CDL Job Placement Assistance in Oregon and Washington
Helping You Find the Truck Driving Job For Your Lifestyle
Job placement starts on day one of CDL training, not after you graduate. Elite’s Job Placement team gets to know your lifestyle, your family, and your goals. Then we use that to point you toward the right kind of trucking job. Elite has a 95% job placement rate and offers job placement assistance for the full length of your career, not just the first few months after training.
Some truck driving schools push every student toward the same type of job because it’s easier for the school. Elite works differently. During training, you’ll meet dozens of local, regional, dedicated, and over-the-road (OTR) carriers, so you can compare pay, home time, and benefits before deciding what’s right for you.
Find the Right Type of Truck Driving Job
Every driver has different priorities. Maybe you want to be home every night. Maybe you want to see the country. Here’s how the main types of truck driving jobs break down, so you can picture which one fits your life.
Local Truck Driving Jobs If you want to be home every night, local driving keeps you within a small radius and off the road once your shift ends. This route type works well if you have a family or just want a steady routine.
Regional Truck Driving Jobs Regional driving covers a multi-state area, often within a few hundred miles of home base, and you’re usually home on weekends. It’s a middle ground between local and long-haul driving, and pay is typically calculated by the mile, landing somewhere between local and OTR rates.
Dedicated Truck Driving Jobs With a dedicated route, you run a set schedule for one customer, which means predictable hours and often better home time than standard OTR work. Since the route and customer stay the same, drivers on dedicated accounts often get familiar with the same loading docks, dispatchers, and delivery locations over time.
Over-the-Road (OTR) Truck Driving Jobs OTR driving takes you across multiple states, and you’ll be gone for one to three weeks at a time. Routes and freight loads can vary week to week, and pay is usually calculated by the mile rather than on a fixed schedule.
You’re not locked into one type of driving. You could start OTR to pay off training costs quickly, then move to a local or dedicated job once you have experience. Elite’s Job Placement team stays available to help with that transition whenever you’re ready. We’ve also written a blog to prepare you for what to expect in your first year on the road.
Freight and Equipment Specialties
Beyond route type, you can also choose from a range of freight specialties, including:
- Dry van
- Refrigerated (reefer)
- Tanker
- Flatbed
- Agricultural hauling
- Hazardous Materials (HazMat)
- Heavy hauling
- Car hauling
Some of these freight types require additional CDL endorsements, and Elite’s instructors can help you plan for those during training. For a closer look at how these job types compare, check out the school’s guide to different types of truck driving jobs.
Meet the Companies Hiring Elite Graduates
Every week, trucking companies send recruiters to Elite’s Oregon and Washington campuses to meet students in person before they graduate. They’ll hear directly from recruiters about pay, benefits, and equipment, and can ask questions before they apply for a job. Elite also hosts on-campus job fairs so our students can meet several carriers at once.
Schneider National
Schneider National is one of the largest and most recognized transportation and logistics companies in the country. Founded in 1935 and headquartered in Green Bay, Wisconsin, Schneider employs tens of thousands of drivers and runs a broad range of freight services across North America, including dry van, intermodal, and dedicated fleets. Schneider has partnered with Elite Truck School for nearly 20 years, and its job listings post clear details on pay, trailer type, and location for each opening.
Read the full story on Elite’s partnership with Schneider →
May Trucking Company
May Trucking Company is headquartered in Salem, Oregon, and runs a fleet of more than 900 tractors out of terminals across the western and central United States. May Trucking hauls both dry van and refrigerated freight and runs dedicated routes for long-term customers. May Trucking has hired Elite Truck School graduates for nearly 20 years, and new hires spend about a week at the company’s Brooks, Oregon facility learning its equipment before going out with a mentor.
Read the full story on Elite’s partnership with May Trucking →
Job Placement Doesn’t End at Graduation
Elite’s commitment to you doesn’t stop once you earn your CDL. The Job Placement team stays available for your full career. If you start OTR for the sign-on bonus and tuition reimbursement, you can come back later and ask for help finding a local or dedicated route instead, and Elite’s team will help make that connection.
As an Elite Truck School graduate, you can count on:
- Training from experienced CDL instructors on late-model equipment
- Personal job placement guidance based on your goals, not the school’s convenience
- Direct access to recruiters from a variety of trucking companies
- Job placement support for your entire career
Elite Truck School has trained professional drivers in Oregon and Washington since 2003, with campuses in Albany, Eugene, Hillsboro, Portland, and Vancouver.
Call 503-615-8465 to talk about job options after training, or fill out our form.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do trucking companies require prior driving experience to hire CDL school graduates?
No. Many of Elite’s hiring partners, including Schneider National and May Trucking, hire entry-level drivers straight out of CDL training. Some freight types, like tanker or hazmat hauling, require additional endorsements first.
Why do trucking companies recruit directly from CDL schools instead of just posting job openings?
The trucking industry has a long-running shortage of qualified drivers, so many carriers recruit directly from CDL schools to reach trained candidates before they enter the open job market.
Does job placement assistance apply to Class B CDL graduates, or only Class A?
Job placement support is available to graduates of both the Class A CDL and Class B CDL programs, though most local, regional, and OTR carriers hire Class A drivers, so Class A graduates typically see more job options.
Is job placement assistance available to veterans training with VA benefits?
Yes. Students who train through Elite’s Veterans program receive the same job placement support as any other graduate.
What do I need to complete before I can start applying for trucking jobs?
Most carriers require a valid CDL, a passed DOT physical, and a clean drug screening before hiring. Some jobs have additional requirements depending on the freight type or route.
Are the same trucking company partners available at every Elite campus?
Yes, all five Elite campuses give students access to the same network of hiring partners. However, which recruiters visit on a given week can vary by campus and schedule.