Does J.B. Hunt Require Experience?
Gaining experience on the road is crucial for any driver wanting to grow their career in the transportation industry. For many, finding an opportunity to train or gain experience with a good company is one of the hardest parts of starting their career.
If you’re new to the industry or need driving experience, we have a lot of options for you. With J.B. Hunt’s Apprenticeship Program and non-CDL-A driving jobs, we work hard to offer new truck driver jobs that can help you gain experience and give you an opportunity to grow your career.
For Edson, an Apprenticeship Program graduate, finding his opportunity with J.B. Hunt has been everything for his career. Keep reading to learn about his career progression and how your career could follow the same path!
Truck Driver Requirements
While most Class A driving jobs at J.B. Hunt require a minimum of three months of experience, recent CDL-A graduates can take advantage of the careers we offer through the J.B. Hunt Apprenticeship Program. These jobs, available in our Dedicated Contract Services®, Intermodal and Final Mile Services® business units, give new drivers on-the-job training and experience before they go out on their own.
Edson is the most tenured Apprenticeship Program graduate in his region, and he says the opportunity he’s had at J.B. Hunt has been great for his career.
“It gives drivers like myself – straight out of CDL school – a chance to prove themselves. An opportunity to become something in this company,” he said. “The apprenticeship program gave me an opportunity. That's one of the biggest things you could give somebody.”
J.B. Hunt Driver Training
Our Apprenticeship Program is a great opportunity for new drivers who want to immediately start a career with a top carrier. In our program, you are a full-time employee from day one and get to enjoy the benefits that come with that! Edson says that J.B. Hunt was the first place he reached out to after getting his license.
“I came straight out of CDL school, and this was the first place I applied for,” he said. “And through the grace of God I got a call back and was placed here, and I've been here ever since.”
Drivers hired through this program spend six weeks working one-on-one with a certified driver trainer. During these weeks, you’ll learn about our safety culture and standards, how to run your lanes and so much more.
Edson says that his trainer helped him work through his nerves and remember that safety was always number one.
“He was teaching me basically everything that I needed to know,” he said. “I was nervous a lot because I had little to no experience. I don't want to mess up and do anything wrong, but he made sure I was comfortable. At the end of the day, it's about safety and making sure we all get home.”
We take safety seriously at J.B. Hunt and offer Smith System® training and periodic recertification for both our drivers and our driver managers. For Edson, one of his top focuses on the road is always safety.
“The number one rule in this business is safety,” he said. “You just want to make sure everybody's safe. I'm safe. Other drivers are safe. Pedestrians are safe. The load is safe. Safety is important because the line of work that we’re in could be detrimental and harmful to everybody if you don't look for the right things and be careful.”
How to Become a Truck Driver
If you are looking for different ways to start a new driving career, we have options for you at J.B. Hunt. In addition to our Apprenticeship Program, we have opportunities for you with our non-CDL-A driving jobs and through the Driver Transfer Portal.
As a Delivery Installation Specialist, drivers can start a career at J.B. Hunt without a Class A license. Drivers in these jobs enjoy some of our most active and customer-facing jobs and have access to the same benefits as all our drivers, including Million Mile awards.
Once you start a career with J.B. Hunt, you always have the chance to change driving jobs through our Driver Transfer Portal. For Edson, being able to switch accounts from dedicated to last mile was a great opportunity for him.
“I was looking at some of the other accounts just to expand my horizon and see what's out there in the J.B. Hunt field for me,” he said. “And I ran across the Final Mile account, and I decided to take my talents here and it's been good ever since.”
Find Your Fit
If you need a job that’ll improve your life, we believe we have the perfect CDL-A or non-CDL driving job for you.
Give our recruiters a call at 1-877-791-9458 or fill out our short form to learn more about driving jobs near you!