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Good luck with your training. Have fun and be safe. Let us know how you make out. Schaffer/Crete are on my list of companies to drive for when i'm ready to get my cdl.

 

well i hate to tell you more bad news but when i drove years ago i didnt get home but every 21days and i was in a trucking lane..it seemed to me the purposely sent me in the other direction for the first year..but as soon as you FM gets to know you and you do your job and dont complaine you'll find out that you get home alot more then when you first started..they are going to push your buttons at first but just go with the flow and it will all fall into place...gl man!

 

Always has to be one killjoy in the bunch to put ketchup on the ice cream...

 

That just sounds gross.

 

There were other things I was thinking, but THAT'S the one I could put on this site!

 

Hey Tony, I'll tell this to you and all the other guys/gals out there; I drove for a friend and went OTR, I freaked out at the big cities and just did a really bad job. Thankfully my friend did not hold a grudge and when the company closed a few years back, he is still willing to help me. Thank God, because with this economy a person can use all the help he/she can. The reason I'm replying to you is because you said you did not have a "college education". I'm not making a big deal about it, but when I left working for my friend, I ended up in college, graduated and now have a bachelors degree in psychology. Plus, I was rewarded for all my hard work by being laid off at my job that I had through shcool at the local foundry. Nice huh? Now that I'm out of work, I owe $20,000 in student loans, can't find a job anywhere because I'm too broke to buy a $5 transcript from the University I went to so I can prove my education, and I'm ineligible for Kansas Unemployment. Nice huh?

Anyway, what I'm babbling about is, this darn depression is effecting everyone. I hope Shaffer works out for you, and the way things are going, you and I might be in orientation together! I'm looking at Shaffer/Crete myself. Good luck in all you do, hope all of us can find steady good work out there and get plenty of miles. God bless you all, hope to hear from some of you soon!

 

I have been with crete about 6 months now and I have been home about 4 days a month avg. I live in Ga 1 mile off I-75 and this is a major shipping lane. this week i have actually been home three seperate times. And if you push yourself, make good desisions, and treat everyone as you would like to be treated, you will get the miles and hometime. Too many time i hear truckers curse dispatch and complain about low miles at the same time, which leads me to believe that their attitude dictates their mileage. I started off with a few low mileage weeks, but have had 2 really good months. Avg weeks around 2800 miles. Keep your chin up and a good attitude, and you will see many oppertunities with shaffer.

 

Hey Tony, I understand your nervousness. But don't "psych yourself out!" Your upcoming road test is not going to be all that bad. The person who does the test will know you are a rookie, and will be used to the nervousness you will have.

As far as the college degree is concerned, I think you would be surprised at how many degrees are out here driving truck. Up until about a year ago, there was more money in trucking than in most entry level jobs that require a degree.

Yeah, things are #### tough right now. And they may get worse before they get better. But it WILL come back. All we have to do is be able to "hang in there," until it does.

You mention age being a factor as to your physical ability to do the painting gig. OTR driving, for the most part is not all that demanding. But most local driving is.

Keep this in mind on down the road, if you decide to go local. In and out of the tractor, climbing into and out of the trailer, and throwing heavy freight all day long is no picnic. While many guys doing it are older, it is a much more physical job than OTR.