Returning to trucking industry after 10 year absence

Looking for advice,
Let me start by saying I'm 50 years young, started my first commercial driving job in 1989 at 21 years old on a chauffeurs before the inception of the CDL program.
Grandfathered in with class A, carried it until June 2008 when I got a OUI, surrendered CDL next day a got regular operators license, went to court Jan 09, plead guilty, CDL license was suspended until 2010 but my operators was only suspended 2 months courts screwed up, at which time CDL had expired, I was not at a driving job but still employed at same company, Paving/Demo company (I went to high school with owner) I was running heavy equipment and never tried to go back to driving. I got tired of living out of hotels for months at a time so in 2013 I started my own lawncare business, closed it Nov. 2017. Last 3 winters there has been little to no snow in Indiana so I have been spotting trailers as a non CDL driver. I decided to stay at latest company. Hate this company not the work, Stopped at BMV on way home from work a month ago and picked up CDL test book, read General Knowledge section that night went next day past that section, went home read Air Brake Section went next day passed it, then home again read Combination Vehicle section, back to BMV next day an passed it, hadn't looked at book in over a decade, not much has changed as far as road rules, took physical passed it now hold CDL A learners permit, waiting to take road test on Aug. 15th , not worried, I can drive better than most ( sorry I sound conceited but 19 years experience) I've drove everything but doubles an triples and liquid tankers. I have drove box trucks, dump trucks, framed an frameless dump trailers, dry powder tanks, flatbeds, hauled heavy equipment an peddled LTLfreight. I was always a local driver never OTR.
Long story short I've been talking to a few companies about potential jobs and keep hearing same excuse "no recent experience" which i understand why they want "experienced drivers" insurance doesn't want the risk of accidents by newbies which I am not. Again 19 years an I guarantee more than a million miles under my belt with thousands going backwards. But still hearing excuses, I understand a lot of the companies I drove for are no longer in business or have been sold off an yes its been 10+ years.
I am old school and miss the good ole days.

Should I be forced to start over an treated as a driving school graduate with zero experience?
Never have went to a school, don't need too, I can drive a truck, never damaged a commercial vehicle. Currently zero points on license an will have CDL again in 2 weeks.

My complete driving record from 16yrs old shows my previous years of holding CDL license but insurance companies seem to not want to acknowledge this experience, Really, how many people held CDL for that many years and did not drive commercially, are they that stupid?

I know I can become an Owner Operator easily, but I want to simplify my life an just go to work for a good company, drive next 20 years get some sort or retirement an be over it all.

Any advice?

 

Abilene Motor Express might hire you when you get your cdl again. They hired one driver that hadn't driven in 20 years and several more that hadn't driven in 5, 10, 15 years. The company has a good reputation.

 

Where you at a chauffeur's in 89 CDLs came into play in 1986

 

I hear what your saying, but i will never run OTR, only local , like my bed an wife too much..lol, i'm banging 100 trailers a night into docks spotting currently fot a spotting company at a PepsiCo warehouse, Plus all my experience has been local, several jobs i ran 250 + miles a day while doing 25-30 stops all within the state of Indiana. I drove for, a family of owners with different companies the fathers Teamsters union company as a casual, the wifes non union company mainly pulling Target store trailers double drop and hooking at store and returning to warehouse, sisters expediting company a few times and then later the sons LTL company after husband and wife divorced, father closed his company so ex wife couldnt get any part of it and gave customers to son, i loaded trucks delivered freight then unloaded trucks an loaded line hauls before going home, he also laid everybody off when he lost his Dohrn contract to deliver their freight, they opened their own terminal here in Indy, i ran into father couple months back as he was delivering to the warehouse i spot at. Maybe I'll talk to him, him an son still have small terminal they work out of close to my house. Also a good buddy (3rd generation driver) is working for another spotting company Lazer spot that lost contract to the company I work for Shamrock Cartage (hate this company for several reasons). Lazer spot is still shuttling trailers between Pepsi plant and the warehouse i work at, 2 miles apart. He said he could get me in as they aren't that strict. I want to move south to Florida (tired of cold an snow), so I'm already there when I retire instead of waiting, Lazer Spot is in almost every state now so I might just go that route, the supervisor for them knows me an my skill set, i talk to him almost everyday,

Funny story, i had a road driver in a W-9 run his mouth to me cause he couldn't back in the dock straight to save his life, an i was kinda laughing under my breath while sitting in my spotter truck while i was held up cause of his multiple attempts, so I bet him $100 bucks i could hit the dock in 1 shot while standing outside the truck on the step, i set the truck at a 45 degree angleso i was set to back up then put it in low let put clutch jumped out on step backed it in pretty much straight on between 2 trucks an jumped back in before hitting bumpers and grabbed clutch and eased it on back gently . Dead on 1 shot, had several drivers watching and clapped when i nailed it, They had never seen anything like it before.

