5 Trucking Companies Hiring Inexperienced Drivers in 2026

New truck drivers generally enter through two routes in 2026: carrier-sponsored CDL training before earning a Class A CDL, or a recent-graduate program after licensing. License status determines the starting route, while location and financial terms determine which programs are available.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects about 214,500 openings each year for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers from 2025 to 2035, including replacement needs and drivers at every experience level. Because the projection covers the occupation broadly, it does not represent beginner-only vacancies.

Entry programs differ in when employment begins, which expenses are covered, and whether repayment or service commitments apply, shaping the financial obligation a new driver accepts before solo work begins.

How to Find a Trucking Job as a New Driver?

Match your CDL status, hiring area, and training terms to the program before applying.

Check Your CDL Status

Without a Class A CDL, start with a carrier-sponsored training program or an approved CDL school. After earning the license, target recent-graduate jobs that include supervised road training before a solo assignment. For the full licensing sequence, how to become a truck driver covers the permit, ELDT, CDL testing, and hiring steps.

Match the Requirements

Your CDL status determines the program type; each job posting sets the remaining eligibility requirements. Check:

• minimum age
• permit or Class A CDL status
• CDL-school completion date
• driving-record standards
• hiring area
• DOT physical and drug screening
• available account or route type

Hiring areas and account requirements differ across openings, so verify both before applying.

Verify the School

Before paying tuition or signing an agreement, check the CDL school or training provider in FMCSA’s Training Provider Registry. FMCSA reported the emergency removal of more than 110 ELDT providers on August 31, 2026. The announcement covered nearly 400 provider investigations in July and more than 160 notices of proposed removal resulting from those investigations.

Proposed removal and completed removal are separate enforcement stages; keep the figures separate.

Review the Agreement

Read the financial terms before comparing weekly training pay. Confirm whether any pre-CDL payment is wages, living assistance, reimbursement, or a loan.

Review:

• when employee status begins
• tuition and repayment terms
• lodging, meals, and transportation costs
• supervised training length
• mileage or service commitments
• repayment rules after early departure

Use the agreement to identify what the carrier pays, what the driver pays, and what obligation remains after training.

Compare the Job Offer

After confirming the training terms, compare the assigned account, post-training pay structure, home-time expectations, route type, and any remaining financial obligation. Keep only offers that match your license status, hiring area, and training arrangement.

Which Trucking Companies Hire Inexperienced Drivers?

Roehl Transport, Schneider, U.S. Xpress, Swift Transportation, and Prime Inc. hire inexperienced drivers through pre-CDL or recent-graduate programs.

1. Roehl Transport

For drivers who still need a CDL, employment begins on the first day of Roehl’s Get Your CDL program. Phase 1 lasts about three weeks at $616 per week, with lodging and most meals covered. After completing Phase 1, participants spend at least 19 days on the road with a certified driver trainer.

The training value is treated as a loan satisfied through program completion and 120,000 solo miles afterward. Qualified CDL-school graduates have a separate hiring route with tuition reimbursement. As of September 2026, Roehl reported average weekly earnings of $1,435 for drivers with at least one year on the job; the figure reflects drivers who reached the one-year mark, not starting pay.

Company profile

2. Schneider

A commercial learner’s permit is enough to enter Schneider’s paid CDL apprenticeship. The apprenticeship runs about five to seven-and-a-half weeks, and participants receive compensation for training time. Transportation to training, lodging, and meals are covered where applicable.

Program eligibility depends on the hiring area and a valid U.S. driver’s license held for the preceding 12 months. Qualified graduates from other CDL schools receive $200 per month in tuition reimbursement, up to $7,000 total.

Company profile

3. U.S. Xpress

Recent CDL-school graduates enter the U.S. Xpress program with a Class A CDL already in hand. Applicants must be 21 or older and have completed truck-driving school within the previous three years.

Paid orientation lasts three full days before the Professional Driver Onboarding Program begins. Onboarding pays $650 per week, and graduates typically spend four to five weeks with a trainer before upgrading. Eligible participants receive up to $7,000 in tuition reimbursement.

