If you could start in this industry all over again, how would you do it?

Get in with a company that runs LTL. I ran LTL during my training sometimes back in the late 90's. Run reefer, you frequently run LTL too.

 

Even though there is a completely different topic of discussion here, pretty much any company that hires new drivers will hire one that's been out of it for a few years. You'll need a refresher course though.

 

That's what is kinda keeping me from jumping in and grabbing this OTR dream I have had for,like forever.

 

Many of the big companys will want a refresher course, but try it anyways who knows ? How bad they need drivers correlates (whew big word and i spelt it rite furst time) to required qualifications.
if you got a few years under you, i'd start with craigslist, Do up a resume and send it to likely choices, then go hunting for the big'un's after that. That is my opinion and only worth the electrons it was printed with

 

Not really, i made what i consider good money doing OTR produce, when i did it.

 

I wouldn't start. This was a fun job 28+ years ago but it has turned into a cash cow for so many agencies it's pathetic. Cops, at all levels, see us as 18 wheeled piggy banks. The CSA crap results in a conviction without ever actually being charged with a crime and there is no viable appeals process. Shippers still expect us to be there ready to load even if the load won't be ready until 8 -10 hours late. Consignees expect us to be on time even if we get loaded late, run into traffic or weather problems or die enroute. At the end of the day a driver doesn't really see anything for the effort they put forth or the work they did. No, I really think I would find another way to make a living.

 

Actually not IMHO, job demand has the trucking companies offering much more than have for quite awhile ..Give it maybe just another year to shake out, things are clearly on the upside

 

Knowing what I know now I would have stayed away from Millis which was my first ever job..

Should have got invovled in heavy haul a long time ago or maybe hazmat tanker..

 

Definitely specialized heavy haul, but as a company employee for a contractor for heavy highway,..etc.. I saw what happened to my
dads girlfriends sisters husband(whew)as an O/O through Schneider. They literally left him sitting for days on end in CA. He stuck it out for almost five yrs, but little cash in the account for all that.

 

You pound the pavement and shake hands until you get there. [Insertmajorcarrierhere] loves it that believe your worth as a newbie trucker is less than zero, but the fact of the matter is if you've earned your CDL you're just as likely to land an LTL position as the next guy, it just may take some more time getting there.

Swift, CRE, CRST etc enjoy treating you like #### during orientation for a reason. They make you believe that you should be absolutely thankful for the "opportunity" they've given you. But the fact is that they need you more than you need them. These training companies have a turnover rate as high as 200 percent sometimes, which means for every one person they hire, two quit at the exact same time. Lets face it, they'd stick blow up dolls in those seats if it were legal...they simply need the bodies.

On a side note, the LTL company I work for doesn't even require you to have a CDL!! Many of the trucks in our fleet are straight trucks which fall just under the weight requirements of commerical licensing. Now granted, we do PREFER you to have a commercial license as well as some experience (mainly because we have both commercial and non commercial weight trucks), but from a technical standpoint, you generally don't need one to do what we do. So anyone that tells you and your newly issued CDL that a local job is out of the question is LYING TO YOU. Period.