I really want to try to drive truck, how should I get started?

As a half who's been on BOTH sides of this nickel, I can respectfully submit that it's much like being a cops spouse. Sounds cool in THEORY while your eyes are dazzled by either the uniform or the pay, but as the home half of a Driver pair.. that Third week of a 4 week out, where you're trying to be everything to EVERYONE, especially if there are short people at home.. the gloss would wear off that noise pretty quick... Unless you got one HECK of a special spouse (Like I Yam!!!!).
It can be done, but it is infinitely more difficult to wed this big of a change in life to a marriage as well... If you are single and trying something this completely different.. not as much.

 

Yes. I did that job at a few airports. It paid 10-30% above minimum wage.

 

"Before I was married, my life was incomplete. Now, I'm finished." - Rodney Dangerfield

 

34 years married June 18th.

 

I refueled General Aviation and airliners before I finished college and worked in aviation before getting into trucking. I last worked in aviation in Ft Lauderdale at both FLL and FXE.
Here is some info about paying for CDL school. Money for CDL Training

In my opinion, the single best way to enter trucking is to do research until you have settled on which company to work for BEFORE you go to CDL school. CDL school, in most cases, is a short 3 weeks. You will not have time to adequately research the differences between the companies you might want to work for in that brief period because you will be busy learning and doing school activities. You should assume your school may be paid for, you will learn pass ths state exam for your license, and you will get hired to work in the industry. CDL school is just about passing the exam to get your license. It will not teach you even 1% of what you need to know to work as a CDL driver. You will learn that information at your first employer. That period is typically 8 weeks of doing the job with a trainer in the truck with you.

You need to make choices about how much money you need to make it worth your time.
How often do you need to get home?
Do you prefer to get home more often for only a brief time or less often for more time?
Where in the country do you want to drive?
What type of freight/trailer type do you prefer to haul (dry van, refrigerated or reefer, flatbed, tanker)?
What driver comfort items are necessary for you? (Aux Power Unit (electricity/HVAC while truck is turned off, refrigerator, etc)

If you like the outdoor physical nature of refueling you might consider food service companies. They deliver refrigerated freight to restaurants, etc daily. Because of the labor involved many truck drivers avoid those companies. They are always hiring and they pay a premium above entry-level trucking. Generally you would be home either daily or every other day, but perhaps just long enough to sleep and commute.
The majority of freight in trucking is "dry van" which is just a box going down the road. That type of trailer/freight requires the least attention from the driver. It's good for newbies since it allows you to focus on the driving rather than the freight.
Flatbed is another option. I've never done it so others can fill in what you need to know about it.
I did dry van for a couple decades and did 3 years pulling HazMat liquid tankers. I really like tankers because the customers are great. Dry van and reefer customers often treat truck drivers like rats sneaking into the building, instead of humans. Tanker customers treat truck drivers like human beings bringing in important material to do their job. Tankers allow better visibility when backing, and they are usually 48 feet long versus the 53 feet long trailers for dry van or reefer.

You want to get every endorsement possible (doubles/triples, tanker, HazMat) when you get your CDL. You may decide that HazMat is too much trouble, but make sure you get Doubles/Triple and Tanker even if you never expect to use them. Every endorsement you have, other than HazMat never expires and you never have to take the test again. The tests are free and available online here and at TruckerCountry.com. That's the site I use to practice all of the test. Tanker is necessary even if you never pull a liquid tanker because certain freight that can be loaded in or on other trailers requires a Tanker endorsement.

Once again, take as much time as necessary and do the research to find the place you want to work before you decide how or where to go to CDL school. Once you pick a company, they may pay for your school, or give you Tuition Reimbursement, or only hire newbies from certain CDL schools, etc.

 

Not many fuel delivery companies hire newbies right into fuel delivery. You need a year of CDL experience in most cases.

 

One reason that 80-90% of new drivers leave the industry before they have 1 year experience is because 80-90% of new drivers only start looking for the employer that fits them in the last week of CDL school and the only companies they know about are the 2 companies that made a presentation at CDL school.

There is a lot of variation in important details among trucking companies that contribute to whether the company is compatible with the driver. However if you listen to the "just work for anyone" types every company pays the same, the trucks are the same, the schedules are the same, the customers are the same, etc. None of that is true, but saying it is true is a good excuse for having 8 employers in 4 years.

 

IMO, OTR is lighting a fuse on a divorce unless there are special circumstances. Jokes aside, nobody would recommend the way to make a marriage stronger is to spend almost no time together. If both people adjust their expectations and do the right things OTR may not produce a divorce but doing it long-term is a good recipe for producing a divorce.