Getting back in the game

Hey all,

I used to drive when I was younger, but haven't driven a real truck since '96. At one point, I went back to school and picked up a tech job. But after years of doing that, I found myself in my office, looking at the big rigs going by on the interstate and missing the old days. I got laid off from that tech job in September, so now I have the excuse to go back to trucking. I know things are slow in this industry too, but my old firm had 37 people this time last year and now only 22 are left with more layoffs possible. That's 4 times my state's unemployment rate! Ouch! I figure the trucking industry will pick up quicker than the engineering field.

So here I am lurking, trying to figure out which companies I want to apply with after I go through trucking school - again. (Which, by the way, is a lot more expensive than the first time I went.) I'm also healing from a motorcycle accident where I broke my leg. I'm sure recruiters will give me a hard time about having an injury accident on my record, but hopefully I can convince them that I know there's a difference in how one drives an 18-wheeler and how one rides a sportbike.

When I drove before, it was for Ryder and their Dollar General account in Scottsville, Kentucky. I know Werner's had it since '97, but I don't know how they're doing with it as far as how they treat the drivers.

I'd also like to collect and restore old trucks at some point. But getting gainfully employed comes first, so I'll return to my research.

 

Thanks for the tips! Unfortunately, I didn't renew my CDL when renewing my license, as I was engineering and never thought I'd need it again. D'oh! But I'll definitely be checking out all the companies in my area. I'll try to talk to them before I go back to CDL school; let them know I'm not completely new to this trucking thing and have a good record as a trucker.

Who knows, maybe after a couple of years I can go O/O?

 

I know some things have changed, like driving hours, but it would be nice if I could avoid going to three weeks of school. Especially since the price of school has gone up so much! I remember paying mine back in '96 up front, these days it's over $5,000!