Enjoying these threads.

you really need to stop letting the Cat out of the bag!

Here, try some of this -

 

Oh jeez, your going to get @IluvCATS so excited he won't be able to finish a sentence the rest of the night!

 

I’m indifferent tbh

I’m just here so that people like OP do not get discouraged from all the moany, ornery, judgmental, sheep on here that are quick to be arses to everyone for no apparent reason.

 

I have to agree with this. Before I got my cdl, I did what I thought was thorough research on this very site among others, but about the only thing I really took away from it was, "stay away from the megas" which I've done from day one. However, there's a WHOLE lot to this industry that you flat wont find out, until you're out there turning the wheels. You can get on here as a prospective driver and get an "idea" of what trucking is, but you've got to get out there and do it to really understand and even then, there's things you'll just have to figure out on your own. I've been "thrown to the wolves" from the day I got out of cdl school so that's about all I know, but it's served me well.

I also agree regarding the misconception that driving a truck is getting paid to "see the country" for lack of a better term (and don't get me started on the absurdly cheesy ads that megas and the like put out, trying to reel the naive in.) I've been fortunate to stay local for the most part with some regional work here and there, but anyone I know that's been true OTR, really on see the highway, truck stop, and different shippers and receivers. Yea, you might see a few interesting sights while rolling down the road, but it will be the exception, not the norm. When it comes to trucking, your "paid vacation" takes a back seat, it's all about the freight.

All in all, I enjoy driving a truck just as I thought I would, but had I known back then what I know now, I'd honestly try my hand at something else as I've got other talents, but I'm invested in this and will see it through to my ultimate end goal. It's got nothing to do with driving a truck, it's all the bs that comes with it. It could be worse though so I won't go on a tirade complaining. I would however, be just fine hangin on the beach living the life like the OP lol. But as the old saying goes, "another man's trash, is another man's treasure".....you get the gist.

I couldn't of summed it up better myself. It's pretty sad when you honestly sit back and think about it. I'm only 30, but I've had a "old soul" as my parents call it since I was a kid. I dig a few modern things, but just about everything I enjoy is "old school" by today's standards. Especially when it comes to trucking. I remember being a kid, sitting out on my grandma's porch doing the international hand gesture to all of the cool rigs coming through town, hoping to get a blow of the air horn. It was always something I was into, and something I was around as a kid since my grandpa was an o/o, although I rarely saw him, but for some reason I got a late start at the whole trucking deal.

But boy was I naive.....I had all of these preconceived notions that I'd be rolling down the road in a sweet long nose ####tin n gittin, making money and having a great time. Reality was, just about every company I talked to right out of CDL school was ridiculously corporate, had no real pride in the job and ran absolute POS plastic junk. It was defeating to say the least. There was nothing "trucking" about it at all, to ME. But I plugged on and stuck with it and ultimately found a couple of companies that were more "old school" in atmosphere and vibe. They're out there, you just have to look. But in the end, to run the equipment I want, the freight I want and basically do as I envisioned as a child, I'll have to save up and buy my own rig and do my own thing, and that's fine. I've owned a business before and if that's what I end up having to do, then so be it. If that time comes, I'll take the appropriate steps to get there. But in the end, the direction the industry is headed leaves a lot to be desired, at least for me.

 

You also may want to consider capturing this life change on you tube. Start your own you tube profile and share with others. Demonstrate daily tasks such as coupling , starting a reefer no pun intended , and proper paperwork again no pun intended. Incorporate surfing and snowboarding into your travels. Give it a try. Why not.

 

Well the pot is out the door while driving a truck..you can go to a company that does hair follicle..those go back about 3 to 4 months but to be on the safe side I would give it 6 months before applying.

Maybe one day pot will be treated like beer.. go home,.. smoke a few doobies while on your off time then head back out on the road..just make sure your stone cold sober, ( doubt it will happen in our lifetime) I don't care what anyone says..alcohol is worse that weed! Just wish they would legalize It, tax it etc. Anyway, forget the pot while having a cdl..looks like I won't be enjoying it until I am fully retired and sailing the coast in my Island Packet.good luck on your next adventure!

 

I hear from people and read here that driving is horrendously stressful. This is not my experience. I drive a tanker back and forth through rush hour traffic every morning and I have occasional concerns, but not real stress.

Personality and experience counts for a lot in dealing with stressors and handling unpleasant people. My prior lives involved very high stress work environments. That changes the reactions I have to the stressors involved in driving a truck. I am also a calm person by nature. It takes a lot to get me worked up.

If you have a tendency to become expressive and loud every time a problem comes up, you are going to be stressed to your limit very quickly in any occupation. Each time you blow you are dumping adrenaline into your system and getting yourself even more worked up.

It takes time for your body to burn off that adrenaline and you are extra jumpy the whole while. This is a distraction to driving and counter-productive when dealing with a shipper or receiver.

 

Yeah it is about being realistic but we have other issues that cause my discouragement, we are saturated with drivers, there is no driver shortage. Our licensing allows anyone to get a license, as long as they are breathing and with so many entering the industry at the same time the revolving door spinning faster, wages and rates are suppressed becuase the companies have too much capacity and they are undercutting their competition on the backs of those drivers just to make their margin.

When people tell me they love to driver, I tell them this isn't about just driving, it is about work. When I hear someone who tells me that their daddy/brother/cousin/mommy's second great uncle on her fathers side three times removed they drove or own a truck, I laugh becuase those days are long gone thanks to these revolving door companies.

I, like others want to see drivers treated with respect but it can't happen when we have too many who are in it just for a fast buck and refuse to do what is needed to make it better for all of us.

 

For the record. When the rules mandated by the FAST act signed into law by President Obama get implemented the FMCSA will be writing hair testing rules. Sorry, I suspect over the next 5 to 10 years most carriers will be testing hair. Just saying!

I added a link to this that is on the FMCSA main page. The hair testing part is almost at the bottom. Also although I can't use it, I am happy they are working to allow VA physicians to do physicals. Hopefully this will be a great benefit to the vets out there that are drivers. There is good in this.