New Wannabe

I've been reading some of the posts the last couple of days. There sure is a wealth of good information here.

I drove dump truck, lowboys, and some local freight around 30 years ago. Company went broke so I went back to school. Been working in IT for the last 20 years or so. Ready for a change, but I have 4 years to retirement. I really enjoyed driving when I did it many years ago, so I'm thinking of getting back into it. I would love to do some regional (Western states) long haul as I always dreamed of that when I was younger.

I've been reading some accounts of new students experiences with various companies. Really an eye-opener and makes me want to get started right away. I do have to admit I drove through the truck stop parking lot last weekend checking the rigs out. I love the smell of diesel in the morning.

Anyway, I'll be lurking around for a while reading others experiences.

Please keep up the great posting. It's inspiring.

Thanks,

kenktm

 

Thanks for the reply NeoGrin. Yeah I was a heavy equipment operator in the Army also many years ago. That's where I learned to drive. I drove low-boys, dump trucks and some cargo stuff.

After I got out of the service, I got my CDL then drove some local freight with an old beat up International. Then I drove some dump trucks and more low-boys here and there. I really enjoyed driving around checking out different towns along the highways.

Back in the day, you didn't need to take any CDL test if your employer signed a form or something. No need to go to school. But it's been so long since I had a CDL looks like I'll have to pony up some bucks.

Most of the schools I've talked to seem to cost around $4k - $5k. One school had a weekend program so I might look into that while I'm still working.

Good luck with the career transition if you decide to take the plunge.

KenKTM