Changing careers at 48.

Holland had a trucking fair here. Tons of applicants.
Whittled it down to 30 drivers.

They all failed the pre-employment drug screen.

 

I hope you can make better money trucking,

Best of Luck !!!

 

What makes these people think they can pass these drugs test ??
Don't they know they are going to get tested??

 

I think some do this on purpose. And, if they fail...they get to stay on unemployment and they can CLAIM "Hey, I looked for work and Holland didnt hire me".

That's my take on at least a good portion of these applicants.

 

Welcome to the forum Jet! Sounds like you are in the perfect position to be an over the road driver. I wouldn' t be too concerned with the length of your schooling. All the schools do is pretty much get you ready to go with a trainer. You are going to learn more with a trainer on day one than the three weeks of schooling you will go through. I would really invest your time in getting prepared for orientation and in finding a good company to drive for. Keep in mind that you don't have to follow the rest of the herd. Most newbies don't really know all of their options so they just follow the path of everyone else. Also the schools they go to push a handful of mega-carriers that are paying them to do so. So the schools really aren't showing you all that there is to offer out there. This is why you need to do some thorough research. Think of anything that has wheels that you think you maybe interested in driving and go for it. The harder it is to get hired on with a company the more worth it, it is to work for them. Companies that don't advertise that much have happier drivers therefore a low turnover rate. Think outside the box! My wife and I hauled horses commercially in a beautiful set up and were paid salary instead of miles. These jobs are out there you just have to go after them. You like Nascar? Go drive for Nascar! You like golf? Go drive for CBS Sports! Possibilities are endless!

Whatever you do you are about to embark on the adventure of a lifetime! Even schooling and training is a blast! Personally to me the money was just an added bonus. There aren't many jobs out there that pay you to drive around and sight see with no boss looking over your shoulder. Yes it has its downsides and can be very stressful at times but so does everything else you do in life. Give yourself a good three to four months before you make your decision of whether you like it or not. Its going to take that long to get used to the lifestyle and be comfortable with what you are doing out there. Yes it is more of a lifestyle than a job and that really is the hardest part of it all.

So good luck man and keep us posted. Take plenty of picts too! Later in life you will be glad you did!

 

Thank you STexan! I am 47, also changing careers. Well, going BACK to trucking after being out of it these last 10 yrs. My kids are grown My wife don't care any more, so it should be easier now. I used to hate being away from the kids when they were little. Now, without the wife's 1,000 a week I find myself struggling with money. I've got a few bad habits like, rent & groceries. I left trucking to keep my family. Now, it's back to trucking, to avoid being homeless. Living in a truck is better than a van down by the river as I recall, and at least I won't go hungry.

I appreciate the words of wisdom you gave to jet460 here. If you don't mind, I am also taking this advice. I will do my best, keep my expectations reasonable, and just roll. At least I found a company willing to road test me. I have kept my CDL all these yrs, and have driven a school bus for the past 5. Not too musch good said here about Star (red one in IL), but they are self insured. All the other companies said the insurance companies dictate who gets hired, and my 11 yrs of safe driving, 10 yrs ago means nothing. I am hoping it's kinda like a bicycle... that you don't forget how to drive a truck.

I start Monday.

 

It costs a lot of money for EACH and EVERY new driver they bring in just for the medical, physical agility testing, drug screens, background checks BEFORE you're even ok'd to begin actual orientation, and these can easily exceed $800 (medical industry + liability + regulations + trucking industry = big $$$'s). And training with a trainer costs still more money going forward from the point of hiring.

Carriers are doing whatever they can to "protect their investment" of $1500-$2500 in initial costs only to have you leave in 2 months. I can assure you, if new drivers knew they would have to pay some/most of these hiring costs at the next carrier, they'd stay put and try and find a way to make it work and make it through the sometimes ugly initial stages of a new job in trucking.

I hear a lot say the good loads/freight comes early to get them "hooked in" then it tapers off but from all I can gather and see, it's the opposite of this ... the bad and short loads come early, then after you've proven yourself, then longer, sweeter loads begin to come across the qualcom.