30 years retired Cop - aspiration in becoming a Truck Driver

KLLM Driving Academy - KLLM Transport Services

• Learn how to become a professional truck driver with KLLM Driving Academy, a fully accredited Class-A CDL school/academy with locations in Mississippi, Louisiana, and Indiana. Earn your permit and CDL, … See more
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• Midwest KLLM Driving Academy
• Burns Harbor, IN

Terminals coast-to-coast:

• Burns Harbor, IN
• Ontario, CA
• Jackson, MS
• Laredo, TX
• Memphis, TN
• Cartersville, GA

 

There are SO MANY different types of jobs in trucking it really emphasizes my point about find the job first then decide about school. I frequently make the analogy of getting good shoes to trucking. Some shoes are expensive leather and designed by Italian artists. Other shoes are made overseas and sometimes by slaves. Shoes also come in different sizes. So a good or great "shoe" for you, a shoe that fits your foot, purpose, budget, etc, is not necessarily the great shoe that fit me. So when someone explains how great their job was at ABC Trucking in 1997 it might have been perfect for them and their situation and exactly the wrong job for you. Even if the shoe is expensive, made of best leather, and designed by a genius if it is too big/small for your foot nothing else matters.

For this reason, IMO, the most important thing you can do is take plenty of time and define what specifically you want from trucking. That includes moving from "nice company, with good pay, and decent trucks" to as detailed as possible definition of "nice people", "good pay", "decent trucks", and the schedule of home time, area you operate, if benefits are necessary, etc. etc. The more you can arrive at details rather than just saying "good job", good pay, enough time off, etc the easier it is to "shop for the right shoes."

There is only a small amount of safety in going to the big companies. Some big companies are among the worst and a few are among the most predictable and reasonable places to start. Once you have 1 year of experience and a perfectly clean record you have a lot more options than at the start. I don't think there is safety is avoiding or chasing the companies with their own schools. Some companies with their own schools are terrible. Some are among the best. Your goal probably is to get a solid year of experience at one company because doing that will make you a good candidate for the better companies that don't hire newbies. With your background and a clean record in trucking you have a real advantage and there are some fantastic jobs.

Some jobs like Less Than Truckload (LTL), or Dedicated tanker or cryogenic are the best trucking jobs around and at the right companies you deal with very little of the dirty and stupid part of trucking while having a normal life out of the truck, although LTL tends to work nights. You may want the irregular route, 48 state work of Over The Roar (OTR). You may do well in the refrigerated freight (Reefer) part of trucking even though it's appointments around the clock and a loud reefer unit 3 feet from where you sleep.

 

I'd agree with @tscottme..
Tanker is without any doubt to me the most professional and courteous out here.
Get your endorsements and a year or 2 under your belt and try tanker or cryogenics.
You will most likely have to put in time at a "starter company " to gain training and get experience.
Gotta have thick skin out here but would bet you got that covered.

I work local and regional(9) state area and am home every night, off weekends. I average 3 nights a month in a motel when running too far out to return same day.
Maybe find a union gig, work it for a while and collect another pension.

 

What message?
@Sheriff_Rosco_P
Oh, probably someone trying to steer you to a certain company because they're being paid a recruiting fee.

 

Welcome to TTR!
There is a wealth of knowledge and information here that will either explain everything, or scare the crap out if you and make you run like your hair is on fire away from trucking. As a 45 yr O/O I understand the lure of trucking. After all I have no intentions of giving it up (well maybe if I hit the lotto) but probably not then. Trucking is a VERY difficult profession to be successful in. The fact that you have no spouse or children's is actually a plus. I have had those and it did not bode will for them or me hence living with my dog. As a woman in this industry I can say it has it moments (lots of them) where I wonder about my decision to remain in this profession. But when my cat engine purrs to life I am complete.I hope that you can find that level of happiness. Good Luck!

 

OTR trucking is well suited to reserved, introverted, loner personality types. Local trucking is better suited to more sociable personality types. But a mature person of any personality can adapt or find a comfortable spot in trucking.

 

^^^ This right here.

They have a bunch of retired LEO’s who work a variety of schedules. A couple months ago, I had lunch with two of them from the Mt Sterling DC. Both are happy as can be and still enjoying it, several years on.

 

Don’t know anything with his location