Is 60 yrs old too old to start driving a truck ???

There are several carriers who offer training. CRST, Swift, Stevens, Millis, Roehl and Covenant are few. I believe that Covenant will train you and put spouses together after training. I don't recall whether they train you together. You may check the company listings on this and some of the other trucking forums for more carriers who may do training. Most will require that you commit to at least 1 year to pay them back for your training. Starting pay is fairly low with any of these training companies, but your main goal is to get your CDL and get some experience. Age can actually be an asset in this industry. Older drivers are actually more sought after in trucking. As long as you can pass the physical and have a decent mvr, you should not have a problem finding work in this business. I have knows of some who were over 80 years old and still driving. I have spoken to several who were in their mid or late sixties and just starting out with their driving career. This is one of the few career paths that actually welcomes older drivers.

 

That's truth right there. Started driving a logger again after 20 years.......what was I thinking.

 

If she is concerned about the driving, you could do most of the backing or/and city driving. Anyone can be trained to drive down the highway. She will get used to it. Main concern I've seen is shorter people, (male or female) seeing over the dash and still being able to reach the petals.

 

Hi, I'm over 60. Went to North Texas Institute run by Goodwill Industries in Ft Worth.
Loved the training. The trainer won't let student test out unless he feels they'll be a safe driver.
Lots of driving around the side roads by I 20 and I 35W, complete with lots of traffic. According to the instructor, anyone can drive in a straight line down the freeway.
But watching the trailer and the 4wheelers and the trailer and curbs and Watch the trailer! and you can't slide backwards at that light on a hill, there's cars in back of you! Oh, and watch the trailer and the rear tires cause you're not supposed to run over any curbs.

After running the 25 mile course (above), the next times were pretty fun. Ok, a bit scary and not relaxing, but after a successful run, not hitting anything, felt like I learned more each time.

My only real complaint about a private school is no guarantee of a job. If J had to do it again, I'd borrow the money and try Millis or another training company.
Seems all the companies I've contacted here in the DFW area need 1-2 years exp... due to insurance. Even had a couple hiring HR guys say they dont know how people are supposed to get 2 yrs exp.when the insurance companies wont let them hire anyone to get the experience.
Good luck.
Mary

 

Krashdragon : There are companies in DFW that hire right out of school. Just a couple are Melton Truck Lines and Raider Express and maybe Ozark. If you need family health insurance, Melton Truck Lines has the best in the industry. Many companies hire new CDL grads, but don't advertise it. If you see a company you like, do the online application and maybe you'll get lucky. Ignore "experience required" and apply anyway.

dennisroc : You can get hired from about any CDL private school. They all have recruiters working those schools. Some of the best companies for teams don't have their own CDL school so recruit from the private schools. Here's a few (but there's several more):

System Transport (trans-system website)
Conway
Melton Truck Lines
WLA Inc.
Cooke Trucking Co.
Hardy Bros Inc.
Watkins & Shepard
Lily Dedicated Logistics
Ozark Motor Lines (no NYC, no Canada, 100% no-touch freight)

 

oops.. double post.
Mary

 

The best jobs are flatbed. Not doing that.. 20 years ago, no problem.
Already turned down by a couple of those companies... had to learn how to write my resume. Due to having to take care of my mom...she had alzheimers... it appears I was job hopping.
Eventually, I'd like to do tanker.
Mary