Happy "oops" is still,,, um inconvienent?

Dren1276 · Aug 12, 2009

JWinNC said: ↑

I did the whole newbie thing with local community college truck driving school and trained after that with Roehl OTR last year. At about my sixth month solo the miles started dropping (they weren't that great to start with) and sitting around miles from home and my life were taking a toll on me. Your post struck a chord with me reading it, because that's about how I felt after six months in my own (company) truck.

I had constantly read post after post on here about how you needed 1-2 years before even dreaming about landing any sort of local gig. I didn't let that stop me. When I parked that truck every evening I was on the internet checking my LOCAL listings on craigslist, careerbuilder, monster, etc. I filled out a lot of online applications every week out there on the big road reguardless of how much experience the ad said you needed.

I checked online local yellow pages for companies in my area and got the phone numbers and called human resources requesting a fax number I could send them my resume to. I must have faxed over 40 resumes from whatever truckstop I was at back to companies that were within 50 miles of my home when I was out there.

After a month of doing this, a job came up on monster that was 2 miles from my house!! It requested 1 year tt exp. to apply but I called anyway with my 7 months exp. I explained on the phone why I was very interested in the job and if I could fax him my resume, MVR copy that I had, etc. even though I was 5 months short of meeting his criteria. He bit and told me to send it. I got a call back 3 hours later asking me when I could interview and I was to be on hometime in 2 days and I dropped my bags by the front door and ran on over as soon as I got home. The rest is history. I work about 40-45 hours a week and get in my car and drive the 2 miles home every night and off weekends.

I started out on the hourly pay averaging about $100 less a week than I was making OTR logging near 70 hours a week at my now 40 hours a week. But 2 raises later after getting through the 3 and 6 month probationary periods is helping but it pales in comparison to getting MY LIFE back! That phone call I used to get "what ya want for dinner?" every afternoon used to not mean much, now it's priceless!!!

My long winded point driver is this: Don't quit a job/career you already worked so hard to get your foot in the door on and have spent substantial amount of time and money on to do so. You have to be persistent and dedicated to getting what you want, that local or regional job. You have to make phone calls. You have to fax resumes. You have to do it daily until you achieve your goal of maintaining your current career (if you really love driving like I do) and getting that be home every night or every few days if you get regional/ded.

DO NOT let the experience requested in any ad stop you from applying. Apply anyway, you never know! The worst they can do is throw it in the trash and that's what's gonna happen to 25, 50, 100 of them that you send it to, but all you need is the 1 good job to give you a call back! I hope my little story helps and keeps you positive and hopefully a little bit of useful advice.

I wish I had read something like this on here when I was at my 6/7th month out there and all I read was negativety: No you need 1 year, no you need 2 years, hell driver you'll never get out of OTR, etc.!!! Be positive, patient, and persistent. It WILL pay off for you. Keep a good attitude as well. I wish you good luck and hope the best for ya.
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JwinNC hit the nail on the head and I'll add to that some, hopefully he don't mind. Here is my story I've worked various jobs at points in my life I'm only 32 Steel mill where I got my drive to want to drive and on to a career firefighter, after having a bad expericance with that one, I was one to work a a juvenile boys prision where the little sob's drove me to wanting to get my Cdl even more.

Well my wife was in nursing school full time not working either our daughter was 4 years old and I just decided one day to take a chance and try to get my cdl and quit my job. Dumb ### thing to do but I did I at first tried to get it on my own, didn't happen. Finally got it through a program at unemployment office.

Now we come down to the nity gritty of the story. I went to the school full well knowing I was not going OTR and I expressed that very much to the school who tried to make me fill out apps for all kinds of bottom feeder company's I didn't and they said you won't be driveing local if you don't got OTR. I said watch me. I even tried to get other guys in my class to say hell with OTR and go local but they fell in the barrel of crap company's and signed on with them.

I got home and I admit it wasn't easy took about a month and I found something. It was a job hauling trash from transfer station to landfill. Lasted one day doing that crap. I seen enough blown out tires on the other trucks they had going up and down the road and there pile of crap used tires behind there shop they replaced even more worn out tires with, to know it wasn't for me.

I found a job online at a local roofing supply house put in for it got a call a couple of days later and was working the next week, good trucks good money and home every night and got my experiance there too.

I moved on to a couple of other driving jobs from there one was good the other wasn't so good but I was home every night. I have had three driving jobs since I got my license all local and I can go back to them all if I want. I was laid off from my third due to crap economy it was a dump truck and hauling equip for excavation company.

Now I find myself back on a truck, but the only thing I'm hauling now is people to the hospital. I'm back on a ambulance again.

Point is I had no experiance and everything stacked aginst me. Pretty much broke and only rich in alot of hope of finding something. I did and I know you can too Stay at it hard, you will find it and I can PROMISE YOU THIS IT WILL BE THE BEST THING YOU CAN DO FOR YOURSELF AND YOUR FUTURE FAMILY TRUST ME.

Dren1276 · Aug 12, 2009

Sorry for your loss I wish I would have read all this thread before I posted my first reply.

Again sorry god bless you and your wife.

Ducks · Aug 12, 2009

Infosaur, I'm so sorry. I can't imagine the pain and heartbreak you and your wife are experiencing right now. My thoughts and prayers are with you.

Infosaur · Aug 13, 2009

We buried the kid today. My wife is taking it harder than I am, but I think we've started to turn the corner. She needed closure.

I took my personal car out of storage after bumming rides from family members for the past few days. I'm starting to feel like I have some control over my life again (as opposed to being in a company truck, and only being allowed to go where I'm told to go) So after a few days of getting things in order I'll start doing apps/interviews with local compaines.

I still think there's more companies in PA than NYC but my wife still wants to live in the Apple. I'll be looking in NJ and CT too.

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