Somebody give me the real deal.

You are not welcomed to the family just yet. CDL is the easy part. Getting hired on is the easy part.
Performing your job and keeping everything else in control welcomes you to family.

However welcome to the trucker report.



PS: don't get suckered into the bs from trucking schools about only driving OTR for the first year.
You have choices, not much but still really possible employment for local and it's not garbage hauling.


ETA: If you can handle customers from a parts store of 7 years. you will make a great driver.

Politics man, They suck and so do many other drivers for crap miserable lives. Weed out the BS

 

That's a great spot to live. You have a lot of choices. Stay away from Werner though.

 

Dude!!! I skimmed the book you wrote and if you over think everything like that you'll get a butt ton of information and still not know what the hell you want! This is the bottom line, I like trucking. I like driving big ####. period. You need to as well. You need to enjoy solitude, being on the road, and prefer driving over flying when you travel. If you like driving through all kinds of different places and cities that's a good start. You need not be filled with testosterone, but you need to enjoy it and you need thick skin till you get good at maneuvering your truck around.
Also, if you are not on your toes you will end up with commitments to companies that end up not being what you expected and it can cost you big bucks to get out of it. Get to some web site that gives you a good, objective opinion too. You get lots of great information on these blogs, but lots of crap too. You can take any subject in the world and find people who will hate, tolerate, or love it. Like they say, opinions are like ### holes, we all got one and they all stink. Good luck to you, and if you don't "like" driving or have never had a desire to be a truck driver then don't become a driver.

 

Gman (and some others) provided you some great information. Here's some I didn't see ... besides the usual things of being away from the family, not being home, getting used to being on the road, dealing with irregular hours and the usual, you have to be a self-motivator, enjoy being alone and enjoy driving for hours on end. For some, it's no problem. I've always been a loner (hunting, fishing, hiking, camping, I prefer to do it all alone) and play better alone than with others. Sleeping in the truck to me is akin to camping. Blow off the negativity you read and hear but heed the warnings. Some veteran drivers will provide you great advice and welcome you with open arms and help where they can, others think they're super truckers by virtue of their time in the industry, think they know it all and some have a problem with change, new ideas and approaches. Ignore them, they're jaded, miserable, and would be miserable in any position in life. Perhaps most important, don't let anyone tell you that you CAN'T do something you want. Any career is what you make it as long as you KNOW what you're getting in to without false expectations. And it's great you have that faith in God. Faith is important and God usually takes care of those who keep him in their life. My kids are grown, on their own and the wife, well, she can stay or come with me, either way it doesn't matter much to me, as long as she's happy. Like many have said, it's a lifestyle, not merely a job or career. With the right attitude, perseverance, positive outlook and hard work, you can have a good life. Welcome and good luck to you.

 

Your point is well taken. Regardless of what we used to do, most of us always had a thing for big trucks from the time we were kids. We do have a better chance of succeeding than the ones that come in out of desperation or the advice of a career counselor at the unemployment office.

I think we agree.

 

It sounds like you are going in with your eyes wide open and I wish you the best of luck!

 

some of these stories bring tears to my eye and make ME want to quit

2300miles and you still dont get home? when i started, we were doing upwards of 4000mi per week and was able to get home within a month's time

and with that ticket, it makes it harder to go to another company

i dont see you being able to buy your own truck which is what all drivers really need to do, this way they have more command at how they are being treated

 

i will say this to any newbie in any profession

dont let them walk over you, but dont act too ####y like you know everything

be patient but realize that many of these companies mistake a soft attitude for weakness

like kenny rogers said, you gotta know when to hold them, know when to fold them, know when to walk away and when to run