I want to get into this career/lifestyle but is it right for me

The Earth is a hell of a lot of weight. It's nothing to me. However, it's still a hell of a lot of weight. - Says the symploce master.

 

Zigzag, that was oddly specific.
Show us on the doll where the bad dispatcher touched you.

In two words? Free Agency.

If you get training through a company you are shackled to that company and believe me they play that to their advantage whenever they can.

If you get your CDL on you own, either through a state job training program, a small business loan or saved cash, you can come and go to any starter company you want. Sometimes you just get a job and you can't work with the people there. No right or wrong, just bad chemistry. It happens.

With your privately financed CDL, you have backup options. This board is full of horror stories of people that didn't finish their company training.

 

I see where you're coming from. "Free agency" is only meaningful once you've gained experience. Whether you the paid CDL training or pick a company, they're all starter companies. Some may be better than others, I cant say. It depends on the driver, him/herself. You gotta get experience somewhere, and while many bag on Swift, CR England, and such, I have came across drivers that had good experiences at both. It was just time to make more money. As far as drivers being able to work with the people there, it can happen at any job.

 

I made $64,000 last year driving a company truck. My company has a guaranteed minimum pay every week of no less then $1,000. It not a fun because they basically run is 14 hours a day for 5.5 days. Then we do a 34 hour reset. Parking the truck for 34 hours will reset our 70 hour clock. When I don't get home for my 34 hour reset I get $100 extra just for sitting at the truck stop. I have not been home in like 5 weeks now so that getting a little old. I'm driving a brand new 2020 Freightliner Cascadia. So that helps and I get paid $0.48 cents per mile so they are guarantee me 2,100 miles a week. If I go over that then I get paid $.48 for all miles I drive. So they kinda push you as a driver because they don't want lose money every week. I never worry about making less then $1,000 a week.

 

It should have been obvious that I was using some comedy to illustrate some of the crap a new driver must be ready for. Hopefully his actual experience will be better than that! So excuse my humor, but it’s not that far from the actual experience of starting out as a newbie at the bottom rung of the ladder.

 

I was in IT for 10 years before switching over to trucking, so dont worry about your previous employment.

I got sick of the mon-fri daily grind and dealing with the same people at the same place everyday.

Left the office scene and will not look back.

Jumped from 40k to 80k a year. And I have been able to see the country, and have driven all the major cities except for NYC and Washington DC. My company doesnt go there.

 

You literally have nothing to lose. If 6 months in you figure this isnt for you, you have your IT training and experience to fall back on. Only advice is to set $1000 aside before you start and dont touch it. Call it your "get me home" fund. If something horrible happens and you need to cut bait, you'll be able to rent a car and get yourself home. Good luck!

 

Are you working now? Or are you at home laid off?
Do you know anyone who drives Over-The-Road (OTR)?
Many, many years ago, as a young man I asked my neighbor if I could spend a week with him to see what truck driving as a job was like. I guess I was lucky in being able to do that.
You could post something like that kind of request, perhaps in the O/O Forum and see if you get a reply?
Can't hurt to ask. All you risk is a couple sarcastic replies and that's what "Ignore" means.
When I had my own rig I did exactly that several times, ended up taking on 2 men, training them myself, let them use the rig to get their CDL performance test at DMV and sent them on their way.
But that was a few years ago and all that might not be possible anymore.
Whatever you do, think long and hard about it. You're young, unattached with few, if any, obligations and you might as well give it a shot. You can always go back to your previous line of work. Those skills are yours and won't just evaporate if you take a sabbatical from your present job. Do you want to be 10/20+ years out and thinking, "Gee, I wish I'd done that when I had the chance". .....As many other experienced hands have written, it can be and IS a tough job, but it also can be a great job. All depends on how much YOU want it to be and are willing to put in the effort to make it what you want it to be.
Sincere best wishes moving forward!

 

I believe if you think you'll like trucking, you will. If you think it's easy money with no stress, you won't.

P.S. Don't ever become an O/O. I just am because I'm too stupid to sell out.

 

Attend an accredited cdl school and get all the endorsements while in school.
Shop around for a good company and can make at least $60K - $65K your first year.
If you live in a good area, you can make $80K + after 12 mos. experience.