Really Interested in the trucking world......

If you love trucks so much, why not get some real training and become a diesel mechanic or something. There's a huge demand for those guys, and they make triple and quadruple what new drivers do. Plus you won't have to deal with being away from home...

Just because the idea of doing 2500 miles a week cross country sounds great from the comfort of your home doesn't mean it will be once you're out there. You have to factor in the low pay, long hours, isolation, time away from family, risk of sickness/disease/injury etc before you jump in to it. That's why more new drivers quit than stay on board. They think its a rolling paid vacation until those wheels start turning...

 

Hi trucknut87 and welcome to the forum.The people that considers driving trk as just a job has been in it for awhile like myself and a few others on this thread.But I never discourage anyone from chasing their dream.You as a soon to be new driver may not have a choice but OTR.Many local companies require a yr or more exp.But I see you live in the Atlanta area which is perfect for regional or dedicated.Why don't you call some companies that you're interested in and see if they have reg or deicated for new drivers right after they finish training.

 

Every time I see a fatal car accident in Atlanta, I smile. It's not only the traffic, it's the lane restrictions, route restrictions ALONG with the traffic. Darwinism at its finest. Sometimes, I wonder whether or not the Georgia DOT set the rules for population control. They have to cut trucks off. You jump on the highway, and the first two lanes are thick with trucks. Fight your way into an inside lane, and then cut across two lanes of truck traffic to exit on a 25 mph ramp.

if they REALLY didn't want to have accidents, they would put the trucks (mainly through traffic) on the inside lanes. So I figure that your local government uses traffic fatalities to keep the population under control.

 

Another rarely used but rewarding route is work your way up with Publix. You start in their warehouse system selecting. Approx 5 years or so later you become eligible to be trained By Them as a Publix Driver. They pay very well and their safety stats are second to none the last I checked. They Do Not hire drivers, they groom them. Some veteran drivers don't like this but it is Publix's way. They already Know you are right for them when they train you. You will not find many former Publix drivers that are not retired.

 

Not to add, trucking companies around here look at experience, cant say about Atlanta, GA, but long haul might be in your future if you want to drive a truck, at least until you get a year or so under your belt, not saying its impossible to get a local job, I've heard of guys that gotten lucky in the past, usually because they have a friend that got them in the door

 

I know guys that work for Greatwide that started out driving then moved into the office. They seem pretty good about that. Might even start you out in the office. Some trucking companies websites show what jobs are available other than driving.