Considering driving school. This is a great site.

I have been lurking and researching here for about three weeks and finally want to say hello to all and thanks for all the great info here.

I am 42 and live near Tupelo, MS. I have been a paint and body repairman since HS. I spent 21 years at the same job, believe it or not. Unfortunately i have not been very happy there for several years. Once my daughter was married and college was paid for I found myself walking out. That was three weeks ago. There aren't any jobs available in paint and body in the area right now and I really want to try something different right now.

I would have never wanted to drive a truck years ago but this is the first thing that popped into my head. I do have two jobs in other careers I have applied for and will try if I get the chance but otherwise I am getting ready to start classes at ICC in Tupelo two weeks from today.

I have a few friends who drive. One is my best friend and neighbor growing up who has driven for 20 years. His father drove as well. Simply put, as we all do I will have to try it and see how I like it. Being gone over one week at a time is mine and my wife's only big concern. If I can work my way around to a regional job that will help I am sure. She works weekends so getting home midweek would work best anyway since it seems easier than the weekends with most companies. I have one daughter that I spoke of earlier and we have no kids at home.

Any thoughts you would like to share would be appreciated. It seems that in my area there are a lot of companies to choose from and I will wait for classes to start to pre apply to any since there are some companies who only take newbies from college classes. I already have scratched Covenant, PAM, Prime, and US Express, X off the list. A few have good and bad post here and some, like Roehl, seem to have a good rep. I definitely want to attempt to find someone who I can stay with as long as possible provided I like the job. Seems changing jobs isn't a favorite of mine. So any good companies you would like to share with me would be great. One with the possibility of regional is my goal but I realize I will likely have to start OTR and give it a year or maybe two before I can land regional or local.

I am in a position with no payments and the classes I can pay for. So I don't have a lot to lose by trying trucking. My only moving violations were as a teen so my record is clean the last 20 years. I have one misdemeanor that I don't think will be an issue I received three or four years ago. It was possession of illegal alcohol. If it is I will have to try getting it expunged.

No health issues I am aware of. I presently have a muscle issue caused by working around the house the last three weeks and am taking prescribed meds for. I will have to be off of them by the time I drive in classes though. I assume that will not be an issue with the DOT physical as long as I notify those concerned if I am still taking them when driving time comes around. No way will I attempt something that stupid.

If I begin classes I will do my best to update how things are going. Others who have done this has been very helpful to me. Once again thanks to all for the site and great help that is provided here.

 

I just realized I clicked on schools instead of the newbie section. My apologies if I have it in the wrong place. Since it is here I should include that Tupelo has two driving schools.

Itawamba Community College. Fee is $3500 and it last four weeks. Monday thru Friday.

The Truck Driver Institute. Fee is $5000 and there are two options. A 12 week course on weekends and a 3 week course that is full time.

I talked with them first then found out about ICC. Both seem to have good reputations as I found people who have attended both. Since I can attend full time the choice I made is obvious.

 

Thanks for the input Lantern. I can assure you I am not doing this because it was the first thing that popped in my head. Actually an insurance adjuster job was the first thing I checked into and applied for. The statement is was simply meant to say I was surprised I took time to look into it since the past left it uninteresting to me. I have reasons for it.

Working on cars whether insurance work or street rod was my number one for years. 20 years ago what I liked and didn't like has changed greatly. I am a very independent person. I require alone time in life and enjoy it. Trucking has appeal now that it didn't in the past.

 

Lantern I didn't take you as being rude and your statements are very legitament. Thanks for recommending the post also. I have read a lot of it already. But the thing is I have always been and adventurous type. Boredom is not something I have a problem with. I am always in to something. Built my first 350 chevy engine at 16. At 28 I researched and me and my wife built 80%our own house. I research everything before I do it. My life would be a lot different if I followed the typical rule of life.

Sure the time frame of 3 weeks does sound short. It will be five weeks if I start school. If I am called to do one of the jobs I have applied for then I will take it and try it. I have never done them either. If I don't get them I can set around house waiting for that perfect job to come along. But I would rather take a chance than do that. My sense of adventure is the appeal trucking has. Life in someone elses shoes for a while. As I said in the first post I really don't have anything to lose while trying it. If my wife gets tired of it I can always push carts at Walmart. College is an option but 2 to 4 years of that is a challenge on it's own. At 42 continuing in my profession only goes down hill from here. Painting cars is production work and pays commission. Moving to manager pays way less and still has no benefits in independent shops.Very little in dealerships. Hell I would be retired if I would have put that time in a company that had a retirement plan.

Yes I could also start my own shop. I could have bought the shop I left. No way will I do that. I will have to put my house up and good help is very hard to find. When I said in the first post I have no payments that includes my home. I'll push carts before I risk my home. People started walking out of my profession ten years ago. With no drug test in my profession you can guess who it attracts now. I could also start a one man shop. I have the talent for it but there are no guarantees it will make it and startup cost is 150 grand. And I will have to put my house up.

As far as all the post here about making the same money now that they made 20 years ago. Well statically every blue collar worker makes the same as 20 years ago. When I was 25 and reached journyman at work I made the same that year as I did last year on average. Even though the labor rate had went from $28 to $42 dollars during that time. We were paid on full commission. The insurance companies have cut times over the years. the first thing I noticed on the forums is that people in the trucking profession say the same thing as people in the auto industry. Don't do it. It doesn't pay. The same stories. The thing is you just have to find what you like. If I fail at trucking then I have completed the next step to my next success.

As far as money goes I was raised on a farm an live on some of that land. If I could go back to it without starving I would do that above any of it. There are many jobs that pay way less than trucking. If I can make $500 a week and have benefits like insurance and such along with no gas bill and wear and tear on my pickup to drive to work and back I will do just as well as I was doing. I had no benifits other than a weeks vacation and a few holidays. Yes one week after 20 years.

Lantern ask me anything you like. Your not rude at all. Give me all the question you like to make me think on things I may have not come across.

 

Yes Lantern that is why I attempted to explain. After you posted and I reread my post I saw how that came out. I know a lot of people do things off the seat of their pants and risk things they should not. The one thing that I am short on sometimes is being clear on forums. In person it is not the same. Doesn't help that I never liked English class either Still it made me rethink those things and actually type it out which is helpful also to me. So thanks for that.

My attempt to learn to write better came when someone shared this with me.
Lets eat uncle Fred.......................Let's eat, uncle Fred.

I still have work to do.