers. That tips the scale slightly to your favor.

Let me know..

 

[Blood]

i will report you in a few days

It won't do any good.
I've reported her hundreds of times but Mike always just tells to stop being a crybaby.

 

[Injun]

It won't do any good.
I've reported her hundreds of times but Mike always just tells to stop being a crybaby.

 

[Kiwi303]

Kitty has some growing to do before those sabers really intimidate

 

[Daxaero]

Still didn t received any answer either from Vega or bosnian communities.... :/

 

[Injun]

Still didn t received any answer either from Vega or bosnian communities.... :/

Today's the first Sunday after New Year. Give it another week and I'll give them a call.

 

[Daxaero]

I don't ask you to call them but thank you for your kindness and support. I appreciate that i have someone to get me closer to the thing, and that is more than enough I will wait for a while. maybe i will get an answer. Greetings from freezing Bosnia

 

[Duck]

Chicago is full of immigrants from Eastern Europe and lots of them started trucking companies.

 

[Injun]

Friends

There are huge numbers of truck driver jobs in America. To many top transportation and logistics companies are hiring freshers and experienced people for trucking

If you are finding best company we assist you

Let's check this business out first, before betting a career on it.