Potential Trucker Needing Advice

Trucking is not for a family man. When you start off you have to pay your dues and it is a big price to pay. You start off with these mega fleets which keep you out for 3 weeks or more and rule of thumb they all send you the opposite direction were your home is. Once you get your experience you can apply to one of those local jobs. I do regional were I just stay in Texas and I am out a couple of days a week and home on holidays and weekends. Tried the local route but the work didn't justify the pay. My advice if you want to be near your kids all the time stay away from trucking.

 

When I was OTR regional, I typically made it back to the yard late Friday night or early Saturday morning. I think any gig with a sleeper truck is not for you unless your ex is willing to be very flexible.

 

That's complete BS.

I started right out of school with a company that has a terminal in his area and was home every weekend, even during training and made mid 40's first year

I moved on to a top tier private fleet after 3 years, which also has a drop yard/domicile in his area, and haven't missed a weekend home yet and will do 75k this year.

The only ones who end up going with the megas and spending weeks away from home are either lazy and jump on the first thing that sounds good, lazy and don't do the homework and the legwork to find these better companies, just want that type of gig and it suits them, or have made mistakes and had poor judgement in the choices they've made in life and are relegated to those companies because they don't have the good records/backgrounds to work for the better companies.

There are many options if you aren't lazy and look for them. They don't come looking for you. They don't have to.

His biggest hindrance is his scheduling requirements.

 

Last thing use your experience from your home land when you talk to recruiters they may not let you put it on your application but be persistent in telling companies your know how to drive truck there is no reason you should start at the bottom for a #### mega carrier you need to look at smaller companies that pay good get your cdl however you can but then start looking for a good company. You can have a family and drive truck our drivers are home every weekend and make more then most drivers working way more hours. If you talked to the recruiter from where I work I believe they would allow your previous experience to count. Good luck to you , work hard ,work smart and don't hit anything.

 

Dave Thurs thru Fri I wouldn't count on that.but sat and sun every week would be good.pick your son up early sat morning.chances are if you got home on weekends it wouldn't be till late Fri night.so see if your ex wife would let u have him every weekend.

 

Have you thought about driving a bus? That's how I started