Should I go back to trucking? Should I be worried about recession?

Don’t accept a job with BillyBob’s Alligator Eatery. Their drivers disappear.

 

Despite the changes in the industry there are still opportunities in this business.
It's up to you to decide what type and style suits you best.
Do your due diligence and set your plan in motion.
Life's too short to be unhappy with any situation in which you have control..good luck.

 

If you're just bored at work, seriously consider a job at a brokerage instead of being a dispatcher. Always more work to do, talk to dozens of new people a day.

 

One thing I'm not sure anyone mentioned. If you've been out of the industry for a long time, most (not all) companies will consider you a "new" driver. Your past experience wont matter at all. You'll have to go through CDL school, orientation and training as if you were 21 and never sat in a truck before. Something to consider.

 

I just came back in February. I was in the oilfield for 7 years with the last 2.5 in the office. I drove occasionally the entire time putting frac equipment in the hills of WV/PA/OH where most OTR drivers could never ever handle. I also made a trip to Texas every other month just to get out of the office.

I was considered new to most companies. I tried to get a road test to show my worth but they wouldn’t go for it. I found one company who worked with my experience but still sent me out with a trainer. He and I both agreed it was absolutely pointless and I was back to the terminal in 2 days to go solo.

It sucks to know you can do something well but circumstances won’t let you. My opinion is do whatever is necessary to get back on the road. I’m glad I did.

 

I gotta chime in on this one. Your electronic information does "not" go directly to the Pentagon. The Pentagon couldn't care less about your HOS.

 

This is correct.

If anyone examined my history outside of the US DOJ and a few other agencies they are going to find exactly one botched orientation from Covenant which is a lifetime ban by that company which maintains with 15 other mega carriers a mirror database equal to DAC but privately held and not bound by the law as DAC is, such as clearing history after 10 years. I will be treated as a newbie fresh from kindergarden, assumed to know nothing at all.

Give me a hour with any trainer the company chooses and a decent manual truck and we will see about who knows what. Im more than happy to play student. But at the same time I remembered two in our school back in the 80's who were truckers before prison and were treated as newbies until they touched the big rig with us in it with them. Their shifting and driving were flawless with the instructors napping and resting along the way. That instantly made them Gods among us students. we basically had nothing to say to them except questions. They were good people and tolerant. One taught me how to restart a dead engine at 70 mph. (Im not sure if today's computer trucks will accept that kind of procedure, one would assume it would recognize the situation...) which came in handy twice on downgrades potentially saving my life.

I don't mind learning, refreshing etc. You could argue that TTR is a form of school for me. It's almost two years for me now maybe, give or take some months and Im still learning.

The worst part about getting back in is finding a company that has people who understand my position and why I do the things I do or say what I say sometimes. The last time I interviewed to become a dispatcher the office of 30 somethings were not happy with me. I was scary to them. The interviewer took a moment and said that I would be a nugget of gold from the old days, but I have been away from formal office enviroments too long that has been regulated to eliminate language, sex talk and god knows what else over the years.

Ive said enough. Until someone comes up with another thought somewhere.

 

Worried about a recession? Haul food.

 

Jesus so many negative thoughts on trucking. I'd say go for it man. The regulations aren't that bad. It only sucks for people who have been in the industry for decades. They are from a different era and have a rough time with change. I've got 10 years in and it's become addictive. You won't get rich, nor will you necessarily make lifelong friends but you still meet cool people and trucking is still an adventure. Go for it

 

Where do you guys get this recession crap?

Stop listening to the doom and gloom crap, it is coming out now in order to set up people for a recession with no real basis of it ... any please people don't try to counter that with "the stock market is down" because the stock market is not the economy.

Things are slowing down in this industry, but it isn't.

The work is there, but the capacity in both trucks and drivers are saturated and need to be adjusted. A lot of companies expanded without forethought while many people jumped into this because they only saw money and now they are getting into trouble.

For many of us, we see losses in potential income but we are not drowning like some want to make it out as.

You are not changing careers, you are changing jobs, if this doesn't work out, then move onto something else.