I don't know what to do anymore, looking for advice please, i'm thinking of trucking

US Xpress in Irving (Dallas)

 

As my father would say about truckers "The first liar doesn't stand a chance".

 

Everyone talks about how slow the pumpkin goes but what the heck? Fast trucks just get you in trouble anyway.

 

inthelongrun: okay I am going to throw my 2 cents in here too and I am not a driver but have spent time on this forum, my ex was driving and am now with a driver.

I am not going to say one way or the other what you should do. You will get alot of great responses on here for and responses against driving. Depends on who is posting and where they are personally in their life and career. You don't list your age but I can assume you are fairly young since you just got out of the service (and YES THANK YOU!!) If you decided to use the GI Bill for college and get an AS degree in something or go to a trade school such as auto or HVAC- you are still in today's economy (and it does not look like it's getting better...) not guareented a job or anything when you graduate-this I know from personal experience. As to driving-yes you can get a job more easily once you get your CDL A and are HIRED! Not always a guareentee by even the bottomfeeders. You have to have a clean MVR, no tickets for a time, no DWI's etc. You have to pass a medical exam ( I again assume no problem for you). Being single, driving may be something for you to consider (not all relationships suffer but yes it's tough for both when you are OTR). Per some of the other posts- yes driving can be tough, it is NOT a JOB it is a LIFESTYLE considering if you go OTR you live in your truck and are home maybe every few weeks for a short time. Also it is not a 9-5 job you will work 11-14 hours (legally) and get paid in CPM (cents per mile driven)

You should check out a few other threads from other newbies- in this section ''help a wannabe out'' by openroadguy. It goes thru his whole experience from leaving his current job to getting his CDL-A and then now it's another thread under Swift. Same as the thread under Watkins Shepard by Chralb under the Motor Carrier Co. DAC reports. All of those threads ( I have been in since the get go) answer some really good questions for someone like you that is looking into this. (Openroadguy is married and Chralb is single so it gives you both perspectives.) All threads are really a good read.

Good luck and welcome to the Truckers Report!!

 

In TX I would stand clear of FFE & Steven's.. They are CDL "mills" that litterly spit out drivers like chewing tobbacco!

I did 13 years in the military.. (6 USMC, & 7 US Army).. as i vet to another you would be way better off going to a local community college and seeing if they have a CDL program. They are a LOT cheaper than the private ones, & have student loans avail.

If you don't want to go that route you can try to get in like say the Post Office or UPS.. They can train you to drive? Start small to get your foot in the door once in request retraining in bigger trucks? That way they pay..

Are you determined to live on beans and rice, rice and beans? Save, save and not have a home?? (In reality you should have a "residence" like your mom's.. if you do not have one you cannot claim per-diem on your taxes. If the truck is your "home" your always "home" hence no perdiem.. this can be $1000's a year in savings.. So, having a home base in which to claim residency is a good idea.

Most companies are going to Gen sets on all their trucks to abide by all the anti idle laws out there. However I do not know how a company would feel about you living in one of their trucks.. Especialy if your using their tractor for personal use and bobtailing all over on time off.. Companies tend to frown on that.

Local jobs driving sound good but in reality, they are hard.. you are awake early and then you gotta run in to work jump in your assigned truck, take off to be at your 1st stop at oh, 0730 or so.. rush around all day dropping off.. # 1630 usually the end of the day your 150mi. from the terminal and have a 3 hr. ride back to the yard.. it's about 1930 - 2000 hrs.. get home and do it all over again the next day... Not a great sched. for school.. I tried it... I had to become a security guard at the mall during my college years! Man was that hard!

Fast forward to today, I decided to become a O/O and get my own truck.. (This is not for everyone don't anyone let them kid you! Buying a truck and starting your own trucking co. isn't for everyone.. It's a LOT of work.. Too hard for me even.. I decided to swallow my pride and lease on to a large co. I had big ideas.. but in reality.. staying small has allowed me to survive. If I had grown I would have gone bankrupt when the economy tanked).

If I can help write away, I'll try and answer any and all questions I can..

 

No advise here. Just a note of support.

You're going to be just fine, once you figure out what you really want to do. You just learned one of the hidden truths of whats happening in this country...at this moment in time.

Something our media seem to omit in their daily broadcast.

 

To answer someones question about staying in the truck. Once you are assigned your own company truck to drive, you can stay in the truck while you are on a break, a 34 hour reset or your days off.
.
I drove OTR [over the road] for Schneider in the past. Their terminal yards [they call them OC's] have a cafeteria, showers, small laundry facility [small like 3 washers and 3 dryers all coin operated], maintenance facility for the trucks and a TV room for the drivers. The TV was a big screen and was hooked up to either cable or dish. Watch TV and sleep in the truck when you wanted to.
.
Choose your company carefully. It is quite important to find out what is their hiring area and what schools the company will hire from. Visit truck stops and talk to drivers. Some drivers may even show you the inside of their truck. Pick up some free magazines but understand that they are slick advertisements for drivers. They make every company sound just wonderful. Yeah, right. Magazines are usually available mid-month near one of the entrances to the truck stop.
.
A few trucking companies have their own school where you get your CDL license. You sign a contract to work for that company for usually a year.
After you fulfill your commitment, you can stay or move to another company which ever is a better deal for you. Kinda like reenlist or out process from the military. If you leave early for any reason, you owe the company for your training. By getting your CDL license on your own, at your own expense, you are free to seek employment with any company that will hire you. BUT, you need to go from school to a driving position. If you screw around to long, like 6 months or longer, you will have a really difficult time in getting any driving job.
.
Sorry my post is rambling. I hope this gives someone something to think about.