getting back into truck driving

TransAm has a lease to own program, but probably no better or worse than any other company.
Freymiller has a lease to own.
Jim Palmer Trucking has lease to own.
Western Express has lease to own.
Dozens more.
I wouldn't do it either way, but that's your decision.

 

Are you sure? I'm not sure they would require pay stubs or taxes. If the grandfather has DOT number and can properly fill out the DOT drug/alcohol release, properly verify dates of employment, I'm wondering what would prevent this from being recognized as experience... you probably know more about this than I do, but I think it might rest on whether or not his grandfather has a verifiable DOT number, so the prospective employer may verify he's legitimate.

 

To the OP: you might not even have to sign on with a mega carrier. Do you remember how to drive? Agricultural season is coming up all over the USA, and it's an excellent time for new drivers to get a foot in the door and get experience. Oftentimes doing one agricultural season will be recognized as a solid year of experience by many good companies!

 

Who me?

I bought a 41,000 midroof 120 decades ago, I was a owner for all of three days, not enough time to learn what insurance would have been and barely enough time to learn that the management of the school whose goal is to make Owner Operators if not also Fleet Owners out of Company drivers following a 4 year structured course of instruction beginning with your first truck purchase. The managment went ahead and bought the truck back for my trouble when we realized that the differences were not reconcilable due to actual bigotry and discrimination from one of the top managers involved in my case against my hearing impariment. Little did he understand we have been through all of that before and there was no problem with the Office of Motor Carrier Safety at that time. When someone decides that they are personally your enemy in Business, there is no point in carrying on with the business of being a Owner Operator.

As far as the financial activities of your Grandfather, I choose to stay out of it. What he does with his money and signatures is his decision.

One of the reasons I was .. successful as a trucker personally was two things. I would stay out winter to winter most of the time I had a employer who send me to unemployment when it got too cold and out of season to be paving. You cannot make good paving products in winter. You can try... Maryland tried it once on one of our routes which really needed it, but ultimately the surface failed and required all of it to be dug up plus one foot down and totally replaced.

The other reason was avoiding entanglements with a woman. I enjoyed them God only knows but made sure that there are no children to raise in the passenger seat. Trucking is not a place to raise children and I was determined to avoid that little problem and all the things that go with it. I suppose someday kids will be still a possibility, but it's best left alone at my age. Life has a way of moving forward. Adoption would be one path but I have very much to consider.

I understand that we dream. It is good to dream. When you talk about Wyoming on a pretty day I see it as a port of entry problem potentially that pretty much pops that beautiful little dreamscape bubble imho. Wyoming is pretty in season, it's awesome. But to me deep down, Wyoming is a battleground for old man winter. He could care less if I screwed up and allowed the semi to run off the road where it needs to be left until spring recovery.

Another tidbit you raised about your grandparent. If he is not strong on Business, allowing people to live off him rent free. What do you think of my asking you this. If your Grandparent offers a sort of a lassez faire behavior towards money and relatives do you really think Grandpop will buckle down and do a good job on a say a engine repair that will take a little bit of time to pay off?

I still think it's a oippertunity most people do not get when there is a tractor waiting for a driver to run it. without having to endure the megas routine of hiring on.

At the same time, I recognized that laws are changing, you require either a passport or a enhanced CDL potentially to access Canada possibly on the road out there. Or perhaps to even fly from states that do not particpate in the real id act. You potentially will be under some scrutiny because I believe our laws are changing. Not always for the better.

I hope this offers some thoughts. I am sorry if I burst a dream bubble but encourage you to look at all angles carefully.

 

If he's paying him under the table; there's no record of his experience. He's better off to go with a legitimate carrier and doing it right.

 

Does the grandfather belong to a "Drug Consortium Program?" To be in compliance, he is required to be. The grandson has to be drug tested through the Drug Consortium Program he is a member of and drug testing is not cheap. Grandfathers one truck operation can be shut down over a simple thing like this.
Too many risks involved that can cost the man his livelihood. A small fender bender can bring it all crashing down; sounds dramatic, but it's in fact a reality.

 

Sorry to burst your bubble. You're still a new driver.