Another newbie thread--Hi yall!

Yep you got it right - hubby's name is Klingon and this is my scoot - the color in the picture is a bit off - she is black and red - and her name is Betsy - a good name for a Kaw - LOL!

 

SWEET!! I'm going to miss riding - but thinking of maybe renting every now and again when we get a day off taking new twisties instead of freeways!!

 

Hey Skeet! Its the 2010 Ultra classic Limited. Just got it Last April. Put a lot of miles on last summer, what a blast!! Be safe!

 

Hey Skeet, Welcome to the forum? You have a pretty impressive background (fooled me with the overalls!) Why would you want to be a trucker? One thing I recommend to all the new guys is to stay away from the mega-carriers. Swift, Werner, England, etc... You will get pre-hire letters before you even go to school! What does this tell you? These companies are starving for new blood because they pay em' cheap and get rid of em' quick! That's the name of the game my friend! If you want to avoid this scenario don't mess with them. Find a good smaller mom and pop company that is going to treat you like a human being and care about your success. Any company that isn't spending millions in advertising to get you to work for them(another red flag!) would be worth checking out! The school recruiters are going to tell you little fibs too! They get paid by the big companies to send you to them. One reason most new drivers flock to the mega-carriers is because they make it so easy to get hired on. It will take a little more effort if you want to find a decent carrier to work for. Trust me it will be more than well worth it. Living in Arkansas you should have numerous trucking companies that would be interested in you. Keep on eye on Craigslist and or your local newspaper. You can tell the difference between the legit ads and the mega-carrier ads! If you would like to aim for a little bigger carrier companies like Central Ref or Crete/Shaffer or Watkins Shepards, these are are good medium size companies with very good track records. Also if you look at these threads on the forum you can see how well and how happy the drivers are doing. I personally ran with Central and was very happy. There are many others that will vouch for them on this website. The Watkins thread has many new drivers that are "tickled" with how well things are going for them. What ever you do take your time, do your research and don't be afraid to ask questions. Here is another site that will help you out:

http://www.newtruckdrivingjobs.com/student_%20driving_%20job.php

Good luck to you!

 

I kinda thought that the ROV training would get you high bucks?? There's not too many people that know how to operate them. Like I said I was with the EOD people at Indian Head MD that worked with the engineers and contractors that brought the ROV's into the Navy. I did a little work on the water types but mostly on the land. We had to run them trough a test site that I helped build and it was always funny to see the company lose their expensive proto type on the stairs. We tested alot of different organizations from the private sector to the FBI and Secret Service. Those boys at the SS have no sense of humor.

I just thought with your experience and working on the oil platforms why haven't you stayed there for the big bucks? You know the platforms will keep working and you skills could only improve. I'm not sure if it's a good idea but I know EOD people that stayed with the land ROV's and are now making a very good living. Better than driving a truck. PM me and let me know more if you want.