Outsourced IT Nerd ... now a CDL Student

I've been into computers and IT for almost 40 years and was outsourced Nov. 2012. Have now given up on getting a tech job, it seems everyone wants recent grads who'll put in 70 hour weeks for peanuts. So, because there always seems to be work in trucking, I got a WIA grant and am attending CDL school here in Illinois.

Driving has always been fun for me, I like to go places, see new things and enjoy the trip. The kids have been out of the house for over ten years and I think the wife is ready for me to spend some time out of the house. I know this won't be an easy transition and that I have a lot to learn so I'll start that now by reading, studying, reading, listening, reading, questioning and then I'll do some more reading.
Steve

 

Welcome...your in a good area so you won't have to settle for a crappy company.

 

I was a Analog applications TV engineer, and I choose to do truck driving for pretty much the same reasons as you. You can read my past posts and see what happened to me, you can probably guess by my screen name. I eventually went back to school and got a subscription to Microsoft developers network, concentrated on ASP. net, and studied it to the point that I knew the material better than those that would interview me. I got a job with the State of California, since those jobs are not out sourced nearly as often as the private industry. I enjoyed my time truck driving, but one thing it really did for me is made me appreciate being an engineer (programmer now) that much more. Truck drivers are not treated nearly as good as Engineers and IT people. While my new job pays way less than my old job, it probably still pays more than 95% of the trucking jobs. I was able to get out of the truck driving job because my wife landed a job, so I could spend time at home studying and becoming an expert in a slightly different field. Anyway, I encourage you to read my old posts so I don't need to type it in again. Also, there was a guy name Markus that spent a couple of years as a truck driver that really enjoyed it, his posts are excellent. I have no regrets about being a trucker for a short period of time, and I did enjoy driving a truck, but there is a lot more to being a truck driver than just driving the truck. Keep your mind open and don't let other peoples good/bad experience influence you too much. Also, like I have said before, no shame in being a quitter sometimes, I know it worked out for me!

 

You will enjoy this new career if you plan well while in CDL school. Get all the endorsements; tanker/hazmat, doubles-triples, get a passport & TWIC. At the top of this page click on "CDL Practice Tests" and study.

Ensure your blood pressure and sugar levels are good even if you need medications or you won't pass the DOT physical for the trucking company you choose.

Strongly consider tanker for good pay; may not be the pay you're used to but you can make between $55K - $65K annually. A good flatbed company will average $50K + annually.

When around the trucks at school practice squatting down and duck walk until you're just under the trailer then back out. Some companies require this at orientation. May seem silly, but the companies want to ensure you can do simple things such as sliding tandems when the pins are stuck, or tying down freight or turning a valve on a tanker. Some companies will reject a new driver and send him home if he can't do this.

Best wishes on your new career.

 

Thank you for the nice welcomes.

As for going to school for IT ... it's a bit late in life for that. I'm 60 and have been off for over a year, thought it would be easy to get a tech job. But no degree, no certs and my age seems to have blocked that for me.

My health is pretty good but RA struck me about 8 months ago and my knees have gone bad. I can do a half-squat but duck walking is a thing of the past. Now, I'm worried about getting a job in this industry. We heat with wood and I cut and split about 5 cords a year so I am pretty active.

 

You can still get a job OK; not all companies have you do a duck walk. If you go to CDL school then apply with a company like Ozark Motor Lines where the driver just drives; no unloading freight. Talk to someone at the unemployment office or dept. of labor about CDL school. Some states pay for the school.

 

I already have a 100% grant from the US Gov't WIA (Workforce Investment Act) program. I started school last Monday and on Tuesday they sent us to a "Dr Mike" (actually a chiropractor) who failed me because he heard a heart murmur. Had to go to my doc and then to the hospital for an EKG which the WIA grant also covered. No problems found, clean bill of health from the real physicians, just need to work on getting my blood pressure down.

But Dr Mike didn't like the way I did my squat ... I touched the floor the first time and stumbled on the second.

 

Well good luck with your new career. There is a driver shortage and 60 year old drivers usually have no problem finding a job if they have a clean driving record, usually by the age of 60 most people have learned to slow down and be careful and that is what most of the companies want. When I was in Truck driving school, one of the instructors would start each day with a question and repeat it several times a day. The question was, "What are we?" The answer we all had to shout out was, "We are not in a hurry". My advice on the blood pressure is to get a blood pressure monitor, and start watching your blood pressure and learn what makes it go up and down. I was surprised to find out for me if I exercised really hard, the blood pressure would go down for the next few hours, I thought it would be the opposite. I had 3 physicals, (the CDL school wanted one, and then when I got hired I got another) and not once did they ask for me to do a duck walk, so don't be surprised if your hiring company wants you to get another DMV physical with their doctor even though you just had one a few weeks prior.

Sorry to hear you losing out on the IT job, but pretty much by the age of 60, if you don't have a degree, and have not developed a network of friends that are younger than you (older guys are already layed off or retired don't help much) you will be discriminated against, the 40 years of experience does not seem to count for anything, so probably a good move finding another career. I guess you are not quite old enough to retire, because if you got yourself a small minivan/camper with a bed you could see a lot more of the country than being a truck driver. I had a trainer who had being going to San Francisco for years but had never visited it because he always found it far easier to park out toward Sacramento and drive in early in the Morning. I had another trainer that drove by the Grand Canyon, couple times a week and never saw it because you kind of got to keep on moving and not do sight seeing.

 

Don't worry, finish CDL school and have the DOT medical card & there will be jobs available.

 

Thanks, quitter. My doc has me on the BP meds and I'm testing a couple times a day. It's looking good. This short break before school has given me a chance to learn a bunch here and in the books and develop a plan. Since WIA will pay for everything, I'll be going the full boat. HazMat, doubles/triples, TWIC and passport. Should make a difference.