Possible Career Transition

Yes, there are several trucking companies that pay very well and hire new CDL graduates. Prepare by getting all the endorsements, TWIC, passport so you can start a new career with top pay. Study for the endorsements at the top of this page; click on "CDL Practice Tests." Google for nearest TWIC office to obtain the TWIC card. Hazmat/tanker drivers make $55K - $65K+ per year. Here's a list and they all hire new CDL grads even though the websites may have differently.

Superior Carriers
Tidewater Transit
CTL Transportation
Trimac Transportation
Schneider Bulk
SVTN

Companies that pay in the $52K+ range:

Tyson Foods
Melton Truck Lines
System Transport
TMC

Make a list of companies you like and submit applications the day you start CDL school.

 

Why don't you use your nursing skills in a hospital? Correction jobs never pay as well as the outside. If you enjoy your job then return to school and beef up your nursing qualifications.

Trucking is great but it takes a lot of sacrifices away from home. It also takes a few years to learn the ropes and find the better jobs away from the training companies. It's not a quick financial fix. Your first year you'll be lucky to make in the 30's. You'll also work 70+ hours a week bouncing around the clock to get it. The turnover rate is extremely high because newbies do get taken advantage of, they do get home sick or it's not what they thought. The successful truck driver makes it through all the beginning garbage and learns everything that comes with the driving. There are a few that do well right after school but not many. Don't fall for the blind promises of a lease program. Work as a company driver for a few years and become an owner operator through hard work and saving if that's the route you want to go.

If you are set on trucking then I would get my feet wet and work on getting a LTL job like with UPS. Then you can be home everyday and make decent money. Some of them are making $60-80K.

There are basically two kinds of companies out there. The training companies train for the cheap labor. The other companies work on retaining experienced drivers who get the job done and keep the other costs down like truck repairs and maintenance. You have to transition from one to the other.

You have one good thing going living near Southbend you are in good traffic lanes. Trucking also opens up where you can live.

 

Nursing is like so many other professions today; very few full time jobs with benefits. Most nursing jobs now are through staffing agencies. One of my daughters is an RN and the only full time job with a full benefits package she finally found is a hospice care nurse in the prison system.

 

I would stay in profession and expand talent. I am from a family of nurses, all do very well. Sister branched into cancer treatment scheduling and does very well, mom in ICU but other sister scored her masters in midwifing....didn't know there was such a thing...but does very well.


You won't see payroll numbers like theirs in trucking....not even close. Heck my niece is an x-ray tech and hits up in the 28/hr area.


If you have to, you have to, but I say stay where you are.


JMO

 

Try and continue your nursing education...get your masters if possible then look into CRNA school......my wife did that and she's been into the 6 figure salary range for several years now...takes some time / effort and dedication , but you'll never make the money in trucking that you'll be able to make in nursing..take some time and research the qualifications and and requirements for a CRNA , you've already started down the path , just continue on your nursing journey...

Here ..my wife had me Google this ....

A certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA) evaluates patients prior to administering anesthesia, administers anesthesia and follows up on patient recovery after anesthesia. CRNAs are found working in hospital settings, military settings and in private practices. It takes a minimum of seven to eight years to become a CRNA. Becoming a CRNA is a multi-step process. The qualifications for entrance into a CRNA program require that a person is licensed as a registered nurse and has acute care clinical experience.

[h=3]BSN[/h]
The first requirement for admission into a CRNA program is a Bachelor's of Science in Nursing degree (BSN). A BSN takes an average four years to complete.

[h=3]RN[/h]
Another requirement for admission into a CRNA program is a registered nurse license (RN). To obtain a RN license, a person must pass the RN examination. In order to qualify to sit for the RN exam, the person must have first earned a BSN.

[h=3]Acute Care Nurse[/h]
CRNA programs require a person to have worked as a nurse in an acute care setting for a minimum of one year. Each CRNA program specifies what exactly qualifies as acute care nursing. Generally CRNA programs define acute care as working in a coronary care unit, an emergency room or in an intensive care unit.

[h=3]CRNA School[/h]
Depending on the school, a nurse anesthetist program is two to three years long. CRNA programs teach through class work and through hands-on clinical opportunities.

[h=3]Time Frame[/h]
In total, it takes six to seven year of college education to become a CRNA. In addition to education, a minimum of one year of acute care clinical experience working as a registered nurse is required before a person qualifies for entrance into a CRNA school program, which means it takes seven to eight years to become a CRNA. CRNAs are well paid. According to the Association of Nurse Anesthetists, the average salary for CRNAs in 2005 was $160,000 a year. Because of the high salary, gaining admission into a CRNA education program has become highly competitive. Registered nurses who desire to become CRNAs sometimes find that more than one year of acute care clinical experience is required to successfully gain entrance into a CRNA program, which means, it can take much more than eight years to become a CRNA.

 

Chinatown..I dont know where your daughter lives but my youngest is finishing her RN and she has plenty of full time options with great benefits. I also have several cousins in nursing and none of them have ever had difficulty finding employment.

Condocruiser is correct. The chances of the OP getting discouraged with trucking and quitting is far greater than meeting his expectations.

The only reason i made it financially the first few years was because my wife and i drove team. Now that i have experience i do ok but there is no way the OP would ever come close to making the money he would as an RN.

MY ADVICE ... STAY WITH WHAT YOU KNOW..

 

New driver=no experience=OTR=too much time away from the family. Simple equation you can not have it all and trucking would be at the bottom of my list.

 

Maybe he doesn't want to be a nurse.
Several nurses have posted on here; they just don't want to be nurses any longer, so they went to CDL school.
Sometimes job satisfaction is more important than extra money. He can take good care of a family with 3 children making $55K - $65K per year with a full benefits package. He can make that right out of CDL school if he plans well.
Sometimes a persons reason for changing careers isn't that complex; they just don't want to do it any longer.

 

Especially with the experience that the OP already has in nursing....Oh and BTW...not sure if you're being with child ( the OP ) is gonna open-up too many doors..probably close more than it opens...