Good afternoon everyone. I am in the IT field and have been for 13 years but I am tired of office politics and dealing with drama and looking for something that has more solitude. I am brand new to trucking but have always had a desire to get into the field and I believe I am at a good place in my life to make the jump.
I am looking at the possibility of doing a team driving thing with my wife or possibly going solo. I am open to getting my CDL with a good company or even getting my CDL through a local community college. I do have some vacation time saved up at work that I could use to keep the money flowing while I get my CDL.
The only thing I am really nervous about is driving on or down mountains mainly because I live in a mountainous region and have seen my share of trucks in the runoff ramps.
I am looking for any and all advice and maybe even some mentorship or friendship.
NC from IT field to Trucking
Discussion in 'The Welcome Wagon' started by eclipsetrucker, Jun 26, 2022.
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Another Canadian driver, austinmike, Val_Caldera and 1 other person Thank this.
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Office politics? Office drama? More solitude?
Sounds a lot like why I got into trucking, as well....
Greetings--& welcome to the Forum!!!
Georgia fuel hauler here......
Lots of wisdom/good info to be found on this Forum. Some good folks on board, too.
For the best info and feedback--you might tell what city in NC you are in or near.
Also--what type(s) of freight do you think you might be most interested in pulling...?
Depending on where you are, and what you would like to do--you can pay for the CDL yourself.
OR....there are companies out there that will pay YOU while you get a CDL.
Basically, it's a driver's market out there right now--and will probably stay that way, at least for a while.
--LualLast edited: Jun 26, 2022
Another Canadian driver, xlsdraw and Chinatown Thank this. -
Thank you for the warm welcome. To answer your question about what city I am near, I would say Asheville is the biggest city near me.
As to what freight I'm interested in, I am not sure yet. I am barely scratching the surface. I've been reading this forum and watching YouTube videos and I think I would really enjoy this job.
I am open to paying for a CDL if that is the best method.
Another Canadian driver, xlsdraw, austinmike and 1 other person Thank this. -
Suggestion: one way to do this is to figure out which company (or companies) you'd like to drive for--then work backwards.
That is--some companies like to hire new CDL grads from CDL schools that they like, and have cherry-picked out from the rest.
These trucking company websites will often tell you from what schools they like to hire.
See if one of those schools is near you.
Thus--if you play your cards right--you could go from CDL school right into a rather high-paying driving job, right from the "get go", as they say.
Since you're in the IT field, you probably would enjoy a somewhat more "technical" side of trucking.
With that in mind, I will say this: a very high percentage of drivers who start off in say, dry van, and later switch over to tanker duty--end up wishing they had done so, sooner.
Very few go back to pulling something else, after trying tanker.
Why?
Well, there are forum threads in the "tanker, bulk and dump truck" forum section that mainly discuss that answer, in pretty good detail.
For my part--I am now doing tanker duty--and am definitely not sorry I switched.
--LualAnother Canadian driver and eclipsetrucker Thank this. -
When I first started driving downgrades scared the bejeezus out of me. Having gravity 'push' you down a hill was a VERY uncomfortable feeling. However, I did grades enough that I started to get used to them and they haven't bothered me or stressed me in a long time. I do always respect any grade, it is folly not to respect any potential danger we encounter while driving. But, importantly, I no longer stress over them. Just part of the road I'm driving down.
So, understand your concern and it's a good one to have. If you weren't worried about them, that would be more concerning. That said, just know that is, like many things in trucking, just another obstacle to learn to contend with and in time will no longer be the worry it is now.
BTW I was a computer tech back in the days of DEC, VAX and the like. Then, morphed into a cartographer (GIS Specialist). So, coming from an IT background isn't unheard of. But, as with me, it is a left field idea that had many who knew me scratching their heads about it.
Best of luck to you!Another Canadian driver and eclipsetrucker Thank this. -
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502 Sweeten Creek Rd
Asheville, NC 28803
Old Dominion hires new cdl school grads. from approved schools. Contact Old Dominion and ask which school in your area they hire from.
@blairandgretchen drove for Old Dominion as a husband/wife team.
Keep in mind, the local terminal doesn't make the final hiring decision. Your application must go to the corporate headquarters for approval, which is in your favor.Another Canadian driver, blairandgretchen and eclipsetrucker Thank this. -
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$250G for the family is decent pay.Another Canadian driver Thanks this.
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