Missing the highway

Hi Navy....welcome to the club,,.i had to hang it up after developing MS and I fell out of the cab.
anyway,,,I enjoy being a back seat driver on several forums,,so it's not all wasted.

interesting comment about elogs and making money,,,I used elogs for years and did ok,,slept well,got miles in and never had to dodge a scale,,,anyway,,

re your job at a truck stop,,instead of maint try applying for a service writer or helper in the shop. Ever try to explain your issues to a kid or young girl that couldn't bump a dock nose first ? I think you pull filters for techs,shuffle paperwork, wait on hold for authorization and listen to drivers do what they really do best,,,drink coffee and BS. I think you would fit right in..good luck and congrats for your years on the road.

 

That Maylaysian pilot did the same thing in his house, now he's missing somewhere in the Indian Ocean.

 

Maybe you could buy yourself a diesel 1-ton dually and pull a 5er around? I see those guys backing into a spot at the truck stop occasionally. Hell you could buy an old single screw sleeper, take the commercial 5th wheel off and register it as a personal vehicle in most states to pull smaller stuff. Don't even need a CDL as long as it isn't a twin screw.

 

Since you mentioned a dually, many times those auto auctions have buyers in need of a transporter. Might only be as part-time a job as someone wants to make it. Still have to deal with DOT scale houses, as it would be a commercial set up.?
But I still look forward to retiring. Maybe even become a male exotic dancer. I hear those old ladies at the retirement homes go wild for half nekked gray-haired, balding men.

 

Hey poppop, I certainly can identify with you. I retired at 62, but not exactly willingly. Kept my CDL until the law changed to where you MUST maintain your DOT physical to hold a CDL. At that point, I had no choice by to give it up, and because of physical problems will never be able to get one again.

But in your case, as long as you are in good health, I'd say a great big GO FOR IT! I'm thinking along the same lines as a few others here though. At your time in life, you probably don't want a full time gig. Many smaller companies would likely be interested in you for "casual driver" jobs. Before you go to the trouble and expense of getting your CDL back though, you probably should talk to some local outfits to see if they would use you. No point in doing the recert, if nobody will hire you. But I'm betting you would find a LOT of interested small companies.

What Joseph said about trucking schools, is also right on the money, but those would likely be full time positions.

I can tell you without reservation, that if I was physically able, I would still be doing some form of trucking. 65 is NOT all that old, unless YOU happen to be "that old" due to physical or mental problems.

Good luck with whatever you decide to d!

 

True, but didn't he fly an Airbus?

If it ain't Boeing, it ain't going.

 

We've got a 76 year old driver where I work. He does the extra runs, drives the van some days, or gives road tests to potential new hires. He's very valuable to the company (even in a different, sometimes reduced) role.

If there's a company near you that could use an extra person around that's capable of doing many tasks maybe they'd see the value in letting you use one of their trucks to retest. Wouldn't cost you anything.

 

A CFI driver once missed the highway so bad he crashed into Barnett Harley Davidson in El Paso.