NEED HELP!

Have you considered just taking your permit and going through primes school? They have north east regional and will send you out with your permit for 3 weeks to get comfortable with driving before a road test. After that you get a job with $600 a week or $.12 cpm training pay (whichever is greater).

 

I don't actually (I worked for them in 2008) but iron pony or chuck Taylor on here can probably answer that.

Now don't quote me but I think I remember hearing home weekly.

 

It's the same as the OTR 48 group. Three weeks out earning 1 home day every week. You can take up to 4 days between home visits. The Northeast regional group offers a 5-cpm bonus to make up for the shorter runs on all miles traveled within the region. Depending on how you're located compared to the truck routes, you may be able to take the odd evening at home while under load understanding that all load and unload appointments must be met on time. You'd also earn one weeks paid vacation every 125,000 dispatched miles starting AFTER you're assigned your own truck. It's reasonable to expect paychecks in the neighborhood of $800 to $1000 after taxes.

 

Your state probably has piles of money for job training, some/most of which they'll give you. Carriers operate their own schools, or provide tuition reimbursement.

Without training you're just likely to be abused in this industry, You'll be abused anyway, but not nearly so hard, and with training you'll have no end of driving job options. Now you have essentially none.

You gotta walk before you run. You have options, maybe they're not as neat and pretty as you like, but you have to man-up and feed that family.

Kiss that baby for me.

 

I agree with GPS. Check with your local Career Center, they may have some kind of funds or grants that can help you get through a trucking school of your choice. Once you've gotten the school behind you, youll have more choices and options available to you. As much as they are pushing Education Grants these days, they are bound to have some kind of options available to you. Good Luck.

 

On the other hand, "trucking school" is just a mechanical way of learning to grab on the steering wheel. Investigate the carrier programs as well. Prime will pair you with an instructor to get through the initial "mechanical" stage of learning until you get your CDL, and a trailer for several week until you get your sea legs under you. If I'm reading the OP correctly, he needs more than just a classroom experience.

 

They do have NE regional runs! I don't work there, but you could do a whole lot worse. Prime has decent equipment, decent pay and a terminal in Pittston, PA. And learning to drive takes time and patience. Calm down, have a donut, and you'll do fine! Good luck to you and enjoy that baby!