If you are looking at Schneider consider tankers. They will take students and it puts you in a specialized nitch right off the bat. If you don't mind doing a little work above and beyond bumping docks it can be a good thing. Pull tanks for a year with Schnieder and you can jump into a job paying in the .40+ CPM range.

Originally Posted by wsyrob

If you are looking at Schneider consider tankers. They will take students and it puts you in a specialized nitch right off the bat. If you don't mind doing a little work above and beyond bumping docks it can be a good thing. Pull tanks for a year with Schnieder and you can jump into a job paying in the .40+ CPM range.

Thanks for the information. I'll keep that in mind. Does hauling tankers involve OTR, or would that be more localized?

Just an update for those who are watching this thread:

• Today I plan to get my permit. I have a feeling there will be some things I need to address which may delay me getting my permit for a couple of days, but we'll see.
• I have a physical scheduled for next Thursday.
• I start my truck driving school on June 21st.
• I'll be sure to provide some updates on how the school is, and what's going on with me during this process.
• The school will take 6 weeks. Apparently any school that is PTDI certified requires at least 6 weeks (at least from what I could find of all of the schools in PA).
• The cost of the school is $4k.
• I considered TDI for school, but it was $5k and while the course was only 3 weeks, it was not PTDI certified. I want to make sure I'm getting the correct training I need, since I have never driven a truck in my life.

If anybody has questions I haven't covered, please let me know.

Originally Posted by sammycat

ORG-keep that thick skin but of course you will continue to hear gripes and complaints- remember this is a lifestyle choice -not a job-sacrafice on your and your family. I will still say since I have been following your thread all along that you well prepared, have done the research and are not jumping in. As Gashauler said get your year or so in-work you ##### off, make sure your DM or FM or who ever knows who you are, volunteer, don't argue - it wil sux at times. But just remember why you are chosing this lifestyle.

My husband has been OTR almost 5 months- so far so far so far he has had little complaints- yesterday was NOT a good day (got F'ed by the dispatcher and of course he CYA) Those are the tough days cuz you are alone in the truck praying to God that you don't get fired!! and of course what can I do over the cell but listen and talk him down.

I will continue to wish you good luck and keep posting!! And as you said above about the economy-the entire country is in the same boat and NO matter where you go or what job you work-100% of the people will not be happy 100% of the time!! These are tough times for us all and ya gotta do what ya gotta do!!

Sammycat,

Are you able to provide more detail on what happened with your husband and his dispatcher? If you can't, I completely understand.

Originally Posted by OpenRoadGuy

Thanks for the information. I'll keep that in mind. Does hauling tankers involve OTR, or would that be more localized?

It can be OTR and probably would be with Schneider. There are advantages and disadvantages. There are good jobs out there and less competition for them since you have specialized knowledge. I get plenty of home time and make decent money.

My 2009 totals for Per Diem on taxes were:

Yearly Totals 2009

Days Home: 126
Partial Days Out: 96
Whole Days Out: 138
Reset Days Out: 5
Total Days: 365


As you can see there is a lot of home time. The Days Home total is full 24 hour days. Partial days are those when I am either leaving home or arriving home.

Sammycat,

Sounds good, thanks!

Just a bit of an update:

So I decided to really see for myself the way the truck industry is, and what I'll encounter after I become a trucker myself. So I went to the closest truck stop to where I live, which is on Rt. 80 Exit 4 in Columbia, NJ.

It's a TA truckstop and the building looks somewhat small from the outside, but when I went in it was a lot larger then I thought. There was also some sort of motel attached to it, but it didn't have a name, so I would assume it was a TA motel.

Looking around the store, I found some interesting things.

• They had food that could be heated on its own in 3 minutes, but cost $5.99 to purchase.
• Those Chef Borardee cans cost $2.50 each which is ridiculous.
• They did have a shower facilities, but I didn't have the opportunity to really check it out, and certainly didn't want to spend $10 for a shower I didn't need in the first place.
• They sold used DVDs for $10 each, which is actually a pretty reasonable price for some of them.
• There were a couple of girls in their early 20's walking around who had to be "Lot Lizards". I wasn't really expecting to encounter that, I was expecting this type of thing to be the exception, not the rule.
• There was a Country Pride restaurant. I didn't try it out, but it seemed pretty nice, and included a nice salad bar with the purchase of a meal. I'm not a picky eater by any means, so I can enjoy food that others would consider gross. On the other hand, I love good food, so I'll treat myself on occassion to a nice steak that cost $25 plus.

I then decided to look at one more truck stop, so I went down Rt. 80 West and came to (I believe) exit 258 which was a Pilot truck stop. This was a pretty small truck stop with a Subway fastfood joint, and a store. Just as overpriced as the other place. I'll definitely be getting my food from Walmart, and Aldi's (when one is around).

Both of the truck stops seemed to be fairly clean. I happened to be able to see into some of the rooms in the TA hotel, and they seemed clean, but certainly not pleasant to stay in. I would imagine an occassional stay to take a shower, and have some room to lounge around in will be nice every now and then. Otherwise, I would plan to sleep in my truck.