I need some insight

Are you addicted to it? Forget about long-haul trucking. You'll earn, typically, 1 day* off for every 6 real days on the road.

*A "day off" in trucking includes logging "off-duty" at your home terminal at 11pm; that remaining hour counts as a day "off". A "working day" consists of a full 24 hours, midnight-to-midnight, away from home.

 

Thank you for your service and sacrifices. Bless you.
I certainly think you would make it trucking but as a new driver it will be next to impossible to find work that will let you have a family life. team driving won`t work on short hauls. Maybe you and your friend could find regional work and alternate trips?? You and your family will be miserable if your hometime changes much.

 

1st, THANK YOU......To be honest, you may not be suited for this industry , unless you are able to find local/regional work right out of the gate. Possible? Yes , but not probable unless you really get out and research those type of venues before going to school ( read spending the funds). Check around the area that you mentioned Tn , I believe it was , and find out any available options that you have.....trucking is a great profession , you can make a really good living at it , but things have to come together for that to happen Good Luck.....remember...research , research , research !

 

Thank you for your service and the sacrifices you have made. I'm going to suggest something I normally wouldn't recommend . Have you considered towing? You would not need a CDL to run a rollback, you would be home everyday. The other thing I would consider would be dump truck or getting with a local equipment rental company. Best of luck to you.

 

Your location has a lot to do with your options. Im a disabled OEF/OIF vet as well...70%. I have a 4 and 5 year old....found a way to make it work. Im lucky, but the nyc and nj areas have a lot of local and regional opportunities....

 

Thank both of you disabled vets for your service,Vikmikal, Ihope it works out for you/

 

Foremost, THANK YOU, and Flatbedder73 for your service and sacrifice.
May I ask if the disability will also cause you additional hurdles to overcome, as it pertains to both the trucking job and/or FMCSA medical requirements?
From your described income, it appears if you do enter trucking, you stand to sacrifice up to $22,800 per year, with this figure assuming you participate in the VA's vocation rehab & employment benefit.

That's a sizable monetary & educational sacrifice, as we know. It is possible to make $36-$40k /year (high end of avg for most new drivers), but being able to avoid OTR in favor of a home-daily or home-frequently LTL job is often not as easy to latch onto, as a beginner. It is possible, just much harder. As Tony said, research is key!

Have you also considered relocation expenses, "move-in" costs, & living expenses, in wherever you plan to reside in the states?
I'm not sure if you already have a place or that end figured out.
I can understand your frustration with "simply living off your disability income".
Hang in there, ask questions, do your homework, and the more you learn, the more informed decisions you can then make.