IYO, is trucking for us? And tips for applying?

Sounds good. Hope that all works out for you in the new year.

 

On these trucking forums, I'd be very suspicious of people who are offended by accurate negative remarks about the trucking industry. Some of these people are small fleet managers posing as veteran drivers. Yes, they drove for years OTR, but they're now mostly sitting behind the desk managing a small trucking company. Thus, they monitor these forums trying to dispel negative comments that may discourage newbies from becoming OTR drivers. This is why I've stopped coming to these forums regularly. A veteran driver whom I realized owned and operated a small fleet posted "….private fleets are now extinct…" yet you see them everywhere !! Walmart Transportation, all your grocery market chains, Coca Cola, tanker haulers with Arco, Unocal, Mobil, etc…. written on the side are just a few examples. Private fleets are the gold mine, but they often hire only drivers with minimum 5 years verifiable experience with clean MV record. In my area (Los Angeles), some companies had done away with their private fleet and went with Swift, JB Hunt, Schneider, etc… to pull their trailers. A Toyota dealership not far from me use to have day cabs with "Toyota" written on them delivering their parts from the warehouse. Now, the day cabs has "Schneider" written on them while the trailers say "Toyota."

He neglects to mention NAFTA contained a provision to legalize the Mexican commercial license. NAFTA is an attempt to replace American truckers with cost-efficient, cost-effective drivers from Mexico. Today, opening the borders to Mexican truckers had been temporally halted until Mexico implements a truck safety program identical to DOT scale inspections, mandatory drug testing, and requiring Mexican domiciled trucking companies to have a vehicle maintenance program to meet USA standards. If you ever get a chance to visit Mexico, take a look at the busses & big trucks and observe how many have recap tires on the steering axle. Recap tires on steering axle (illegal in USA) is a clue to how Mexico disregards public safety.

Take a moment to talk to these "educated" truckers and pay close attention to their vocabulary. Observe the bags under their eyes, or the signs of sleep deprivation. All are indicative of driving all night to meet an early 7_AM delivery. Look over their shoulder when they're on their laptops, and observe the porn, online gaming, social forums, and religious websites they're visiting. The websites are a clue to their educational intelligence. Some of these are college dropouts looking for shortcuts to a higher education. Don't believe these small-fleet managers posing as veteran truckers. They need newbies to replace the shrinking pool of OTR drivers who are hired by private fleet, or become owner operators. Observe the age of truckers at truck stops, and you'll notice the number of drivers in their 50s decline, and the only drivers in their 60s are owner operators. Age discrimination is rampant in the trucking industry. When drivers reach their mid to late 50s, they're forced to undergo a DOT medical exam every 6 months until the doctor finds a medical reason not to renew their license.

 

passingtrucker,

I don't like stereotyping people but it appears that you have some serious superiority hang ups going on. Thats fine though because people will read your comments and simply dismiss them.

I remember going thru truck driving school back in 1991 with several college educated students much older than I was (I was 22 at the time). If memory serves, there were a couple computer programmers in class, a former volunteer EMT that was burned out, some former military vets, and a former business owner that lost his hardware business when Walmart opened a new store in his town.

They all had 1 thing in common; A desire to provide for their families. They realized that driving a truck offered them a fast track to decent paying jobs (as compared to other occupations).

As for Mexican truckers entering this country. They have been operating in the border zones for years. There are even a few carriers that have obtained clearance to run all over the United States thanks to older pilot programs they have been "grandfathered in."

Last time I heard on Satellite radio (not sure if it was the Lockridge Report or the show from OOIDA), the US government opened the border in October 2011 in exchange for the Mexican government dropping the tarrifs it had imposed against US exports.

I am also aware of government programs that allow foreign workers to come to the US and drive a truck for US based carriers that cannot find enough workers. This program alone undermines pay structures for US drivers.

As for a truckers appearance; we dress for comfort. T-shirts are easily replaced and are much cheaper than polo or collared dress shirts. Grease and dirt have a habit of ruining my clothes so I have to replace them yearly. Everything from laying on the ground and sliding under the truck (to check brakes, wheels seals, re-hang air lines etc.), seat belt chafing across my torso while driving, to walking between trailers that occassionally snag my sleeve or jacket on the side of the trailer.

Loose fitting jeans, work pants, or even sweats appeal to other drivers. Doesn't make any difference to me or most of the customers I have ever been to for that matter. All they care about is getting their freight delivered on time and undamaged. Remember we are not meeting CEO's when we got to warehouses and factories. We are meeting hourly paid employees that could care less about us and will forget us the moment we leave.

The few places I have been to that have a dress code are usually chemical plants or fabrication plants that require long pants, steel toed shoes, safety goggles, hard hats, or hi visibilty vests (usually green or orange). A clean shaven face at some companies is required when you have to wear a respirator. Of course there will be safety videos to watch before you gain access to these sites and an id card that must be filled out and carried with you while on site.

Just for the record; I am a driver. I have been a licensed class A CDL holder since December of 1991. While I did spend some time working in the safety department at JB Hunt during the mid nineties it was a temporary job due to a back injury suffered on the job. While in this position I worked with many drivers on compliance issues specifically related to HOS regs.

Being articulate and capable of carrying on an intelliegent discussion doesn't make me a college graduate either (because I'm not). I am a simple man that offers advice and perspective to others that want to enter this industry.

 

uRabbit, very sad to hear about the misfortunes you have come to face, especially with a new baby now....not trying ot pry, but why were you "blogging" while at work?? I am guessing it was facebook comments, and those can get you into trouble.

Anyways, if you can get hired and get some money to help out with the costs of a new born child then i would say go for it. People always have to saccrifice things they want for their child, and I am glad to see you are willing to do this and not be a dead-beat. I would suggest looking into Schneider as they may be able to offer you a job after you get out of school. Stay away from CR England and CRST as they are not good places to work. Also, just know that you will be bringing home maybe $500 a week after taxes for the first year and you WILL be gone for a few weeks at a time. You don't sound like you want this to be your life-long career so maybe you should look into some other types of jobs instead because if you are going to truck just to get by then the pay will be equal to working at say Wal-Mart changing oil or Lowes selling hardware (plus you will be home every day)

Whatever you decide, best of luck to you!!!

 

Welcome to the forum!

I will put it out there straight for you, I have been driving otr for over 16 years and am retired from the biz right now. I miss driving immensely however I am way to big of a ##### to go on the road with my family here at home. My wife and I teamed when we drove and knowing what I know about the industry there is no way I would go out there solo with a family at home. I know exactly what I would be taking home and I just can't justify leaving the family here for that amount of money. Especially with an 18 month old child. If you can handle seeing your wife and kid for a handful of times a year then go for it otherwise save your money. The reason trucking pays a little more than a garbage man is because you work 24/7 for 2-3 months at a time. You could stay home and work two jobs and make more money than you would driving. Another thing to think of too is the time of year. This is the slowest time of the year for running freight.

Not trying to discourage you just giving you advice from someone who has been on both sides of the fence.

 

Not sure about the is trucking right for you part but the tickets are slamming doors on you....I dont think anybody will take you right now with the tickets still on your record...I hope you get the Boeing job..

 

Are you sure it didnt say "5 minutes"?

 

Don't get into trucking. There are so many reasons why you guys shouldn't Pursue something else.