I want to be a truck driver. Advice?

My situation was similar to yours when I made my career change. Always broke, poor credit, etc. My credit wasn't terrible, but it definitely wasn't good either. Out of debt now and have a good credit score. Also on track for a good retirement.

What I did was after I got everything paid off, I went online and got a secured discover card and started using it. I have multiple cards now and I am careful never to exceed 10% available credit utilization.

I got a job where I load my own trailer, tossing 30 lb boxes, stacking and wrapping them on pallets. Got me in decent shape pretty quick and I felt a lot better than before I started doing that. Still get good miles, but I also load and they pay me for every pick up. So I'm getting paid to exercise and be healthy.

Work history: be honest about it because they will probably check. When I went into orientation they gave me my printed application back and had a second report of what their investigative company found on me, company names and approximate dates. What I had down didn't match what they had exactly due to me just having a bad memory, but it was close enough. Explain gaps in work history best you can.

 

Yeah that's one reason I am still doing my starter job. My contract was over early this year. But I like loading the trailer. It keeps me in shape. If I just start driving and nothing else, I'll get fat.

 

Yeah I read all of these pro's and con's about the Community College route. One person felt it was no better because either way you were a slave.

I want the ability to choose who I drive for. I'm moving to an area in Iowa where the cost of living is ten times less than where I am now (Seattle), and my wife keeps her job making what she makes there working for "a software" company (remotely)… and we come over with a savings. I'm not desperate... I will take the time to learn and put in the effort to do the job.

I realize its not all open road and fantasy.... everything involves work and the everyday pain in the "you know where" is never absent. Yes, the industry has its share of pains.... but I'll roll with it.

I've heard of folks doing this into their 70's.... some look at it as a second job in retirement.

My wife can quit her job when we own a home (which by the way in Seattle costs a million and in Iowa is $300G) and I'll be settled enough to know the who's who of "good" companies to work for in the area.

If You're smart enough in this industry, it can work out. You just need to put in the work. I'm going to go in the Spring (for my CDL), and I'm already studying.

 

Here's the thing of the matter. If this is something you want to do. Why wait? To get out of debt? In a way, wouldn't you be in debt longer by waiting just to add more debt if you attend a trucking school?

Companies will take you on and provide you training based on things like signing a 1 yr contract to drive for them for that duration of time. After that time frame you owe nothing for training.

Save some money, get prehired at a company that offers in-house actual training. Not one that sources out to 3rd parties (my preference) only because it makes everything a smoother stream line.

Hope this helps

 

Exactly. I have always done p&d and wouldn't trade it for the world.

 

Grabbing the job is the problem, many companies is not going to hire anyone on that scales out at 475 to start with, including me when I had drivers.

 

Interesting take Michael, but I’ve heard the flip side of this which is....

When a carrier offers up their training, yes, you have a job and are in their system, but what if it sucks? You get hurried into driving/getting out there, to make the company money, and things get missed (like learning how to back)... then you’re on the hook (to the company) for the cost of training AND the quality of your training was lacking. Now you’re 4-6 grand in debt, poorly trained, and now even more desperate.

I agree that “getting in” is the key... after all, it’s the job we’re after. That transition is nice and smooth, and if the company is a slave holder, most likely you only owe them a year. Plus it’s instant experience.

I see both sides... the company paying vs you paying. I’m doing the latter... it’s just better in my circumstances.

 

The same occurs in trucking schools. The difference is many trucking schools obtain funding from some mega carriers for allowing them to try and recruit new drivers. Even then, after being recruited they go out with a trainer for x amount of time.

Some of these mega carriers will force new drivers to team together and if you don't have someone to team with, they will tell you to find someone or they'll find you someone.

Basically, the opinions and options you expressed occur in either direction one takes to becoming a truck driver.

Flip side or not there's good and bad in everything. Doesn't matter if we're referencing trucking carriers with schools, trucking carriers without or trucking schools as they're own entity. The cycle is basically the same: get individual in, get them trained to a point, pass and obtain cdl, continue training while working, get individual a truck rinse and repeat.

You can fail trucking school or quit and be out $ and same can occur elsewhere.

My purpose for responding was to inform and educate. Because honestly the grass on the other side is usually a very similar grass.

Hope this helps.

 

Start using your sleep apnea machine now and keep a record of it. At your weight a lot of companies will order a sleep test and you'll be stuck with the bill for it.

 

I don’t know, 475 seems about average for Prime. Just from observation, I haven’t actually put one one a Cat scale.