lack of self confindence/want to be a trucker

Yes. I’m not even a truck driver. I’ve just been thinking about it recently.

 

Don’t think about it. Just jump. I know someone who wants to be a trucker, but always finds an excuse to put it off another month. Trucking school is so optimized, you will have a CDL in 2 weeks. It’s very fast.

There is lots of learning involved, and it can feel overwhelming at times. It can take 6 months before you feel you know most important functions of the job, at least for OTR work. If you’re regional, dedicated, or local, it takes less time to learn the job. Despite the occasional stress, the good thing is that once you go solo, every week will get easier.

 

What if a meteor comes out of space and crashes into the truck stop where you're eating?
You're overthinking everything to the extreme.
Team driving may be best for you in the beginning, then switch to solo after you become accustom to the trucking world. You can make good money running teams, especially doing west coast runs.
Lily Transportation hires new cdl school grads for teams doing produce and food runs to California. You will be paired with an experienced driver; they don't team two inexperienced drivers together. I can give you several names if your interested.
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When you "start over" it will be from the bottom... which means going to a school to get your cdls and then going to work for someone and having to go out with a trainer for about 3 to 4 weeks.
I dont know what kinda of 401k and seniority you have built up at your current level so just keep in mind you will lose all of that when you start trucking.
If you can withstand the first 2 years of trucking you will have built a pretty good foundation, but your first 2 years will be the building blocks of your career

 

Condolences on your wife passing. Know that was a rough patch.

So 34 years at the same place, yep seems daunting to just up and quit something you have grown accustom to. Regular schedule, know what the paycheck will be, all that safe and easy stuff. Trust me I get it.

A question, does your current employer have a pension plan? If so are you fully vested? Would think 34 years would qualify.

Now to the rest of the topic.

If you don’t try. You will never know the answer unless you take the risk. So give it a try. Sure the first year will be rough. Lots of new things to learn, do and try.
After that, it gets easy. You just might really like it.

 

Yep, and China is seen as having deep pockets, so the lawsuits are ongoing.
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Jury Orders Pork Producer to Pay $473.5M in North Carolina Nuisance Lawsuit
The jury found that Smithfield Foods owes ... and agriculture officials from North Carolina, Georgia, Delaware and Texas in Raleigh. “Today’s nuisance lawsuits that are destroying livelihoods and ...
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ork Giant Smithfield Foods Loses Another Neighbors' Lawsuit
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Smithfield Foods was found responsible Friday for ... The predominant method of handling hog waste in North Carolina is collecting it in open-air pits that are then emptied by ...
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Them dang commies trying to take over North Carolina and brainwash our little, innocent children!

 

OK sorry about your wife.

BUT here is the thing, I don't want someone to learn who is confident, I want someone willing to learn and take this seriously as a profession. We already have thousands of people who just think this is a job.

Be afraid of losing your job, it is a dangerous profession, people get killed everyday.

AND get into the mindset that this is serious stuff, some make it look easy, that's what most professionals do, make it look easy.

AND STOP overthinking all of it, yu will learn how to operate the truck, hell it is a large passenger car now a days, even old ladies get into trucks and drive. I had an applicant who is 83 years old, she can out walk me (not hard to do), out work me but I didn't hire her because she got a hell of a better offer.

She just started driving after he husband of 61 years died, she was 79 when she first stepped into a truck and the odd thing is she never drove a car, she always had someone to driver her or she walked.

You learn how not to get into any situation.

One thing I have been bashed for is telling people make routines of things, like when they fuel up, walk around the entire truck and look at what's what. Did you leave your fuel cap off or the nozzle in the tank, believe me some have and drove off. Everything should have a habit, everything.

 

I’ve found the most useful thing for my confidence is thorough trip planning. I look at the Google Maps satellite view of my destinations, and I use street view to get a closer look if needed. I’m also not afraid to call ahead and ask for someone in receiving for more details (sometimes you can even find out what door they want you to back up to). I plan my route using a combination of Google Maps and the Rand McNally truck atlas (as Google won’t tell you about low bridges or truck restrictions). A few minutes of planning and you’ll have much less to worry about while you’re driving!

 

ANYONE can learn to drive the truck. You can do it. You can speak & probably read English so you are ahead of 60% of new drivers.

I stayed at my comfortable driving job for almost 20 years. I hadvthe same anxiety when I decided to leave it and go back OTR. I enjoy being alone. Find a trucking companybyou want to work for and then go to school. Life's an adventure.