Any Advice?

How about Alcatel in Longview, TX?

 

I know their DXC gear fairly well at the DS0, DS1, DS3 and optical level.

As of 3 weeks ago, they aren't currently hiring.

 

Then, IMO you did NOT overspend. You were spending well within your income level.

 

I understand this one, my oldest Graduated from Cal State Chico, was an expensive deal, She a manager of some kind in the Bay Area, makes several times what I make, My oldest son is going to Cal State Northridge and she is paying for him and he will be responsible for his little sister. Car they have all had to buy there own I just believe that is the way it should be. But I have spent a fortune on musical instruments, All 4 kids went thru the High School Band programs, But I have been real cheep on a lot of things. When we sold our business I payed of our house, the rest including the house are owned by a ROTH program. Ive had my cars seems like forever, but this is one of my biggest fears is loosing everything. Everybody in the family have called me Scrooge, or worse, but I have been worried about the skyfalling for years.

Good luck anything anyone here can do I know they will.

 

A couple months ago they were hiring like crazy for their microwave division there. The guy I interviewed with said they would love to send all the work to Asia or someplace, but since each order was so application specific, they just couldn't do it. But get this. He said the last 35 guys (technicians mind you) that they hired were all Indian guys that had their BSEE degrees with a 3.5GPA. They couldn't get engineering jobs, but were happy to take the tech jobs for $17/hour. The manager told me they were great employees and never complained about anything. A lot of them graduated from UTA (University of Texas at Arlington). The technicians test was easy. I only missed 2 questions, so I'm sure those BSEE guys did very well on it.

 

David- just got back and caught up. Trust me from someone going thru this w/hubby almost 6 months now and I am thrilled he has made it to that 'mark' and not walked away. It is NOT easy by any means for the driver OR the family at home. He was gone almost 6 wks for training home a short time and gone again=this after home for over 2 yrs. Talk about adjustment. Pay wise Commdriver is right in the ball park. Pay the first 3 months was training and sportatic to say the least and the cost of start of OTR-getting stuff for the truck, learning HOW to live OTR eat shower do laundry etc IT ALL COSTS$$ even taking food from home. I'm glad my husband did this and so far he is doing okay but for a 51 year old to start OTR it was tough. He certainly is in much better shape than when he started ( he does a dedicated route and does his own unloads) but I can not even imagine especially a day like today when it's 95 degrees in the NE and OH he's in a loaner trucker with NO A/C!! (and they lent his truck to somewhat else WTF???) anyways as everyone has said. KEEP reading the posts on here. yes lots of naysayers but some very positive posts too. It's NOT an easy job at all DRIVING IS A LIFESTYLE!! A huge lesson learned. I only wish I had found this website in January instread of April. I think we both would have been much better prepared.
GOOD LUCK!!

 

Welcome to the boards David! My story parallels yours in a lot of ways. I´ll be 50 next January, and have been seriously thinking of becoming a truck driver. My history very briefly was that I was in information technology for 16 years making decent money, and was last laid of in 2002. I looked all over the country for an IT job, and found that the jobs were being sent overseas. Went to school for and tried being an auto tech from 2004 to 2005, but found I wasn´t good at it (also, even the top guys were having trouble earning a living with the ridiculous flatrate hours --- for example, some jobs it would take a top notch guy to do in 8 hours, but according to the book the job only paid 4 hours). Thought it might help to be bilingual, so in 2006 I went to Mexico to learn Spanish, and I´ve been here for the most part since living off some savings and teaching English freelance. I just got back to Mexico a week ago after spending about 7 months in the U.S. The money won´t last forever though (I still have about $30,000), so I really have to look for a job soon. I´ve also lost my house in the U.S. (my mom´s really, but she died last February and because of the economic crisis over the last few years she had lost a lot of money – her estate is insolvent so any inheritance I might have had will be sold to pay creditors, so I´m right now basically homeless in the U.S.).

I´ve been looking into trucking very seriously over the past month, and some thing about it suit me very well. I personally have no problem living on the road and out of a truck for months at time. I have no family in the U.S. to speak of with whom I´d need to spend time. I have enough saved to go to truck driving school on my own and live on the road for several months. I´m in many ways a loner, so being alone in a truck for most of the day wouldn´t bother me. I also love to drive and travel.

There are two things holding me back, and one is that I´m getting married very soon, and I just don´t think the OTR lifestyle would suit my future wife. She says she willing to go on the road with me, and that would be enough for me to go forward. I just don´t think she would last on the road. Not only is this a very difficult lifestyle, but she´s Mexican and would have to adopt to a new country and language. I´d not only have to deal with my new career, but also having her completely dependent on me. I could easily see us becoming one of the washout statistics.

The other thing is that I´ve read so many experienced truckers saying not to get into this field. Based on their experiences I can see why they say this. I would suggest you really investigate this field, reading this forum and other sources for a few hours a day, for a minimum of a month before making any kind of decision. Right now I´m 50 – 50 about going ahead, and really it´s because of my fianceé. If I were single then I´d be in school right now. I just see this coming to a point where, like Rich T, it´ll come down to a choice between my fianceé and the truck. The truck will lose, and I´ll have wasted time and money. It is possible we could stick it out for a year, and I´d have the experience I need that would open up more doors. Find something local, even if it´s a CDL B delivery job, will be a lot easier. Even then it´s a lot of hours a day, but at least your home daily. As Sammycat says, remember that this is a lifestyle, not just a job, and it´s not for everybody. Ask a lot of questions, read the threads, and don´t discount any of the posts, positive or negative. You´ll get a good understanding of what the trucking life is like, and you can think long and hard if it´s for you and your family. I wish us both, and every otyher wannabe, the best of luck.

 

David,

Come back, you're missed already !!!!!