Looking to get into trucking. Research so far says STEER CLEAR

You have to decide what kind of trucking you like to do.

I don't know what companies are up there but some LTL companies actually train you, and if you work on the dock for a while they'll put you in a truck and give you your route.

Sometimes if you work for a contractor they need drivers, and they will teach you to drive. At least they used to back in the dino soar days.

Van flatbed step deck oversized tanker local Regional OTR... reefer loads.

There are a lot of options in different Avenues in this business. Whatever you do avoid the megas. That's the dead end. If you are a guy that isn't afraid to get on the phone and say hey I'm looking for a job what do I have to do to work for you, you will be able to create your own destiny.

And the best of all especially if you are a young man, is to find a union job that you can retire with a pension.

Keep researching and asking questions and decide where you want to be.

Good luck

 

A friend of mine has 2 female cats both are around 2 years old now. He calls them Hambone and Biscuit. Biscuit hates it when he farts. I saw her a while back jump up on the back of the couch pin her ears back and go in circles followed by running around the place for several minutes just because he farted. I really love those furballs!

 

If you are single, making 30k a year, dont mind being alone, and have lived and liked the life of a roadie, driving a truck will probably be a good fit. The only real question at this point is whether or not you have the driving ability to guide a vehicle as big as a truck without hitting anything. Most people can, but some cannot.

 

If you want to work for ODFL get at least 180 hours of training at your chosen school. More is better. There was a poster on here from PA who did a 200-hour class and hired straight to linehaul. ODFL local managers can hire who they want (if HR approves of course), so go visit them if you can, see who is a good fit, ask about the school you're thinking of attending. Be patient if they're busy, or tell them you'll come back another time. Always positive in word and deed.

ODFL is an LTL company, others are UPS Freight, Fedex Freight, Estes, XPO, YRC, NEMF, and others. LTL barns are different from each other, so visit them. If you get treated badly or dismissed, scratch that one of your list, you don't want to work there. Look at their equipment, the expressions on employee faces.

There is an LTL and Local forum on here and more detailed info on truckingboards.com but with a lot of BS to sort through.

 

Just an FYI I made $60k gross pay my first calendar year. I did this in flatbed at one of the well known megas. Admittedly I did not owe anyone for CDL school. I also got free tuition reimbursement from my company. Plus “loyalty” bonus after quarterly increments..So if a new driver goes into something other than dryvan they can do ok in first year. Just saying.

 

Stay away from irregular-route OTR trucking. Too many hours on the job, too much time away from home, way too many freebies.

 

NO! You made $150,000!

 

I wasn't clear, perhaps. I was trying to say that his 30k job was not a reason to avoid trucking.

I made more than 50k last year, and I was working for a low paying company for the first 2.5 months, and learning how the new company worked for the next month.

 

Some of you people seem to not have got the memo. Every trucker makes $150,000 and trucking is all beer and skittles.

 

Someone's been listening to drivers brag in the lounge again