I dont need lines on the pavement (what you gonna do when snow covers them resetting trailers and pushing them back all the way happens everymoring when it snows) i can just see the 90 degree angle between trailer and building. Most docks nowdays have bumpers at same point, just aim for mounting bolts with side of trailer and look for your 90 degree angle and you'll be golden for the plate to drop right in at most locations, this is something I explain to newbies all the time. Not all buldings are this way but more are than not. Just a little thing i try to help drivers with. Don't rely on lines on pavement.

 

No, it was early 90's i think 1991 when CDLs came into effect only test program had been into effect at that time, a buddy was part that program. i was delivering beer here in Indiana an they gave us drivers the tests and answers an told us don't everyone miss same questions, don't everyone get all correct an don't miss more than a certain number. Then that evening they gave us all the form to take to BMV . We was pulling those side bay delivery trailers like they still pull.
I know i applied on my 21st birth day April of 1989 for a helpers job an was asked if i could drive I said I'm sure i can he told be go to bmv get Chauffeurs only license available at that time i went got book read it in parking lot went back in took test and passed got liscense went back to beer company took road test passed and was offered a driving job for $7.00 hour instead of $5.35 min. wage helper job. I first drove a daycab cabover twin stick with a V8 detroit (old trashcan truck "Trans Conn Freightways") for a farmer i worked for between ages 14-18 pulling grain wagons and flatbeds with hay on his farms.

 

We had Class A Prior to 1991. I did not convert in Maryland until April 1994 as a act of defiance or rebellion. Literally the very last day I converted at the DMV along with about a thousand others who probably felt the same. We would have been revoked at midnight. *Shrugs.

I don't know enough about the Chauffers to get into that part. (I am aware there was that type of licensing but it's not something I know enough about at all from those days.) I lost a dear friend recently to cancer of lung small cell which he brought on himself with smoking. He actually quit and endured one round complete and when it metasized and got aggressive, he pretty much bought cartons. He had a Chauffers decades ago and then a CDL later represented about 20 years on his part. A good man. I'll miss him. He spent the last weeks of his life helping others including us when we needed it in small ways. And I guess he went out helping until the last 30 hours or so when Hospice got a hold of him.

You will be treated as a newbie. But don't stress about that. The minute you get ahold of a 18 wheeler in wherever place or situation, you will crush it and rule it. It will be obvious to all that you have had plenty of experience. Once the rest of the rust is cleaned off you, you will do better.

Im going to leave the DUI thing alone it's done and over with. And the suspension etc. That's water under the bridge.

Make sure when you get the CDL that it carries a gold star in the top center. That means you meet the real ID enhanced act of 2020. After that year people who do not renew to that level will not be able to fly domestic or enter federal buildings or installations. (And forget about Canada etc without Passport) I have to renew in 2019 myself and there will have to be a bunch of paperwork to bring in to upgrade to that level myself at that time.

Most people who have spent any length of time driving in the past, they never forget. I did yard jockey work around 2006 5 years after 2001 and found that I could still back into the dock in one move. That particular factory and shipping building is now secured by coiled barbed wire and rotting in place with trees growing where the docks are has been for about 5 years or so judging by the trees size.

Remember to take your CDL Road test with the DMV in a MANUAL TRANSMISSION TRUCK. DO NOT SHOW UP WITH A AUTO TRANS TRUCK. They will absolutely stamp your CDL with a restriction against you being able to touch manual trucks which will severely limit your hireability.

Finally but not last, I offer McKesson in several locations east of Denver where you might find peace and decent working situation running medicines and high value treatments worth a million plus. You will be away from the BS infesting our grocery and lumping etc.

Things have changed and even back in 2001 we noticed a number of changes that we did not like particularly. One example is old 76's or older TA's destroyed and rebuilt new without resturants or table service. And third party fast food crap in the far corner. (It's not crap, but if I had to drive constantly eating that crap I would be pretty sick in time, I require real food cooked right and unfortunately alot of it when working hard.)

You will probably discover that the old Culture that you ran in back in your time (And mine) are eroding. And that cannot be good for the Industry or the USA overall.

Finally Indiana. There might still be coils going to whirlpool in Lousiville and other places. There is a facility on a major river near there in SE indiana that transload coils from river barge to rail/truck dock and they take in hundreds of coil a day. God only knows where they all go.

