Leaving Military, Thinking About Driving

I don't know anything about Con-Way so can't tell you if they are a good company or bad. The pay for a starter company with training sounds about normal. I trained with Central Refrigerated get paid .28 a mile. Being an Army vet they paid for your entire schooling if you stay with them a year. With you being in FL I don't know if they are hiring out of there because they don't have a lot of freight out of there. The closest school would be in GA. Wish you lot's of luck in your future.

 

I was almost in the same boat as you but with a different twist. I had 8 years of OTR experience when in 1984 i decided to go on active duty. I spent 8 years as an Army
M.P. / dog handler. Due to a bad injury, i got out in 1992 after desert storm and knew i wouldnt be able to be a civilian cop due to my injury. I went back to trucking,got grandfathered into the CDL because i already had a New york state class 1 license. Schneider national recruited heavily after desert storm. no-one would recognize my 8 years of OTR experience which i expected and did not have a problem with that. I went with Schneider who treats Vets. decent at least back then they did. i lasted a year with them, the first chance i got to get a Day cab local gig i jumped on it and been with my present LTL carrier for 16 years.

 

Talk to va they have programs to get the cdl for free

 

If you were an officer in the Air Force I would hope you could find a better job than driving a truck for 26 cpm.

 

@mml373- Just curious, why is it that you are not staying another 6-8 years for retirement? H.Y.T?

Also, with 14 years you will qualify for post 9/11 GI bill which will pay you to go to college at a nice rate; BHA, BHS, etc

This is for EVERY VET looking at getting out of service and looking at truck driving - VERY IMPORTANT!!! Please read:

First and foremost, thank you for your service. Your efforts have not gone unnoticed and are appreciated. I like you am a veteran, though you have a lot more options than I had just seven years ago when I got out; namely, the Post 9/11 GI Bill.

The Post 9/11 GI Bill is different than the GI Bill you may have been told about by your recruiter. It is sort of the GI Bill with a supercharger and NOS. The old GI Bill gave certain benefits to all service members that had served on active duty for a given period of time and had limited benefit amounts; And for those that were GI Bill contributors, they receive additional benefits, etc.

The Post 9/11 GI Bill gives ALL service members that have served since 9/11 an incredible amount of benefits. For example, my nephew was an AMS2 in the Navy and was discharged (Disallowed to re-enlist) after 10 years of service due to a non-service related injury he sustained in an auto accident while on leave after his 6th tour in the Persian Gulf. He was not told of his full benefits during T.A.P.

It was not until a friend of mine, a Navy Counselor Senior Chief, told me about some recent changes that had occurred since the time I was a Navy Counselor and recruiter, namely the creation of the Post 9/11 GI Bill. We were not aware that he qualified for the kind of money that is available to vets. My nephew was driving a delivery van, picking up dead animals, for minimum wage when he found out.

Today, just 3 years later, he is in his final year of a Bachelor Of Nursing Science program and will graduate next fall. He has been pre-hired by VA to work in a VA medical facility where all of his military time will count toward his retirement as will his time in grade. He will start at a very attractive salary as well, but even more, he will get to work with others like himself; VETERANS.

While in school he receives more than $1100 a month as well as full payment of tuition and school expenses.

NOW THE SAD PART!!

The big money people in the trucking industry and the Obama administration are teaming up against service members in an effort to move service members from military service to truck slaves while letting the taxpayers pick up the tab.

You will find that the Obama administration have set plans in motion to nearly cut our military in half; that means fewer military members staying for life and more being forced out. You will also find that Obama is not sympathetic to the American truck driver and his actions support the international trucking companies goal to have their Mexican trucks drive every where.

As many on this forum will tell you, some of the big companies own trucking companies both in the US and Mexico. Those same companies do not give a rats rear about anyone but themselves. Those companies WILL figure out how to get the Mexicans to drive freight for 15-20 cents per mile rather than pay 30-50 cents per mile that they are currently having to pay.

That brings me to the point that I believe needs to be made clear to all, the trucking companies are running a scam on the students AND the TAX PAYERS!

You will find many big trucking companies offering schools with "Special veterans programs." Those special programs run a myriad of scams such as charging students for training in addition to billing VA for the same training. In addition, they charge the VA for your on the job training under the "Vocational training" option that is available through various clauses in the GI Bill/Post 9/11 GI Bill. That $1000+ a month training pay ($260 a week) they pay is actually the students money FROM THE START. That means the trucking company DO NOT ACTUALLY PAY A SINGLE PENNY FOR ANY MILE YOU DRIVE!! and are paid to train you. The tax payers are paying it and you are working and being paid the money that is already yours.

In fact, once a student uses this option and the student is awarded a certificate of completion (For tuck driving or any career) then the veterans educational benefits have been fulfilled by VA rules ("First certification, professional credential, or academic degree"). Decide you don't like trucking afterwards, then tough luck, you pay for all other schooling.

Don't get lulled into spending your benefits to become a truck driver; you can do it with no help for a few thousand or for free if you promise to work for a company for a set period of time. If you THEN decide you want to do something else with your life, you can, and VA will pay you $13,000.00 a year while you are a student, in addition to paying for all school expenses.

I know truck driving sounds like a great thing to you today, however, people change and so will you. Keep your options open.

 

In addition, I just saw you are being forced out... don't be a fool, GO TO COLLEGE.

You should get unemployment for at least 2 years maybe longer with certain extensions (Varies), 1000+ a month from VA, school paid... Good golly, you will have a college degree and be earning a whole lot more than if you were driving a truck.

Again, GO TO COLLEGE!!!!!!!!