16 year old wanting to be a trucker

Discussion in 'Questions From New Drivers' started by Blankinship101, Mar 29, 2013.

  1. muledriver

    muledriver Light Load Member

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    Also learn as much about mechanics as you can I have saved myself a lot of downtime over the years buy fixing it myself. Instead of waiting for breakdown .
     
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  3. S M D

    S M D Road Train Member

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    sacramento ca
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    here is what you do...... graduate and get a good paying job be home every nigh get away from it unless u have to do it. its just honesty
    a lot of guys driving trucks because they have to not because they want to.
     
  4. Ridgeline

    Ridgeline Road Train Member

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    I can't stress this enough, listen to the advice of others who have been there. At your age you may look at this as a discouragement or trying to mess with you but the truth is that this industry is rough on people, it can easily break you and if most of us would have the opportunity to do our lives over we would back up our driving career with an alternative education/skill that helps us get out of hard times.
     
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  5. ColoradoGreen

    ColoradoGreen Heavy Load Member

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    Stay in school. NOW, understand that does NOT mean that you can't become a truck driver, but, stay in school, get a college degree. If in a number of years or even decades you decide you want to get out of the saddle, having that degree will make it much easier. In fact, that's exactly what I've done. I'm several weeks away from obtaining my undergraduate degree (by the way, I'm 21 years old, not much older than you). I found a local company that would start teaching me the ropes. When I wasn't in school I was around trucks (learned around heavy haul). Spent a lot of weekends, afternoons, etc. backing trailers up, helping load equipment, learning to chain and strap things down, helping with stuff in the shop, etc. Got my CDL. The biggest thing you will learn is at your age it will be exceedingly difficult, though not impossible, to find a company that can hire you. Don't take that personally, it's not you, its you're age. As I was in school, it was about a year before I found a place at which I was driving regularly (oversize/ overweight, to boot!). I've been lucky enough to find people who work with my schedule, which means primarily weekend running. This semester I have a more lax schedule as it is my last and will be doing some part-time weekday work, as well. Then, once I graduate I'll be going full-time. You may have noticed, I didn't go to a trucking school, and, if you can find a good, honest company to work with you on teaching you to drive, I HIGHLY suggest you go this route. I learned from 20, 30, 40, even 50 year veteran driver's, I learned to shift 9, 10, 13, 15, 18-speed transmissions, and have even driven a 5x4 and 6x4. Tell me a trucking school that will teach you that and I'll show you a leprechaun. However, the FMCSA is pushing now to essentially force all people obtaining a CDL to have to attend a trucking school. That's fine, if you have to do it, do it, but, spend plenty of time before that with veteran driver's to teach you more than just holding a steering wheel. I'm not going to tell you that this industry is all good, there's plenty of bad here, but, I was just like you. You'll have plenty of naysayers, but, the honest truth is, if you enjoy your work you won't work a day in your life. Keep that in mind, you'll need to some days. We need young, excited driver's WHO LEARN THE RIGHT WAY. That's the key part. Many of the veteran driver's, either due to age or industry climate, are getting out of the driver's seat, and unfortunately, with it goes a wealth of knowledge not taught in the trucking schools. Learning from a veteran won't just teach you a great deal more, it will be probably some of the most enjoyable times you'll have in a truck. He (or she) may be gruff, loud, but, keep in mind, they learned to drive in a different time, and have a different mindset, and if it's a good company, they're only hard on you because they want you to learn the right way. One of the veterans who taught me (who started driving in 1964) has a lot of bark, but not a lot of bite, and it came down to him wanting me to learn and develop the right habits when it comes to driving a rig. Good luck, keep your nose up, STAY IN SCHOOL, but, chase the trucking career, too. You can do both, it's as simple as that.
     
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  6. JIMROY

    JIMROY Medium Load Member

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    Feb 15, 2013
    ESCONDIDO CALIFORNIA
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    This is off topic ,but then again its not.

    I would like to ask everyone to say a short prayer for mr. Jon Biasca, of Coos Bay Oregon. Jon passed on due to complications from a severe burn accident.

    He was my best friend and the man who taught me to drive, in a 71 pete narrow nose long logger with a 335 and 5&4 . After 15 mins Jon climbed into the right seat and made me take her up the mountain, load and bring her back to the mill......

    God be with ya jon, dios te bendiga ( god bless you) my friend...

    Thanks jimroy
     
    Last edited: Mar 29, 2013
  7. Chinatown

    Chinatown Road Train Member

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    Henderson, NV & Orient
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    Check your Private Messages.
     
  8. slowpoker

    slowpoker Light Load Member

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    May 23, 2011
    new braunfels,tx
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    The sacrifice is huge stay in school.I would of if I knew how much I had to give up to get were I am at.
     
  9. Dieselgeek

    Dieselgeek Medium Load Member

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    I was always fascinated with trucks growing up, went to college, earned a degree, worked in my degree field, and then got into trucking. I have a degree to fall back on, but it was a lot of money for something I may never use again... If you are truly passionate about trucking, find a job locally for a trucking company if at all possible washing trucks, working in the maintenance shop, etc. You will get to learn more about trucking from the inside, talk to drivers/owners, and get a feel for the industry. You have many years to decide what you want to do the rest of your life, and quite honestly, what you think you want to do, is rarely what you will end up doing... Enjoy your time growing up, it goes way too fast. As others have said, keep your license clean, your record clean, and you can get any driving job you want years from now.
     
  10. Vamvakas

    Vamvakas Light Load Member

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    Mar 21, 2013
    North Branford, CT / Greece
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    I dropped out of college cause there was nothing I wanted to do in school. Going cdl schooling soon not cause it's good money without a college degree just cause that's what I want my carrier job to be (I love being alone and I hate people). So college isn't for anyone also there are to many people getting degrees and now people only hire from experience not from a piece of paper, you see those kids stuck in crappy retail jobs and been there for years and haven't found a job in there degree.
     
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  11. Bob The Dinosaur

    Bob The Dinosaur Light Load Member

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    Sep 1, 2011
    holdenville oklahoma
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    Fella I figure I can some what recognize where your at, I would highly advise staying in school trucking is kinda like sitting a saddle since the time your legs are long enough to reach the stirrups, it is nice when it just day work, now ride all night during the spring ( called night Hawkins) so you can keep a calf count. Sounds exciting, do it for ten years, and then tell me getting to roll into with indentured servitude wages in your pocket.you better darn well love driving truck because without that degree yo will end up like me ( can't speak for Boone else but me) a twobit bronco stomper who was lucky he learned how to pull cattle to market an early age. Without this truck I would be reduced to hunting and fishing every day, not for fun but to eat no electric, running water, or TV. Think long and hard that's all I ask......
     
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