I have not run I-70 since about 1999. It has gotten to a point that its a liability in time lost in traffic and the overall aggression. We started running through the woods across there away from the Interstate and eventually bypass the whole midwest all together in Kentucky.

Good luck to you. Everything else will fall into place for you before too long.

 

Your right about industry going down drain, i see it everyday spotting trailers drivers barely able to speak english, others not being able to back up to safe their a__. i know alot of O/O's who sold trucks and got out cause theirs hardly any money left.


I'm driving almost 2 hours away to take road test at a small training school in Mitchell IN who use old international daycabs with 10 speeds instead of sleeper trucks. I think the gal said they were 1999's if so I will be right at home.
Only experience i have with a sleeper was the paving/demo company i worked for they had a 379 extended hood petercar with a unibuilt sleeper we moved paving equipment with a dropdeck or a landall trailer plus they had a frameless aluminum dump that i used some to stockpile the asphalt plant with when not driving 1 of the Triaxle dump trucks.

I like driving dumps and pulling powder tanks alot, have worked for both asphalt and concrete companys, spread tons and tons of stone , really good at it at 1 point and blown lots of concrete powder and flash. Both are more than just driving a truck. Besides my parents have a place in Ft Myers and i'm over the snow so I am wanting to go south as soon as I can to spend more time with them. And if I'm gonna drive might as be somewhere there is no snow, lol, i can drive in it but alot of others can not.

I will find my way back in doing something I like and have experience in.
Working in asphalt or concrete is probably where i will end up with my previous driving expience and experience running heavy equipment around plants and jobsites, it seems to be my best fit, plus day hours and home time with wife, dont let her know i said that, ha ha! Oh and the fishing.

 

Your right about Maryland, my buddy with Lazer Spot, lived there and i believe it was 1986 he said he started in the pilot program but Indiana it was not required until Jan. 1st 1992, its why i remembered it was 1991 when I grandfathered in.

Another funny little tidbit, Its a small world. I was born in Maryland at Fort Meade Army base as dad was stationed there, but moved back to Indiana at 18 months old after dad got out. i was a planned accident so i was told to help keep him state side.

 

Fort Meade was a initial activated base built to train the 79th Infantry prior to world war one. The 79th with my grandfather in the 313'th heavy weapons company D in some unit or other subset were the very first to deploy machine guns in combat in France. (BAR RIFLES... 20 rounds each) in addition to what we call mortars today etc.

He lasted two days in combat against the Crown Prince himself at his Theater level command post in the Malacourt Sector. The 79th was betrayed by another division whose general all he had to do was turn and march into that Crown Prince's Back door and create a hole in the front door to pour the 79th in and shortened the overall attack. However the war college report and a small novel written about that particular fight showed that there were some oppertunities missed. A german musterd or chlorine gas bomb got into the trench and exploded. Burning my grandfather's legs and taking him out of the war. He was discharged in 1919 in Paris France after serving as a clerk in a quiet HQ somewhere and came home to America shortly after.

He was actually reactivated and drafted again to show up for World War two but due to his particular employment as a utility company gas and electric he was specifically exempted as a deemed vital to the home front and public service.

When I saw the original papers he signed going to war, coming home from war and most particularly his reactivation into WW2, it showed just how completely and utterly serious the USA mobilzed every man. woman. and child. to a total war effort in those days. Even the Deaf and Blind were mobilized and sent where they are useful (The deaf into loud mills where the noise will destroy ordinary hearing workers mentally and the blind to parachute building by touch)

IF we were ever mobilized like that today or in the future. I don't think our Society will accept it. Not like that.

I think Fort Meade is now part of the NSA where they collect all communications cellular, internet, regular land lines, satellite and everything. It's a complete and totally different base than what it was once long ago. (I am not a conspirator, I could care less that the NSA does what they do. If they were so interested in my boring life filled with doctors to no end, they sure don't have much of anything more important to do.)

Im in Arkansas now. It's my adopted home. It only took the locals about 10 years to stop calling me that dam yankee. Maryland has some serious structural problems in my opinion that will or will never be resolved. I harbor a hope that the western group of counties will vote by ballot and form a state of the Western Maryland and run it properly. But again this is straying into things political that is just not worth getting into here.) Who knows, one day maybe someday. But it's not for me.

Now Indiana on the other hand... Ive always liked them. I came very close to making a home there decades ago when I ran into a particular gal who was quite something. Not too many of those in the world as far as I am concerned.

However, Arkansas is a free state more or less. There are other states more free than we are. But we are working on that.