What did YOU do before driving a land barge?

i know bruce!

 

Very first paying job was when I was 14. Summer work on a farm owned by one of my relatives. Stacking hay bales, cutting and splitting cordwood from downed trees, shoveling out the chickenhouse (now, there's a job that'll burn the hairs right out of your nose....). First powered vehicle I ever drove - a fairly new (in the early 1970's) John Deere farm tractor

Made it all the way through High School and started working with a fencing contractor. Quite a character, he was. He'd lost about half of his right index finger many moons ago and used to wiggle that stump into your palm when you shook his hand, like it was some sort of trapped bug or something


Also was a notorious packrat - round about 30 old box trailers parked all over the property filled to the tail with the weirdest collection of stuff you could imagine. Just to give you an idea: the better part of one 40' trailer filled with tons of military surplus DDT powder, at least two more filled with canned goods that had to be at least 20 years old, two more filled with nothing but cheap bluejeans. Ancient vehicles parked randomly all over the property - a custom-body Good Humor truck from the early 1960's, a couple of IH Farmall tractors, a pair of tractors (no idea what they were) with all-steel drive wheels, a pug-nosed Jimmy COE from the early 1950's (I think). And it just went on and on and on....almost 50 acres worth of Stuff that he had bought at the Auctions and dragged home for resale "at a killing", only to have it slowly sink back into the earth from whence it came

The man knew his business, though.Taught me every aspect of the fence trade and a lot about Life too. A hard man, but fair, and honest as the day is long

Anyway, I'm rambling. Back to the list

10 years as a skilled rubber worker, handwrapping tubing from 1/8" to 6" dia and later on making precision washers (+ or - .005" in all dimensions). The work started going overseas, and we showed up for work one morning to find a padlock on the gates that the old key wouldn't open......

2 years as a Banbury mixer in a chemical plant. All HAZMAT, all the time. I sure was stylin' in my astronaut helmet and white suit, though

2 years in a corrugated box plant. Worked my way up from General Helper to Flexo Press Operator (top of the heap) in one year. Company got bought out by New York 'investors' and they drove it into the ground in short order. Ended up running screaming from the building a year later and never looked back

Almost 3 years working for another 'character' (snake in sheep's clothing is more like it), making the best pickup truck ladder racks ever designed. All aluminum, outstanding functionality, pretty flashy too as long as you kept 'em clean. When I started there, four skilled Americans ran the entire production floor. Last I heard they'd been replaced with 6 or 8 illegals who don't complain about things like 440 volt electricity going through 14ga Romex hanging down from the roof trusses, and forklifts that you stop with the gearbox - no brakes at all

Short-lived jobs of all sorts: Wire drawer, spray painter, Security Guard, auto parts delivery, cutting grass and landscaping

3 years of P+D with a rollback, plus turning wrenches, at a commercial lawnmower store (Scag, ExMark, Cub Cadet, Snapper - not too often you find all of those major brands in one place). Good experience in rollback towing all sorts of odd beasties, and the mechanic work was icing on the cake as far as I was concerned. Boss's son got into debt playing with his 'racecars' and I got eased out so he could take my place (and pay)

My CDL driving career started with CDL straight-jobs. See the Welcome Wagon thread under my handle for more on that

Looking to move up from Class B to Class A, and paying the bills in a Class B 'til then

 

What kind of retard company "eliminates" a sales position? Isn't that how companies stay in business? You know ... with SALES?

 

Worked for years in the broadcast industry mostly government contractors. I clawed my way up to vice-president status for two different government contractors. Then worked for Radio Free Europe in Prague, Czech Republic. Then I guess I got old! After I turned 60, NOBODY wanted me.

We adopted two of our grandchildren so we have young, growing mouths to feed. We used up our savings while I was looking for work in my original career field and still no job. I worked as a car salesman but did not last because of all the lies they expected me to tell people. So - I attended CDL school and became a truck driver!

 

I did car sales too ... COULD NOT STAND IT. First of all, you are the scum of the earth in the eyes of the consumer. Second, do have to lie your #$$ off to people. Know what I was promoted into? Special Finance. I lied to people with no credit/bad credit and got them to take on more debt. When they defaulted, we repo'd the car and resold it. I remember personally selling a red 2001 mustang convertible (6cyl) three times over the course of a year. That did it for me. I HAD to get out. So I walked and worked at a convenience store until I could get something better. Worked a really good job and left it for where I'm at now: sales. Sometimes I wonder if I am truly retarded.

So now in sales, cannot stand it (again) and the economy is crap which is hurting my sales (we're directly tied to the construction AND remodel industries) so I'm looking at going to CDL school and driving anything anywhere. Just need to sell the wife on it ... and I may do it anyway - we'll see.

So next steps are:
a) convince wife - she knows I want to - just a little scared
b) quit job with family business (father inlaw = boss) and live to tell about it

(probably will look something like this)
c) get into trucking

 

I strongly suggest you reconsider your career choice. Trucking is NOT a good field to be in these days. You will be jumping out of the pan and into the fire. Stay away if you know what's good for you and your family and go elsewhere.

 

I take my hat off to you for not giving up and providing a home for your adopted grandchildren,hang in there.