Yet another newbie joining the fleet

U don't believe in asking loaded questions do u? lol I went the Driver's Solution route (C1, Ft. Worth, TX) and it was just about useless but I did get my CDL. Went to work with PAM (McNeil Express) and had an EXCELLENT trainer. The backing part just takes practice..... keeping the logs is not nearly as difficult as you might think. U learn about that with ur trainer # PAM. While the transportation industry is suffering a little rite along with other businesses, it will always be around and drivers will always be in demand so I say give it a shot.... you only have to commit to a year to get your school bill paid off and then you can decide if it's really what you want to keep doing. Good luck!!!!

 

I just ran the school/dmv/orientation gauntlet and am supposed to go with a trainer today for my first real trip with Swift out of Fontana. I just turned 50, got divorced, moved to CA from TX and went broke this year. I wanted to drive trucks back in the 80's, but I fell into telecom (hence my name here). I washed motorcycles for 3 mo this year to get a reality check. After spotting a sign on a warehouse in San Bernardino "drivers wanted", the long ago dimmed lightbulb came on again. Got into school, got my CDL and just did orientation last Thur/Fri. The cherry on the cake was when I got home, my CDL was in the mailbox.

I say go for it, seems like there are a lot of options if you have a safe year of OTR behind you.

 

Well, I too started this new career at 40, with a mortgage(and a large pile of overdue bills, and I mean large), and a family. Is it the right choice for you? Only time will tell you. And only you andyours will be able to make that decision. The first 6 months are the hardest. You wont know your way around to your shippers or the country as well as you will want. It is hard to have a bad day and be alone. Calling home doesnt always make it better. Sometimes it makes it worse, cause now your homesick on top of everything else. But if you hang in there, things do start to get better. You'll meet some interesting people, see some great country etc.. As to backing up, it just takes time. Dont pretend to be an expert, ask for help when you can. Watch other drivers and see how they do it. You'll be surprised at how many due pull ups or resets, get out and look, many times. In short, not everyone else hits the hole on the first shot, or everytime. Logs, well, keep it simple to start. Log things as you do them. Eventually you will find out how to make the most use of your time. But for the begining, just log it all as you do it, that way you wont have to worry about any DOT inspections etc.. It takes one piece of stress and throws it out. Hope this helps with your decision, and good luck!