Single mom and contemplating

If your in Atlanta then yes if you get your cdl you should be able to get a local driving job in your area. Realistically expect to work quite a few hours. 12 hours is pretty normal for a local job in my area (Harrisburg PA), you might only work 10 hour though, some places will have you working the whole 14 hours, it really depends...you'll work more then 40 hours a week though. Taking your son to football practice 3x a week is probably not going to happen. Being honest this is something if I was in your shoes knowing what I know I would consider waiting till your son is older in his late teens before getting into truck driving. I don't know what your situation is with your ex and your family and his family with you is. If it's just you and your son I wouldn't get into truck driving right now...I would hold off for a few more years.

 

The last thing I want to do is dash the hopes of a single mom just wanting a better life for her child and herself, I don't want to give false hope that leads to severe heartbreak when after school there is nothing. We know of course OTR is out of the question for you, the job you have described in your question may exist. Finding it may be another matter. There are some local jobs but few that would guarantee making it to practice and games, which is important to young ones. I guess the straight answer is yes there are jobs that are home every night. The odds of sports for the little guy slim very slim. Hours per day any where from 6 to 12. If in construction maybe none due to weather. I really wish you the best, and lots of luck

 

Trucking is not a 9-5 type job. Opportunities you may find, especially just starting out with no experience, will be greatly narrowed. If you have someone who can offer assistance with taking care of the little one for certain hours of the day or night, it will give you more options. Even with as much experience as I have currently, it is still hard to have a regular schedule because most carriers want a driver to use up as much of their 14 hours available most days.

I will not say you cannot get your CDL and find an ideal job because opportunities pop up all the time. My wife started a multi-million dollar business while caring for our two kids who were 2 and 3 at the time while I was on the road, so if you are determined you will find a way to make it work and be happy!

 

Okay not trying to derail this thread but if your wife started and is still running a multimillion dollar business why are you still driving truck?

 

There are several reasons. 1: I still enjoy what I do and I am not ready to retire from trucking yet. 2: Due to the unstable state of the economy, you can never have too much money. My kids future is being funded now. 3: The business, which provides home healthcare and assisted living for children and adults with special needs, is my wife's area of expertise. When I decide to retire from trucking I will be more involved. I like to think of it as not wanting to put all my eggs in one basket.

 

First I would like to say my hats off to you for being a hard working single mother. As for your questions you can find local work however it will be difficult with out any experience, not impossible though. As for family time football practice ect.. trucking is not a nine to five job and truckers put in a LOT of long hours. With that said it may be possible to find a trucking job or maybe driving a school bus to accommodate your schedule. Good luck

 

I agree with not putting all your eggs in one handbag.. lol!! Are you from Friendswood? I graduated from FHS!

 

I live in Friendswood, but not originally from here. Originally a Yankee from the Boston area. I do not plan to leave the area anytime soon considering how good the schools are here that my 6 year old son and 4 year old daughter will be attending. Our business office is about 1.5 miles East of FHS over on S. Friendswood Drive.

 

For the OP.. honestly I would never ever want to tell you that it can't be done... however, even if you were to get a highly coveted local run, your hours are going to be random at best. More than likely in your area if you want a local run you are looking at hauling chicken and we all know how that can be.. Fresh haulers can vouch for this, you can be given a P/U time but sit for two hours while they do the slaughtering and whatnots.. IF however you can get your CDL and haul for, say, FedEx, that would be a completely different story but I don't know that FedEx would have daily big rigs on the road there. Something to check into, I guess.

I tried driving here for a bit, just doing courier work for a local company and ####.. it was ridiculous... some days I would leave at 8AM others at 11.. somedays I would get home at 5PM others 9PM. I just recently quit and went back to dispatching OTR because at least I know my schedule and my little ones aren't shuffled around and missing sports practices/games. I really don't want to discourage you but in reality.. driving with a schedule to keep for little ones is TOUGH. Sad but true. Why not get into dispatching if you need to keep your hours somewhat on schedule? Check you local craigslist etc. for those jobs... it will at least get you well versed for when you CAN get on the road..