Do you have advice for an Elder newbie ?

They've been saying that for 50 years. I haven't seen George Jetson yet.

 

Hey quatto, I'm 58, just got my CDL and am waiting on a background check by Maverick. I, like you, am in really good shape. Can't wait to get rolling!

 

Congrats chief on your cdl, did you have any other choices beside Mav? Just curious.

 

Saturday morning cartoons in the 80's, and first Star Wars was, '77, empire was '80,

 

You're never too old to learn a new trade, especially truck driving. I've spent more than half my life pulling everything from beer to farm equipment and everything in between. I've always driven trucks in a commercial setting, but I had never been a "truck driver" per se. I got sick and ended up no good to anyone for a little shy of two years time. I, and a couple of doctors, didn't know if I was going to still be around 6 months after having a pancreatic tumor removed. I spent a long time not being able to stand up for more than a few minutes at a time, but somewhere along the line I turned a corner and got a little bit better as each day passed. I eventually got well enough to know that I was going crazy by not working. I couldn't do anything very physical, but I had kept my CDL through my recovery never thinking I would some day be a truck driver. I started exploring the idea and eventually decided to at least try to see if it was for me. After beng out for a while, and not having OTR experience, I learned that I was going to have to take a refresher course, which I did. Before you know it, I'm all of the sudden in demand.

When I started researching companies, my biggest factor was my limited physical abilities. I'm as a healthy as can be, but I'm just limited to what I can do physically. That being said, my research told me that flatbeds were out of the question. I don't like the noise so reefers were out as well. Tankers eventually need big hoses to be hooked up, so that was out as well. Dry van was about the only thing left. Went to work for a mega carrier at first, then to a smaller carrier that's actually owned by the mega carrier. Before I knew it, I'm a little over three years into finding out if this is for me.

Everybody's circumstances are different. You have to pick what's right for you. In my case, with such limitations on what I can physically do, I picked dry van and have done well and enjoyed doing it. If I can do it in the shape I was in 3 years ago, then a 60ish-year old healthy dude like you can do it as well.

Good luck to you!