The answer for new drivers

I have been wanting to do this for several years now. Fortunately, I can attend the Fox Valley Technical College professional driving program for free with some state GI benefits.

One recruiter that I contacted recommended that I apply before going to school. I think this a good idea. I am currently not working and everything that I have applied for has yielded nothing.

I just got hired driving a taxicab a few days a week and I'm also selling plasma. I think I will have less of a chance getting robbed and beaten driving a truck than driving a cab.

In spite of this, why do I feel like a moth to flame?

 

"In spite of this, why do I feel like a moth to flame?"

huh?

 

You know, as a moth is drawn in to the light of a flame. I feel very drawn to this industry.

 

From what I have read and seen you would have to be INSANE to pay for a CDL right now. I have talked a few people I know that was interested out of it. Myself though, I have absolutely nothing invested in my school and my wife has a good job. If I get spit out the other end of the trucking industry in a few months at least I got it out of my system. Guys that are coming in to trucking as a sole provider for their family need to make sure they have done their homework. Read every post you can on this site!

 

If you go to a school now there is a very good chance it may take so long to find work you will need a refresher course . Some schools offer free refresher courses . I really doubt anyone will guarantee you a job opening when you finish school . Prehires mean nothing and many students have had carriers back out on them and had no job prospects when they graduated .
Why do you feel like a moth to the flame ? Why was Eve so attracted to the apple ?

 

I aint gonna get on here and tell any one that trucking is like living in the land of milk and honey but I aint a company driver or just trying to get started either. Is it bad out here Yeah...if you want it to be. I gotta hunt for fright but I aint gonna take the first load that pops up going to where I wanna run for 80 cents a mile. Last year when fuel got over 4 dollars a gallon I was making more money than ever. Now that fuel has came down(if you call 2.25 down) loads are fewer and far between and the rates have droped back lower than when fuel was a buck a gallon. But am not having that much trouble finding half way good paying loads but I got to stay on top of things alot more or the next guy is gonna get it. To give you an idea what I have done in the last two weeks is...left home last Tues for El Cajon Ca unloaded went to LA loaded for New Mexico unloaded went 15 miles reloaded for Cincinnati, now I thought I was gonna go home from there but I found a load back to Utah, with all that my avg per mile will be $2,37.
But I cant say what these company's are doing with or for there drivers. If your truely want to drive truck I would say go to a good college (not some driving school) that has a good trck record and when you get a driving job try to stick it out for at least 2 or 3 years and after that go you can start hunting a better job. You gotta "pay your dues" before you get the better jobs, it aint like it was when I started, I was raised up my whole life around trucks and farming and when I started driving truck the guy that put me to work knew I could drive and said "you drive that truck" and as they say the rest is history.

Best of luck to ya

 

I went through family to get my CDL and was able to stay outta the driver mills (Thank God) so I got to start out not oweing anybody a #### thing and being taught ol school. To start out I have an hourly gig in a tanker truck in the oil field. Getting my experience and getting paid. Think I'll stick this out while all the BS is going on. So what I'm trying to say is I think it is all about how you go about it and just jumping into OTR is not always the best option