Complicated driver license issue.....I think

Yes, I became almost homeless after going to college for pilot/aircraft mechanic and trying to live indoors. So I got into trucking, but my entry was assured since I had a couch to sleep on during CDL school and I had a job waiting for me. It was a job my dad was still doing, my brother had started doing 1 year earlier, AND the industry was hot and growing. 90% of the newbies on this forum seem to have huge issues with something in their background. I'm 100% certain someone slipped them a TRUCK DRIVER SHORTAGE story created by the big trucking companies looking for people willing to work for next to nothing that was out of date and wrong 5 years before they read it. Someone is still posting those pamphlets and pages outside every DUI courtroom, most jails, and every rehab clinic. CDL schools make money whether any students ever get a job or not.

Also the newbies are believing the "work for any company and then you can make choices later" model, which is the usual path for the 80-90% of newbies that go to CDL school, start working, leave the industry in the same 6 month period. Staying in the industry happens when what an employer provides matches what and driver needs. The newbies think if they say "oh I don't care about all that" then the 4 or 8th week in a row when they are making half as much money as they expected, and they have problems back home from never being home, and they have someone in the family needing help with this or that they will just keep with trucking. There is precious little work ethic, patience, persistence in people and there are 100k-1 million foreigners willing to work for half of the the low pay that causes newbies to quit. It takes more than desperation and a sassy attitude to get through the first year and find an employer that better matches the driver and reduces, finally, the hard part of being gone all of the time. Even if everyone in the industry was honest, efficient, and friendly the job is still almost 2 full-time jobs long every week whatever the pay. Being older is probably a benefit but if you enter you will see this industry gives so much less instruction and guidance to employees compared to every other industry you will wonder how it ever worked. And the industry is in a recession. There just very little reason for companies to hire new drivers.

 

Kind of confusing to me but..I’ll try.

Are you considering moving to SD permanently or just temporarily and moving back to MA

Ma is one of the states that won’t accept a new out of state CDL..you’d have to take all tests over again. I forget how long you need to hold the out of state license before MA will accept it..1 or two years I think.

Personally I’d just be patient and deal with the MA RMV once you have your hard copy license.

Where in MA you living, I’m from the Cape.

Since you brought up healthcare, consider a LPN course..doesn’t take long and is about the same cost if not less. You would definitely make more money as a LPN in MA and have job security and tons of overtime if you wanted.

Was considering becoming an LPN when I moved to Florida but decided on OTR truck driving.

There’s no security in trucking.

 

Then I would recommend you consider ONLY the trucking companies that offer "free CDL school" in exchange for 12-18 months of contract work at the trucking company. You will go to whatever CDL school that company accepts and you will have a job waiting for you when you get the CDL. You also are obligated to keep working at that company until you complete the contract. The contract is usually 12-18 months of employment. Sometimes instead of a time period you are obligated to the company by a mileage target to complete the contract. Avoid CR ENGLAND. I would also avoid Werner. It is your future so you need to be prepared to do most of the research of sorting what companies offer and what you need. Company web pages ARE NOT remotely accurate.

 

If you go to South Dakota, probably better to drive there so you can register your vehicle in South Dakota.
South Dakota Domicile Guide | Escapees

 

Such as?

 

Fair enough. Not sure what your expectations are for hours spent tied to a truck for how much compensation.
Starting driver otr in the truck 24 hrs a day for 27 days then 3 days off and repeat for the first 12 months. After tax pay of ???