Just curious what if I take a year break off from trucking

Your CDL will be good until it expires, if you keep your medical card current.

That's going to be up to whatever outfit you apply with. Most megas, as I understand it, would likely require some type of refresher, but most small outfits likely won't.

On another note, you talk about using your own vehicle for delivery, with Amazon or whoever. You probably need to figure out how much it's going to cost you to drive whatever you have, vs what kind of reimbursement you get.

 

When I was in CDL school a couple of months ago there was a guy who took a year off from driving and was required to take a refresher course before he could work.

I would seriously reconsider working for Über - their claims that you will rack up big bucks being a glorified taxi driver are fallacious. I used to get rides with Lyft and several drivers I met also drove for Über. They signed on to work for Lyft because they weren't making enough money with Über alone.

 

Taking a year off to work 1099 as an independent contractor is something you might want to reconsider. It's a year that you could of added on to your trucking experience, which would of open up more doors for you if you were looking for a local job.

Now that being said, if you're talking about that Amazon Flex deal, what you have to remember is that you are working 1099, with no benefits or retirement plan, and A LOT of wear and tear on your own personal vehicle. If you factor in the fuel and maintenance needed to run your operation, that $18-25 an hour that they promise you drops that down dramatically. And also from what I've seen, you need a minivan, preferably a cargo van, to deliver for them. They also do an extensive background check as well, with no criminal record, and you have to be over 21 years old to be qualified.

There's a reason why your local mailman has to go through an extensive training program to learn how to defend against dog attacks. If you should get injured on the job, whether it's from a dog attack, slip and fall, or whatever, the liability is on you. And with no benefits or workmans comp, that year off could be a costly mistake.

In my opinion, stay put with trucking. The more years you put into it, the more opportunities will open up.

 

Unless you have a specialized vehicle. You won't make enough money to put gas in your vehicle. Let alone trying to actually work.Those ads you still see making money. Were either last years ads before the rates got dropped. Or false advertising because they can't get drivers to work for them anymore.

I"m signed up with both uber and lyft. But i'm not working untill they raise their rates back to what they used to be. Or i get a specialized vehicle that pays 8 times better then a car.

BTW, she talks about $.90 per mile. Actual rate is $.80 per mile. Used to be $1.20.
And if you're passengar ends up in the hospital for whatever reason. Will your insurance cover them???? You could find youself in a lawsuit without the proper insurance. Which means ADDITIONAL coverage besides your car.

 

I've worked for 3 small companies when i was OTR. none of them required recent experience. The megas will require but i won't work for megas. There's absolutely no reason to work for a mega.

 

Where I'm at..it's 6 months, after that you have to go through a refresher with them.

 

I've been away from the truck 2 periods of 8 months and it was no big deal.

 

I was in IT business back in 90's myself. Programing COBOL, C, C++, spreadsheets were my daily bread too. Until May 2001. Then I went to Werner. They were starving me to death. Eventually, I went to work for a small local Chicago area company with a low DOT rating (I did not care, their checks were honest and cleared every time) ... I pulled their reefers to West Coast and back to Midwest and my checks went from 375 a week to 1100 a week (that's 15 years back). I was able to make close to 4k a month. Yeah I managed to do Chicago - LA, LA - Chicago trip in 6 days. then stayed home for 2 days and be back on the road. Most of those loads were straight -1 pick 1 delivery. I loved that time. I could run 75-80 in Nebraska, Wyoming and UT . No speed limiters.
There is no money to make in Schneiders, Swifts, Werners, Knights etc. As soon as possible, I'd go to work for a local small carrier. and be home regularly and more often. The Swifts and Schneiders offer 401k, Insurance, but so what if you are their slave working for food only. A small carrier (5-50 trucks) will know you as a man (not as a driver ID), you'll get to see their faces and they will see yours. And at times, you'll feel like punching them faces but as soon as you see your paychecks for over $1500 you will love them again. Many of such small carriers take owner operators, and will let you be one too when you're ready. As a driver and as a leased on owner op, you'll make more money working for a smaller carrier and have more life too. They might not have their 401k or health insurance. But you'll make 60-70K a year instead of 45K and there are IRAs and Obamacare.