another newbie

You can make real good money in trucking in way less than a year.Some people are cut out for Team driving,but most are not.Team driving can be hard if you don't trust your team member.Remember,they drive while you sleep.Some people can team with anyone and some of us drivers can't even team with our spouses.(LOL) But all in all,it's not bad if your going to do it for the training.(Depending on your trainer) it can be pretty cool.Good Luck and Welcome to Trucking.

 

You can do pretty good Teaming, but don't think you will make more money than you did doing your IT stuff if you go solo.

 

Depends on your idea of good money...

 

My question too...The 1st few years while you are gaining experience might be kinda slim compared to what you are used to. The oilfield jobs I'm assuming would pay substantially more, but there's the relocation thing you talked about...but I'm thinking 25 to 40 the 1st couple years. Team driving depends an awful lot on compatibility, sort of the luck of the draw.

 

You may love big rigs but the shine soon wears off after dealing with the " no minds " that run and manage the trucking fleets. Be careful of what you wish for.

 

Yes, you can and will make really good money as a newbie teaming. Only because you are teaming though. As a solo driver you may have a bit of a slow start. Usually takes a good year or so before you figure it all out and can build up to running hard. Knowledge of freight and the industry is what will help you obtain the higher mileage. As a team though you will make some good money from the start.

The downfall to that is you are never going to see your wife! Teams run hard and usually stay out for longer periods then solo's. You will most likely run a couple months at a time. Companies vary though and it is really going to depend on what and where you are hauling. As far as home time though, like I said every two months you will most likely have 3-4 days at home. Very tough on family! Maybe if you can put in a good year though and get some experience you will be able to get something local or something a little more closer to home.

Running team is going to be tough to get used to and take some time. Your schedule and the lifestyle will be a bit extreme feeling when you first start. The truck never stops moving! You will run 24/7 like I said for a couple months at a time. Showering will not be an every day occurence either. I run team and usually get a shower every few days. Sleeping will be a little tough to get used to also. I recommend ear plugs and a good body pillow for a kickstand. This will keep you from rolling around while you sleep. No worries though, eventually you will be tired enough to sleep through anything! Most teams just divide up the driving time and run 10-11 hours each. One driver usually runs the night shift and one runs the day shift. I prefer the night shift because there is lot less to deal with and no traffic making it a less stressful drive. This also takes some getting used to though.

Good luck man, keep us updated...

 

Coming from a self-taught network engineer, I can tell you that depending on the area you live in (if like me), you can probably do better making $ driving.

I have done an immense amount of research on these boards (and thank you to all the fine folks with several years of experience who contribute to this database), you need to do yours as well.

DO NOT go through one of the company sponsored schools. There are several schools you can find on your own. We have one in this city which is actually free, you just pay for your licensing fees. But it comes with a catch, you have to donate your time driving for a local food-bank.

Also, consider how you want to drive. OTR or local? A lot of people say you have to go OTR to get a job. Complete ########. If you have half a brain and know how to dress and speak to people, you can find a local job. I just got picked up by FedEx to do small box truck deliveries. Told the HR person I was getting my CDL as well and wanted to transition into their local runs. He stated that not only would they train me after 6 months but I would get a dedicated local run.

Another thing I have been doing too, is when I see local delivery trucks, I write down the name of the company and check their website and/or call them and ask questions about hiring newbies. I have been told by several of the companies that THEY WILL hire newbies and train them as well. Many of these pay very decent. I am seeing between $15 - $22 per hour for a local job. I can't even come close to making that as a network engineer in this city, unless I work for the state government - and they want BS or MBA in computer science, which I do not have (although I can run circles around those guys with regards to network security).

Point is, if you want to find a local job, do your legwork and either find a free training school in your area or pay for your own schooling. You may be able to find local city or state programs that pay for retraining. Look into those too. And last but not least, do your research!

Best of luck!

 

The two most common fields that trucking draws from are either construction or IT.
Construction I understand because of the Great Recession, but a cushy office job helping secretarys get their printer to work and such, I don't as much. Is it just burn-out on working with computers?