Changing My Career To Be A Truck Driver

N Central FL is not a "bad" place to live as on OTR trucker, but it will limit your prospects. I'd begin looking at some of the food grade tanker haulers and see if any have a training program. The typical mega-carrier (Swift, Knight, Schneider, etc) dry van options will probably leave you with some regrets sooner rather then later coming from a bus driving background that seemed to work for you.

A few of your options will rule you out with an address below I-10 in FL. Not to say you have no options, just fewer. A wife and 3 kids and you want to be out a few months at a time??? Don't get that very often but if you're sure.

 

Stay out a few months at a time,what r u thinking,you have a family at home.Or am I reading that wrong.What exactly do you mean out a few months at a time?

 

oh ok so I did read it wrong.You would probably have to stay out a month.Oh the ad says you can get home every 14 to 17 days but don't count on it.You're only 35 so I imagine your kids aren't too old.Hows your family feel about this?

 

If you can, attend a private or community college CDL school that's at least 160 hrs.

If you do this route, you can pick and choose which company you want and not be stuck in a contract.
If you chose a trucking company CDL school, then choose the one with the shortest obligation so you can move on to something better sooner if you decide to.

If you really want to do refrigerated, after gaining 6 months experience you can move into Heyl Truck Lines right there in Florida. What's good about this company is they offer OTR, regional, local. So, look at the big picture and take the steps necessary to get where you want to be.

Of those you listed for CDL training, Millis would be excellent.

 

Crete carrier has a terminal 40 miles away in Deland, fl but you will have to have a CDL from a school that they approve of before they will put you with a trainer for 8 weeks. They had a Coke dedicated account that would have gotten you home once a week 7 years ago but I don’t know if they still have it. They also had a


I don’t see how you can be away from home for 12 days with little kids at home and yet you are talking about being away 5 weeks at a time.


I would take CRST, Prime, Swift, and Stevens off of your list and keep CR England off of your list. Any company that will lease you a truck 2 seconds after you have your Class A CDL is not a reputable company. There are plenty of stories on here about drivers getting training from these companies thinking that they will be company drivers meaning driving company owned trucks and are told that there are no company trucks available and that they will need to therefore sign a lease.

 

Have you seriously looked at the pay difference/benefits of going to some OTR mega versus your current employment?