How old is too old?

ive read many posts from newbies in their 60s...trucking is quite forgiving about age, not so much about diabetes, high blood pressure, and sleep apnea. and many prescribed medications may make an older person ineligible. but if you are looking for a number? 123 is too old.

 

I think most places want a more mature adult so the older the better. As for training I would think your best bet is to put out the money up front if you have it. A lot of places will reimburse your out of pocket training.

 

I'm 63...recently retired , why.... because I wanted to start enjoying the fruits of my 33 years of labor behind the wheel. No health issues at all. If you can pass all of the required perimeters to get a DOT approved physical card , then by all means go for it. As far as schooling goes try researching your local area for tech schools that offer CDL training. The training is usually better albeit a little more expensive, but IMO that is the best option for a newbie to take these days. Good Luck ...keep us posted on your progress!

 

and by all means...tony is right about schooling goes.do your research. my opinion is private school is a better idea, whether it be at comm college, tech school, or a trucking school. company schools require a contractual obligation to work for them for a specified amount of time. this is not always a horrible thing, but ANY company, good or bad, is not a good fit for all drivers.

that being said, the one company school id recommend..and this is based SOLELY on posts from this site, is millis. they will require a 1 year contract, and living up to driving for them for 1 year means you owe them nothing. during that year, they take $25 per week out of your pay for your contribution toward the "free up front" school. total cost: $1300. when you add in the fact that most companies will reimburse private tuition to the tune of $100 per month...the REAL cost of millis school is $2500. all in all...thats competitive. but when evaluating the cost of school, THATS how you have to do it. (i went to c1 in indianapolis...paid for it up front. tuition financed wouldve been $4k...up front reduced that to $2k. usa truck paid me $100 per month tuition reimbursement, so after 1 year my cost for c1 was $800.)

 

If you want to get your feet wet sooner, rather than later, you should go to company schools (or roadmaster, sage, etc. would work in the private school category). Roehl offers a cheaper school, as does Millis, and you can pay them up front if you wish. Roehl offers excellent hometime options (7/7, 7/4, 14/7,...), so if it's the OTR aspect that concerns you, this may be the remedy. Just make sure if you go private (school) that you go reputable! Lots of "Joe's Truck Schools" out there that say they can place you then.... My research indicates company schools or at least a prehire agreement through a private school is the safest route. Private schools tend to be double the price and you'll still need to go through company training afterwards. Tech schools take months to complete, as a rule. I just got canned due to age discrimination (of course unprovable) so I'm happy to read that this shouldn't be an issue because I start at Roehl in mid-Feb. Good luck from a fellow old fart.

 

I recently had a 70 year old student. He was a little slow walking, but did great driving. Spent his training time with me and then passed his upgrade test.