Am I crazy?

First, let me start off by saying I'm a (GED) High School Dropout.

For the last 15 years, I've put my blood sweat and tears into building some of the largest computer datacenters for internet hosting companies in the world. A new wave of new blood is flowing in, and they're pushing people like me out of the way, regardless of the fact that I was employee #9 and have been here for 10 years.

Time for a change.

Now, lets rewind 32 years.

One of my first words was "Truck." I was fascinated by driving throughout my youth. I used to steer the van down the mile-long driveway sitting in pops' lap when I was 3. At that same time, when every kid I knew wanted to grow up and be a cowboy or a fireman or a policeman, I wanted to be... you guessed it... a trucker!

I was driving "solo" in the driver's seat by age 6, and running real solo errands into town by about 10 or 12. By about age 8, I learned to shift stick, and have preferred it ever since (I ***HATE*** automatics). From about 13-18 I was driving most of the "near home" non-interstate miles any time we'd go anywhere (and well, if you need anything living back home, it's at least a 40 mile round trip).

I wasn't able to legally drive until my 18th birthday, as Texas did not permit anyone under 18 to obtain a Class C license without drivers education or hardship, and really there wasn't any point anyhow- there's really no law back home other than the occasional state trooper who turned down the wrong highway, and what law we did have in town didn't really care so long as you weren't causing trouble and people weren't complaining.

I'm divorced, I have no kids. Other than occasional personal business, I really have no need for home time... I.E. it shouldn't be a stress factor.

Talking about stress, I have to admit I've been under real stress before... Nothing like millions of dollars of services and products purchased on your recommendation and with your personal promise of delivery timelines and such to brew up a little pressure.

I've learned how to deal with the rough and tumble of my current industry... how to be patient when I have to be, how to work hard when its time to, how to be a professional and tell my boss I love my job, even during the times when I don't. I know the world isn't going to hand itself to me on a platter and I sure as heck don't expect a free ride.

I am an adventurer... Between cars and motorcycles, I've seen a lot of the south. I've been camping as long as I've been alive, and it's not uncommon for me to load up camping essentials on my motorcycle and disappear for a week on my vacation time. Likewise, I've had the pleasure of renting RVs and used the opportunity to disappear into the great unknown.

I have to figure that driving moving trucks and RV's is as close as I have ever come to that 3 year old boy's dream of being a trucker when he grows up.

Everyone tells me they think I'm crazy, or I'll hate it.

So... am I crazy? Or am I a driver? Or are all drivers crazy?

 

HAH!

Thanks for the reassurance.

I have a way to go before I'm in a position that I can make such a drastic change, and there will certainly be some stress associated with that.

I've been used to getting a solid reliable salary for a looong time, and I do have a few financial obligations that I just can't let slide, because my credit is too dang good right now.

I'll take the advice to put myself thru CDL school so I can keep my options open across the board.

As for carriers and schools, I've been doing a lot of research, but other than what the recruiters and websites promise, it's been hard to find any real world info. Most of what I know other than what those sources promise is what I've either heard from talking to drivers in person/on the radio, or thru online resources such as YouTube and now I feel like I've struck gold finding the forums here at truckersreport.

Anyhow- once I have some things squared away, I would like to do my CDL training on my own time before I leave my current job... Are there any places around here within a half day's drive or less that I could do that? Most of the schools that I've actually seen ads for seem to be CDL Mills, which isn't necessarily bad since no school can really teach you EVERYTHING you will experience in the real world... and no school is going to gain you enough experience to pick up a big gig out the gate...

I'm trying to prepare myself from earning $80k/yr to as low as $22k/yr for my first year, but at the same time I also want to ramp myself up as quickly as possibly back towards my current salary.

Ok, at this point, I'm reading some of you guys minds... I really MUST be crazy if I want to walk away from a salary like this... I can't get this salary doing what I do working for any other company- I don't have the industry's new requisite of college degree, and I don't have the tenure/seniority. I didn't get this handed to me on a platter, I busted my butt earning it and honestly the pay came way too late to really be compensatory, especially in light of my situation being slowly pushed aside. I would like to think I could trust these folks to give me a severance package if they pushed me out, but I've seen too few get these packages, and too many just tossed out on their ear without so much as a thank-you-for-your-years-of-service...

Oops. I'm starting to rant and complain. Sorry about that.

Like I mentioned before, I know it will be hard work to make this change... but if I can get my CDL and get a decent carrier that can give me the OTR training without bending me over the fuel tank for too long, I think I'll turn out alright. So long as I don't end up like a swift driver i've met through youtube, who claims he's only made 400 bucks in his first MONTH driving solo because his truck has left him stranded 4 times for the same problem and swift just won't get it fixed right.

In another thread, someone was saying new hands these days tend to think the world should be handed to them, i.e. their swift-like backing skills cause them to deserve a 0-mile truck like a 12-year veteran might get. I don't expect a cherry clean truck for my first ride, but I do expect a truck that runs- and a carrier who cares enough about THEIR income to get me into another truck asap after issues like this guy has experienced.

What's general opinion about 'no money down' lease programs, such as Stevens/Alliance? I know that it may not be as profitable and could be less profitable to be my own operator out of the chute... but what about after a year or two? Or would I be far better off saving my pennies and buying/getting a loan for a truck w/o lease carrier hovering over me all the time?


Thanks all for taking the time, and for your support. I'm sure I'll love it... now it's just a matter of making all the pieces fall into place.

 

I read this on Maverick's site:

I've read good things about Maverick over the last few days since I joined the forum (not sure why I never heard of them before?) but I gotta ask... is an "electronic shift transmission" a fancy way of saying automatic?

I can't stand an automatic- and maybe a heavy duty truck's auto is different, but I like to float in and out of whichever gear meets my needs for the immediate condition, and can't abide a cantankerous device thinking for me.

So, considering everything good I've read about people's experiences with Maverick, I have to ask... can I get a truck with a "me shift" transmission?