Evening/Mornin drivers!

I'm Gunner, been going by that name since 2000 when I was a Gunnersmate in the Navy, also been floating around the forums for several days and just made an account last night. As you can see I am a wannabe. Im in a career/company where I can not go any higher unless I make a move to Cleveland, and even then I wont make much more than I'm making now. I come from a family of 3 professions, Military, Law Enforcement, and Truckers. I've done the military and refuse to serve under this current administration, Im too old for most law enforcement in my area, cut off age is 35, and ill be 36 in April. I've always wanted to get into driving truck just because I loved seeing my grandfather and dad do it. I realize that everyone here has their own opinion, and like any internet forum, there are going to be the trolls. Therefor I take what most people post with a grain of salt, specially if its highly slanted for or against.

I had looked into several options for getting my CDL, and like others I had looked into CR England, even filled that their online application, got the call today from one of their recruiters, he was making it sound all great and polished like i was making the right decision, until he had heard about my driving record. In May of last year I was in a motorcycle accident that involved me leaving the pavement via the left side of the road in order to avoid hitting an on coming vehicle. My driving record states i was convicted of Failure to Control. It resulted in 2 points on my license. Previous to that, I am clean, no DUI/DWI, no speeding, seat belts, you name it its not there. CR England stated that I do not qualify as they just recently changed their requirements to 0 injury accidents in 5 years. That it was a change from their lawyers/insurance requirements for new applicants in their training program. I was disappointed to say the least.

Until I started seeing the posts here about CR England's habits and how their program works. Then I decided to give a couple of friends a call, one of which i later found out did the CR England program back 5 years ago, and she stated it was the worst program and idea she had ever done, and that had she known then what she knows now, she wouldn't do it. So then I started looking into CDL training schools. And I found one, right down the road here 20 minutes away in Lima Ohio. 8 weeks evening classes 60 hours in class, 120 hours on the road driving. The course offers all the endorsements such as Dbl/Trp, Hazmat, & Tanker. They basically give me the materials and class instructions, and I go to my state office and take the tests with their waivers. They also cover the cost of the license, the background investigation for the hazmat, DOT physical and drug screen, they also have a job placement portion where they have an active pool of companies that hire from their graduates. Im assuming they probably get a kick back for students who complete an allotted time with them.

As of now, Ive spoken with my wife and kids, the wife is ok with it, she said she would look at it no different then when i was deployed. My kids who are both teens and girls, are through that daddy state and no longer need or want my help.

As far as companies go, Ive spoken with 2 so far and 1 is a recommendation from the instructor of the course.
1, a local outfit that runs between the warehouse and plant empty and load trailers in town distance between the buildings is 2 miles round trip. My cousin is the yard manager and told me that I have a job if I wanted it. Pay is hourly @ $15 to start, $16.50 after 90 days and tops out at $17 after a year, 8 hour shifts, overtime up to 12 hours if wanted. Company paid health, vision, dental, 401k after 1 year with company match up to 6%.

2, MBI energy running oil, sand, or water in the oil fields. I interviewed with them for a riggers job 2 weeks ago and the place i wanted was full, but they said if I had my CDL with tanker and hazmat they would offer me a job in an heartbeat since drivers are needed badly. I emailed the recruiter today asking if the driving job was an actual offer and he said yes once I get my CDL and needed endorsements. He didnt go over benefits or pay and said he couldnt unless it was official, but i have 2 friends out in ND driving crude for 2 and 3 years now, both said they started at around 50k for a base, but have never seen less than 70k. Not sure if that is even possible but ok.

3, the instructor at the school stated that of the companies (40) that hire from their graduates, 25 are from this general area, 50-100 miles, and of those 10 are within 20 miles of my home. He said one that is always asking for new students is NTB Inc. out of Troy Ohio. Now ive seen their trucks on the roads, they look to be generally decent look trucks 2010+ Freightliners, some of their trailers look to be standard box and some refers but they require their drivers have a hazmat endorsement. Looking at their website they seem to have an active student training program. And their pay seems to start at around .28-34c per mile. They also have an active incentive program that looks promising as well.


Whats others take on my options so far? Keep in mind, I still need to go through my course which the next is slated to start in May, the cost is no issue as my remaining GI Bill will be paying for it. I know there will be the posters who will second guess my choice but seriously, I made 29,000 last year in my current so called skilled labor career that Ive been doing for 7 years. I can not go any higher in pay other than the occasional .20 per hour increase that will be given because of the threat of a union vote. I want to get out of what I am doing now, and get into something that is always going to be around for my lifetime. Yes I am aware of the federal regulations that are and have changed over the past few years, and really it doesnt bother me much. Ive spoken with my dad on how he does his runs and how he copes. It shouldnt be nothing that I cant handle.

 

Thanks for the welcomes guy. I did speak with a recruiter from Melton Truck Lines today, they seem to have a very good pay scale and the lure of flat beds is enticing. The recruited did say that they would like for me to get my passport and my hazmat endorsements although neither were required. She said they have issues with having to turn loads down because they dont have as many drivers with either as they would like. I did speak with her about the veterans program, and I do qualify. It sounds like a pretty solid deal and if I decide to sign on with them I will most likely take advantage of the program. Their benefits sound decent, I dont really know about the health care plan as of yet. Their home time didnt sound like it was too often, and that made my wife cringe some, however she also understands I might have to bite the bullet for the first year or two and not take much home time. Im still looking into other options out there, as of now, I went ahead and registured with my local tech school for the CDL course. Im scheduled to start on May5, my current employer is making accommodations to move my schedule around to where I can get off work earlier, however the boss is under the impression its for classes that will coincide with my current field of work, boy is he gonna be surprised.

 

Ok so I had a phone talk with a recruiter from Maverick today, he seemed to be new and not know a whole lot. I told him of my accident in May of last year, and he said that since it hasnt been a year yet they wouldnt be able to bring me on, I said well thats good, cause I wont graduate from my CDL course till June. They seem to have 3 groups that haul different types of loads, flatbed pays the least at .33 starting, refrigeration and box paid the middle at .36, and then their Industrial Glass division seemed to pay the best at .40 starting. He didnt go into what the industrial glass was, and I shouldve asked. Anyone know what is entailed in their Industrial Glass freight? Why does it pay so much more?