hello everyone

ramblin man · Jul 17, 2010

i am seriously considering getting into trucking. this site has already helped me a lot and i just found it a few hours ago. i haven't been to bed yet, lol.

my step dad has been driving trucks for 30 something years, close to 40. he currently drives for averitt express where he has been for 20+ years. i know how it is about home time b/c he usually worked at night so i hardly ever saw him for years. my wife is an archaeologist so we are already used to one of us being away from home for weeks at a time.

you guys have already helped me to decide how i want to go about getting my cdl. thanks! i was prepared to go the tuition repayment route, but i'm all about saving money so the community college thing sounds much better to me.

i have a few questions i would like to ask.

1. is there any difference in being an owner/operator and being in the lease program with a company? after you pay off the lease (of course), is that when you become known as an o/o?

2. what is the best way to go about finding a job with a company if you went through the cdl course at a community college and paid for it yourself? do i just contact them expressing interest? should i ask if they will hire me before i take the course?

3. my wife and i would like to relocate somewhere to increase her chances of finding work. how easy is it to get a transfer? esp if you just recently started? should we move first and then i look for a job?

4. what are the average ranges for OTR runs? like from oregon to georgia? or like north carolina to arkansas?

5. do the truck stops provide free internet access or do you have to provide your own?

thanks for the info and for the help i have already gotten from this forum. i really appreciate it. i hope to be out on the road with you all soon!

Baack · Jul 17, 2010

Hi, ramblin man, Welcome to our Truckers Forum! We hope you enjoy your stay and please read our RULES. We hope to help you and get to know you soon! Thanks, ramblin man!

ramblin man, do you have a question about how to do something? Try our FAQ section or you can Private Message any Trucker Forum Staff Member (50 posts not required to PM a Moderator) to ask a question! Also, you can read through our Truckers Forum Information Center!

kickin chicken · Jul 17, 2010

Hello. Ramblin Man and welcome to the Site

These forums should be able to help you with your research:

http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/truckers-and-the-trucking-industry/

http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/ask-an-owner-operator/

Best!!!

RockyWI · Jul 17, 2010

Welcome aboard!

Mrs T · Jul 17, 2010

Hello and welcome!

Starting a new career in trucking is a big step and not just for you. Please be sure that your wife knows what you are getting into, and what to expect. You wrote about moving so she can find work, but does she realise that you will be away most of the time, and home maybe every fourth weekend? Moving somewhere new AND being alone is a huge step for her, please just make sure she knows and supports what you are doing.

If she would like to, ask her to join here too, and be sure to find the Ladies Room so she can chat to other truckers wives and find out first hand what the lifestyle is all about.

ramblin man · Jul 17, 2010

thanks you guys! where is the thanks button? i looked at the FAQ about it, but i still don't notice one on my screen where it should be. is it b/c i am so new?

Mrs T · Jul 17, 2010

If you look at the bottom right corner of every post, you see "quote" and "thanks".

Use quote to select a message to quote when you want to reply to it (it shows up in a dark box within your post), and click on the thanks to add thanks at the end of a post.

They only show up if you are logged in. If you are viewing as a guest they are not there.

ramblin man · Jul 17, 2010

Mrs T said: ↑

If you look at the bottom right corner of every post, you see "quote" and "thanks".

Use quote to select a message to quote when you want to reply to it (it shows up in a dark box within your post), and click on the thanks to add thanks at the end of a post.

They only show up if you are logged in. If you are viewing as a guest they are not there.
Click to expand...

i must have timed out b/c i left this tab open all night while i slept. it's there now. i swear it wasn't 30 minutes ago.

TREE · Jul 17, 2010

welcome to the board!!!!!!!!!!!!!

simplyred1962 · Jul 18, 2010

ramblin man said: ↑

i am seriously considering getting into trucking. this site has already helped me a lot and i just found it a few hours ago. i haven't been to bed yet, lol.

my step dad has been driving trucks for 30 something years, close to 40. he currently drives for averitt express where he has been for 20+ years. i know how it is about home time b/c he usually worked at night so i hardly ever saw him for years. my wife is an archaeologist so we are already used to one of us being away from home for weeks at a time.

you guys have already helped me to decide how i want to go about getting my cdl. thanks! i was prepared to go the tuition repayment route, but i'm all about saving money so the community college thing sounds much better to me.

i have a few questions i would like to ask.

1. is there any difference in being an owner/operator and being in the lease program with a company? after you pay off the lease (of course), is that when you become known as an o/o?

2. what is the best way to go about finding a job with a company if you went through the cdl course at a community college and paid for it yourself? do i just contact them expressing interest? should i ask if they will hire me before i take the course?

3. my wife and i would like to relocate somewhere to increase her chances of finding work. how easy is it to get a transfer? esp if you just recently started? should we move first and then i look for a job?

4. what are the average ranges for OTR runs? like from oregon to georgia? or like north carolina to arkansas?

5. do the truck stops provide free internet access or do you have to provide your own?

thanks for the info and for the help i have already gotten from this forum. i really appreciate it. i hope to be out on the road with you all soon!
Click to expand...

Every single one of these questions are good one's.
I will attempt to answer what I can.

3. my wife and i would like to relocate somewhere to increase her chances of finding work. how easy is it to get a transfer? esp if you just recently started? should we move first and then i look for a job?
Click to expand...

As a recent hire, it will most likely be VERY hard to get transferred. I would opt to move where it will be most likely for your wife to find a job in her profession, as it seems as if it would be easier for you to find a company with freight lanes within a 100 miles of your home, than for your wife to commute an equal distance.

5. do the truck stops provide free internet access or do you have to provide your own?
Click to expand...

Many truck stops PROVIDE internet access, but you have to pay for it. The best, and easiest, way I have found, is to purchase an "air", or "data" card for my laptop, through our cell phone provider.

Judi Kay

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