I'm not looking for a verbal back massage here, but any suggestions, berratings, comments (unconstructive or constructive) are more than welcome!
I'm as green as it gets, I sat in a Frieghtliner 1 time at a county fair where a recruiter was showing a demo truck. That was the first and only time I actually was in a big truck. I don't know how to smoothly drive stick on a car let alone 10 speeds. I've never driven anything larger than a 15 person van, and a S-10 Pulling a landscapping trailer. Physically I'm not winning any lumber jack contests, I'm a skinny irish guy who hasn't seen the sun in 2 years from working the graveyard shift.
Now for the why part:
I've always been fascinated with trucking even since I was a little boy, I collected the gas station trucks etc.. boring boring. Ok, back on track, to the really exciting stuff, quiet please... *The History of the Green Newb*, I went to college, that was a complete waste of time, money, but my ability to consume huge amounts of shlitz beer increased. So anyway I got various jobs after college, pretty much office space type bs, and after working the overnight shift in a call center that handled complaints for an internet company...., I bailed. So now here green newb sits salivating over the possibilities of trying something I've always wanted to but never had the balls to try. I have a clean drivers record, I can pass a piss test no problem. The hordes of woman breaking down my door has subsided (i might not have been good but atleast I was fast). I can piss into a gatorade wide neck, I own my own cobra 29 night watched peaked and tweaked to reach our friends on the ice road. I've driven across the country twice, been border to border, sea to sea, 70% solo driving- in an awesome 4runner and 15 passanger van.
I love every minute of driving and always wanted to explore it as a career but I just need to grow some slightly larger lug nuts. I'm not overly worried about the pay, or the hometimes, I'de gadly take 2-3 week stretches if it meant 5-7 days home...or something like that. What I am worried about is getting to one of the company schools and finding that I just cannot manage a truck in terms of shifting, in terms of backing, switching lanes in heavy traffic, all while trying to watch boogies nights on my portable dvd player on the dash.you got the idea!
Any feedback would be greatly appreaciated, especially if you were once like me with these types of concerns
What do you think? Opinions?
Discussion in 'Questions From New Drivers' started by valorandarms, Aug 5, 2007.
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I Know What U Mean I Need The Same Answers
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I think these are things only we can answer but its nice to hear from others!
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I was a lot like you, valorandarms, when I first started. The biggest differences are I only made it through one semester of college and I grew up on a farm and knew how to shift a 5 speed and a John Deere tractor. It would appear from your post that you have the right attitude needed to make it. One thing to chew on is to remember that these CDL schools (company sponsored or otherwise financed) exist for one purpose; putting CDL Class A licenses into the wallets of hundreds of thousands of people just like you and I. If you show the determination and the intelligence (very little is required) to figure out just how to maneuver these beastly machines while balancing your checkbook and solving quantum physics equations (removing tongue from cheek), any moderately reputable school will make sure you get a new driver's license picture.
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Did You Get Your Cdls Yet Im Only 21 And Leaving Real Soon To Get Mine In New York. You ?
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Thanks scarecrow that was exactley what I was looking for!
Clown - I do not have my CDL, I'm checking out the inexperienced driver training program with Schneider and few others. Where are you looking at? -
I really hope you were kidding about your plans to "manage a truck in terms of shifting, in terms of backing, switching lanes in heavy traffic, all while trying to watch boogies nights on my portable dvd player on the dash".
or watching anything for that matter. Not only is it dangerous but it is illegal. -
You said something about being out 2-3 weeks and home 5-7 days - NOT! I didn't catch if you have a family, other things to consider when doing the Trucking thing. OTR is rough on a family, it's not just you, it's them too. Wether it be a girlfriend, wife, kids or just the parents you lived with all your life. You have to consider everyone on this crusade your thinking about. I wish you the best, your off to a good start coming here and asking questions, shows you have a head on your shoulders! LOL
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Same here, grew up on farm so knew how to shift etc. Other jobs over the years included shifting but it was over 10 years in between shifting anything when I went to work driving. It's not as hard as it seems.
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IM GOING TO CENTRAL REF.
Trucking Jobs in 30 seconds
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you got the idea!