Considering a Career Change, Where to Start?

Just from delivering to Old Dominion in Knoxville once, I got the impression it’s a great place to work. The Office personnel were very Professional and polite. Talking with a couple local Drivers, I’d consider working for them myself, if I lived in the area. Brand new facility, newer equipment, reasonable folks to work with. I’ve been in a lot of LTL terminals, worked at a few. They really impressed me. I particularly like the idea of being hourly, and covering a big area. Makes for less stress. Having an hour drive between areas covered. Beats having 16 deliveries and 8 pick ups all within a few miles, which is common at a lot of large LTLs in major cities. Makes for a tough day.

 

I've lived in Florida and love the state.
We moved to Nevada, but I'd like to move back to Florida.
My 4'11" petite wife browbeats me into not moving back there.
Home prices have gone up due to so many Yankees from California moving there.
Viera, FL - Top 15 Master Planned Community | Florida's …
~
There's still some good reasonable places to live in Central Florida. It's just that I prefer to live beyond my means.

 

Don't consider CR England, no matter what. IMO, reefer should be avoided at all costs, with an exception here or there, maybe.

Do not start any CDL school until you decide where to work. The company may have their own "free" CDL school or only hire newbies from particular schools, or schools with certain requirements. CDL school IS JUST TO GET YOUR LICENSE. Company will put you with trainer for up to 8 weeks to really learn this job.

You need to define your weekly income, frequency/duration of home time or time off. What trucking companies have terminals/yards service centers near you. What regions you want to drive/avoid. Then you need to decide how to trade off various preferences for what matters most to you/family. The company is not going to change for you. When you pick them you have decided the above details and will need to live with them for a year. After a year you will know more details that are important and their importance to pick your second company, if the first company isn't an ideal match. The goal is to work for as few companies until you find your "forever home". 80-90% of newbies quit before 1 year of experience, mostly because they don't define their requirements for a company in detail.

Ignore company web sites and recruiters. They will mislead you, or you will misunderstand the words they use. Talk to current working drivers at the company and ask them the details you need to know. If the company wants you to work there they will connect you to drivers there now.

 

Considering he is 52 years old, that would make him 22 when he was a leader of some sort.
Maybe his first promotion from the lowest level to the next lowest, so he was just a little more of a leader in some way?

 

He was a leader in the ministry and was a manager in the business world.
I like the guy; he'll do well in trucking.

 

Jeez , the guy is 52 , wants to truck, let him truck . The big companies will put you under contract for CDL training, so be willing to go through or pay out of pocket . A private school is better. I have done both . Go for the companies that offer 55 cpm and above . You should concentrate on dry van at this time . You need everything on paper that is told from recruiting. You need to know avg miles and gross pay . Only you know what you need to net . You will have to sift through negative reviews and positive and ultimately make a decision that will have some risk to it . Avoid dedicated at this time at least a few months . Be willing to sacrifice, be willing to stay out more that 5 days and youll see a return . Prime , swift , crst , Cr England , roehl are all meat grinders. You need to look at turnover . It takes money to make money or at least sacrifice in this . You are going blue collar , glove wearing , diesel slinging. No more white collar desk sitting. Make sure this is what you want to do . Cause it's what we do here . Trucking

 

KLLM/FFE hires out of your area and has a national footprint. Lots of freight throughout the southern portion of the US. You will pretty much see all 48 states at some point.

 

Rather surprised that many responses have a manner of trying to convince the OP not to drive at all. At 52, pretty sure OP is a big boy (or girl) and is capable of assessing whether or not the career move is tenable.

I get it; trucking isn't for everyone.

 

I don't understand that either. Truckers telling others to not become truckers. They always have a lame excuse as to why they won't leave trucking. "OK, I'm a trucker and have been for years and it's horrible. Please, everyone, heed my advice and become a welder or plumber. This trucking is awful and 100% of trucking companies were formed to mistreat their drivers; that's the only reason the companies exist; just to hire people and then mistreat them."

 

Chinatown going ham.