Is a trucking career right for me?

I think I got my tinnitus from having six inches straight pipes and using my jake when pulling into truckstops. However, I looked real cool doing it.

 

huh......huh...??



PLEASE TYPE LOUDER...!!!!!!

 

If you're worried about the direction of an inevitable future then my best advice is to open your sail and float with the wind.

You'll still have a job in this industry if you educate yourself on what's coming. From a CMV driver to CMV conductor.

Time's is gonna change with or without us; don't be afraid to grow with 'em.

 

then pick up the phone...the ringing is killing me too............

 

There are a lot of jokers around here

 

I went to college for two years and hated every day of it. Actually Friday and Saturday are pretty great days in college...

Anyway, finally sacked up the last bit of money I had for college and went to CDL school where I'm at now.
Not enough money to finish my degree anyway.
Personally, I've loved trucking since I was 8 and my parents happened to take me to a truck show. In middle school I did one of those life plan things as a truck driver and my teacher asked, "but what do you really want to do" LOL. Either way I was mainly in college to please my mother.

In the end it comes down to what you want for yourself. Forget the money, prestige of college, and the stigma of trucking and focus on yourself. I haven't even started driving yet but I'm following everything I can in this industry and my training with a thousand times the determination and passion as I ever had for college. Im sure you know what you want already just like I did, it just took me some time to nut up and do it.

 

Nobody here can predict the future about automated trucks although I'm sure we each have guesses or fears.

Last I looked NEW sleeper truck cabs were showing low to mid 80s decibels noise levels. OSHA rates any work environment over 88 decibels as requiring hearing protection if exposed 8 hours or more. Whatever the ACTUAL nose level inside the truck you can wear ear plugs. A small selection of ear plugs are comfortable enough to wear all day, don't ask me how I know. Usually these ear plugs are either labeled "sleep/rest ear plugs" or show a Noise Reduction Rating (NRR) above 32. Hearos Xtreme Protection are very effective and available in the pharmacy/vitamin/over-the-counter remedy section of grocery stores and Wal Marts. A 14 pair package sells for $5. The ear plugs are blue foam in a green and red package. These are every bit as effective as a previous champion choice (AOSafety Sleep/Rest Ear Plugs, which became E-A-R Sleep?Rest Ear Plugs, but now discontinued.

While I'm not clear if wearing ear plugs while driving is allowed or prohibited I recommend anyone interested in saving their hearing try them. "Drivers" have indicated to me ear plugs are quite effective in almost eliminating all wind/road surface noise, and some engine noise. "Drivers" have reported they are able to carry on a conversation while wearing these ear plugs. Since I'm not clear on the legality of wearing noise reducing ear plugs I would never recommend someone using them to admit doing so in a public forum. I will comment that there are many people in safety sensitive jobs, including some airline pilots, that find ear plugs increase the ability to hear key noises, such as alarms and horns, similar to the way sunglasses help reduce glare from sunlight which allows seeing details in said sun glare better than without the filter. While newer trucks are clearly much less noisy than older trucks the truck is still higher sound level than most work environments, and you are in the truck virtually 24 hours a day for days and weeks or more. Hearing loss is gradual so a quieter enviroment just means you lose your hearing at a slower rate, not that you don't lose hearing from the lesser noise.

Tinnitus varies quite a bit in frequency of sound and "volume" inside the ear. I suspect not only most truck drivers, but most people have some level of tinnitus. The "hearing test" for CDL is essentially just doctor or nurse whispering while you look away. If you can get through a normal day I doubt you will fail the exam. Some research indicates up to 80% of people have tinnitus but are seldom in a room quiet enough to notice. Does it keep you from doing anything? I'm not sure I would dwell on it, especially at the CDL exam. I mean if you drive a truck you are sitting a few feet from a several hundred HP engine droning ALL DAY almost every day. You aren't listening for spies digging out of a jail at midnight.

 

Go for the trucking. Get all the endorsements and attend a 160 hr. or more CDL school and you can start out making $55K - $65K per year. Try for hazmat/tankers or a company like Old Dominion right out of CDL school.