Dedicated and OTR assignments vary by location, with driving-record standards, a DOT physical, and drug screening included in hiring. Post-upgrade earnings follow a separate pay structure from the $650 onboarding rate.

Company profile

4. Swift Transportation

Swift separates academy students from recent CDL graduates. Academy attendance is unpaid. Graduation does not guarantee employment; graduates still have to meet the company’s hiring standards.

After licensing, trainees receive a flat weekly payment based on state of residence. Most dedicated opportunities require at least three months of OTR experience, although some accounts accept trainees. Official recruiting pages currently publish different tuition and optional-housing amounts. Request written tuition, housing, repayment, reimbursement, and trainee-pay terms for the specific academy and hiring area.

Company profile

5. Prime Inc.

A Class A learner’s permit from the applicant’s home state is required before Prime orientation. Initial instruction lasts about two to four weeks with a one-to-one student-to-instructor ratio. Orientation includes bus transportation, hotel accommodations, and three meals per day.

Financial terms change after licensing:

• Pre-CDL: $300 per week is a loan, not wages.
• Post-CDL: Prime advertises a $900 weekly minimum for trainees away from home and available for dispatch, based on seven days of availability.
• Training commitment: Training is provided without charge if the participant drives for Prime for one year after obtaining the CDL.

Assignment to an individual truck depends on performance review, safety, service, and equipment availability. Prime’s official pages describe training mileage differently, so confirm the applicable mileage requirement directly with the program.

Company profile

How Much Do Truck Drivers Earn in 2026?

Truck driver pay varies by assignment, route type, and whether the driver works as an employee or owner-operator.

Notes: The $58,640 national median comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, based on May 2025 wage estimates published in August 2026. Assignment-specific figures come from Schneider’s published recruiting compensation figures and are advertised amounts, not national averages or guaranteed earnings. The tanker owner-operator range represents gross revenue potential before business expenses, not employee salary or take-home income.

Which States Employ the Most Truck Drivers?

Texas, California, and Florida have the highest heavy and tractor-trailer truck-driver employment totals in the latest BLS state estimates.

Notes: Figures are from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics May 2025 state employment estimates, published in September 2026. They represent employed heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers, exclude self-employed workers, and do not indicate current vacancies, entry-level openings, starting salaries, or hiring difficulty.

Which Trucking Company Is Right for a New Driver?

Choose among the five carriers by matching your current CDL stage with the financial commitment attached to training.

If you still need a CDL, compare employee status during training, loan or tuition terms, and any mileage or service commitment. If you already hold a Class A CDL, compare trainer time, hiring-area restrictions, and the pay structure after upgrading. Route assignment and home-time expectations then separate otherwise similar offers.

For long-haul roles, life of a truck driver gives more context on time away from home and the day-to-day routine.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does TransAm hire drivers with no experience?

No. TransAm’s current recruiting requirements include a Class A CDL and at least three months of verified OTR tractor-trailer experience. Under those requirements, TransAm is not a zero-experience option.

Is PAM Transport a confirmed zero-experience option?

PAM advertises separate CDL training, company-driver, mentoring, lease-purchase, and owner-operator paths. Its current recruiting material does not confirm tuition, repayment terms, pre-CDL pay, post-CDL training wages, hiring area, or initial assignment details. For that reason, PAM is excluded from the main comparison.

Who has to complete Entry-Level Driver Training?

FMCSA’s ELDT requirements generally apply to first-time Class A or Class B applicants, Class B drivers upgrading to Class A, and first-time applicants for hazardous-materials, passenger, or school-bus endorsements. Exemptions and grandfathering provisions apply in some cases.

Did Entry-Level Driver Training start in 2026?

No. FMCSA updated its ELDT guidance on February 4, 2026, but the update date does not mark the start of the ELDT requirements.

Are there trucking career resources for veterans?

Yes. The U.S. Department of Transportation launched Freedom Haulers in July 2026 to connect veterans with trucking-career resources; the program does not guarantee job placement.