Another Interested Party.....Or Newbie

The big reason that I discourage a person from driving is the long time in being away from home. If you want a family life this career is not for you.

Now with the right carrier you can make good money and keep everything in balence. When I was on the road the only payment I had was the mortgage and a very small credit card bill. As long as you keep things in perspective you will do good.

 

Quasi....
You're smart, confident,and decisive. I think you'll like trucking and be good at it. I am a late career trucker and I certainly enjoy it.

You don't really have to be gone all the time.. There are lots of opportunities out there.

 

I think I can answer that. Trucking is one of those careers that will either agree with you, or it may not. For me, it has been something that I have become comfortable doing, although I have my moments in which I wish I had never stepped into my first truck. At times I thought I was fed up with it, I tried to do other lines of work, and I couldn't do it. I'm not an office type of person, and I am not cut out for working on a factory job either. The boredom overwhelms me.

You describe a clean background and traits that would definitely lend me the confidence to say that you probably would make a good driver, and no reiteration need be offered. You would qualify for practically any entry option that you choose.

Your local Community College is the best way to go, if that is the way you want to, but understand one thing about Schneider's plan. If you agree to work for a full year after your hire date when you complete all training, all debt for your training is considered paid in full. You will not be making any payments at all. In fact, you will start making a paycheck sooner than you would otherwise, albeit not that great to begin with, and you will benefit from some of the best training available. The full details can be found on this page:

http://www.schneiderjobs.com/drive_inexperienced.html

I think you fit the profile very well. The thought of independence is another sign that you'd like the job. Trucking requires very little oversight, and once you demonstrate the ability to get from one point to another on time, safely, and with little monitoring required, you will gain that sense of independence.

Even with all of the evidence that supports your thinking that it may be for you, it will still be an adjustment, but one that you can make, based on what you offer. It also demonstrates to me that you have given this a great deal of thought. Hey...if you think you are ready to give it a go...then by all means do so.

As far as I know, this should not be any problem. The thing I would advise you to do, is to consult with your personal physician, and make sure that there is no possible conflict of taking that drug or any others that you may be on, and operating a commercial vehicle. As long as he is willing to certify to another examining physician this assurance, then you should be good to go.

Okay, that will complicate things a bit, but it's not something that cannot be overcome. You must be willing to offer and supply to a prospective carrier, copies of business licenses, proof of incorporation (if you did), statements from your bank to justify annual income, and/or complete income tax returns to account for all household income for the previous three years. I know this is a bit invasive and unusual, but this will clear up any doubt that you might be hiding something like a less than desireable employment reference, which is something that people attempt to do more often than you might imagine. If you head off any doubt with the offering of information that will prove your self-employment, you'll be miles ahead of the game.

Background checks of all people that drive a commercial vehicle is mandated by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, and self-employment is one area where there is little way to reference it without giving up a bit more than the usual types of information to prove it. I would advise you to be prepared to offer it upon request on resumes, or offer a brief typed up statement stating the same thing with any applications you fill out, but only release copies of this information when you are sure you are interested in a specific company, and only when requested to do so by a company that is interested in you.

I too, have had to do this, and as nervous as I have been about it at times, so far I have not had any information compromised as a result of releasing further info. But, I have always been with one banking institution my entire adult life, and they would know in a heartbeat if something were screwy, because I contact them with information as to any possible electronic activity in advance, and they will call me or my wife in a second if they smell a rat. Income tax returns? That's not a big deal. They might gain knoweledge of your previous income, and they already have your social security information on your application, so there's no big revelation in giving up a bit more info. If you set up direct deposit, they have your banking information too, so if dishonesty were going to happen, they will eventually have more than enough for someone to commit a crime.

Most companies protect employee records under lock and key, so I'd say be cautious and careful, but relax at the same time.

 

Well... that is something that you should discuss in detail with the recruiting representatives of Schneider National Carriers. I'm not familiar enough with their operations to answer that. I simply guide people their way if they are looking for a decent way to enter the industry on economical and more honest terms that what other training companies offer.

I would strongly discourage you from looking at Swift or Werner, simply because they both have horrible safety statistics, among the worst turnover rates in the the industry, and more complaints offered by newbies in regard to the way they were treated while in training and after going solo.

Swift also now requires a two year commitment of service for free training. Most newbies will have almost a zero percent chance of honoring that commitment. They are known for their inability to retain drivers for long periods of time, unless they get in on a dedicated account, and newbies are not first in line for those positions. In addition to this, they are relentless in hounding those that quit during the commitment period for the cost of training, and for entering negative information into consumer reports, which has ruined more than one driver's credit and/or their prospect to seek further employment in the trucking industry.

 

I chose a local manufacturer for that very reason. All my trips are out and back, so I get home during the week and every weekend.
When looking for a job it helps to turn over lots of rocks; the company you are looking for may not advertise......make those phone calls! After the first few you'll find that companies love to talk to honest newbies even if the company has nothing to offer.

 

"although I have my moments in which I wish I had never stepped into my first truck. At times I thought I was fed up with it, I tried to do other lines of work, and I couldn't do it. I'm not an office type of person, and I am not cut out for working on a factory job either. The boredom overwhelms me."

Wow Turbo, I think that is the reason most of us keep getting called back into this industry.

 

or keep climbing in the drivers seat....