So, here we go. Could use your advice.

Go to trade school.
Don't waste your veteran's benefits on trucking.
Trucking = too many hours on the job (with no overtime).
Too much time away from home.
WAY too much BS for the money (traffic, tickets, DOT, grocery whorehouses, etc).

$30,000-$50,000 may sound like decent money.
And it would be for a 9-5 job with good bennies.
But not for working/being on-the-job/on-call 80-100+ hours per week plus sleeping in a fiberglass broom closet.
With some of the worst benefits you will find unless you go union.

There are still some decent-paying trucking jobs but....
1) They require experience in addition to a whistle-clean MVR/DAC
2) Lots of competition for those jobs.
3) If you do happen to land one, you start at the bottom of the seniority list getting all the crap runs, crap hours, etc.

I'm not saying this to discourage out...just giving you the facts.
The turnover rates in this biz are through the roof for a reason...would hate to see you lose good years of your life and time/GI Bill money just to see what a gigantic labor racket this industry has become.

 

When you look at your paycheck, divide up the hours spent on the job, and find you're making $7.00/hr with lousy bennies....you'll see where I'm coming from.
I'm sorry but that's just the facts, Jack.
It just don't pay to be out there anymore.
Why do you think these trucking outfits are CONSTANTLY advertising, recruiting, and training?
If you saw a business in your town that always had a HELP WANTED sign outside, would you go work there?
At least at a place like that, you'd be able to go home every night.
In trucking, you are chained to that truck 24/7.

Anyway, good luck to you regardless...

 

I'm curious... What keeps you in this career? I just got my CDL in May and I have not started with a company yet. I figured that if someone wil pay me to DRIVE that is almost like stealing money. Sure beats sitting in a cubicle eight hours a day. But now I encounter your viewpoint and I wonder...

 

Hey Azeron, most companies won't hire you if you wait too long after school. I believe the grace period is a week or two. They will likely send you back for a refresher course.

 

bigredrider,

Thank you for your service! As for trucking, I don't think you will have a problem with it at all. You have a pretty good attitude about it, and I bet you will end up loving it as a career. I think it will be somewhat like serving in the forces; in that I mean give it two or three months before the nervousness wears off and you get into more of a groove. There is a lifestyle change to get used to like when you went off to war, without people shooting at you(hopefully)! I have been driving since 96' and in 04' my wife decided to team up with me. We made unbelievable money (for not having a college degree) bought a 10acre horse training facility and are currently boarding a training eventing horses and living our dream. The worst part about it is we both really miss driving. We have already made plans to drive again in our elder years as a retirement gig! Driving over the road was probably the best thing we ever could have done! Don't stress yourself about getting hired. You will! You have no idea of how much of a demand there is in trucking for drivers. Usually if you have 30 people in a truck driving class, ultimately two of them will end up driving more than a year and make a career of it. Have fun take lots of picts and vids and go enjoy the country you just risked your life to protect! Stay in touch.

 

Hey BRR as will any real american say thanks for your service!! anyway there are so many trucking companies out there and with your military background getting a driving job will be easy just be sure to closely look at a company before you decide. goodluck!!!!!