Am I too old

Chinatown has a lot of great advice, but he can be overwhelming, and you should start with the basics. What kind of trucking, ( local, regional, OTR) and what type suits you ( flatbed, van, reefer, dump, tanker) and go from there. Be advised, this isn't your daddy's trucking anymore, and you might be in for a surprise. The will to succeed is your best bet, you have to be devoted, it will test your patience, it's not like any other job.

 

I started at 54 and I'm 59 now. You can do it just fine.

 

Some gigs may not be the best idea; you probably don’t want to hand unload produce or Christmas trees, but there’s way more gigs out there that you can do fine than gigs you can’t.

Some gigs pay way better than others. No criminal record, a passport, TWIC card, etc all help raise your value in the market place. Be selective on where you hire on first, and keep your eye out for better gigs.

 

51 is the new 40,lol... Are you kidding? Your still Young, Listen to this.

Back in 1993- I was unloading a Steel Coil at a warehouse- The Guy in front of me came back and started chatting.....

He Told me he was 92 years old- I Just laughed- Didn't look a day over 55-60.....

He pulled his license,Handed it to me-I looked closer and My God, I about Fell down- Im a 24 year old kid talkin to a 92 year old driver- Hauling a covered wagon no less......

His Secret to Longevity and Youthfulness?? Hard Physical activity,Daily....

 

Second this! I'm 49.5 and will start driving at the beginning of next year so I certainly hope 51 isn't "too old"! LOL!

You may want to consider tanker work, from what I've gathered the tanker companies tend to prefer older drivers b/c of the extra responsibility involved but it's nothing over the top. Also from what I've seen it's generally and easier way of life than say flatbed. In addition to the TWIC and passport definitely get the three key endorsements: Tanker / Hazmat / Doubles & Triples. Even if you don't end up doing that stuff it will give you more options.

 

Never too old, a friend of mine, drove till he was 84.Trucking is the perfect “New” Occupation at your age. For someone that wants a Challenge, every Trips an adventure. And it really is a thrill, for a while, anyway. Lol

 

Correction!.... That is a "Intelligent Life Form" policy. Otherwise companies have no Intelligent Life Forms in the truck!
Seriously... ya gotta have love with you. Animals know the highest form of love.

Welcome to trucking. You'll have alot of fun OTR. I did.

 

That's right. She said she wants OTR and take a rider and pet. She'll do just fine!
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Most people changing careers later in life are sick and tired of the same routine for decades. They don't want some local job and fall back into another boring routine. They want to see the country and keep moving.

 

I think us older people appreciate the odd hours more. The breaking out of the routine with most of society. To H! with all the regular routine. It's freedom!
I loved it when a cold storage would open at 1am. A ton of trucks waiting to get in. All I could think was: "Gee... there really is life at 1am outside of the darn night clubs!"

 

We had one at the plant pushing 90.

One day we squabbled over a spot. Decided by oldest Class A on the place.

He comes up. Beat it children, my spot.

Pushing 90. B61 in the house to boot. (Older Mack...)