hi all, I am a 19 yr old high school grad who lives about 30 minutes west of Madison, WI. currently my plans are to go to community college for two years, but beyond that I have no plans. I have always had a love affair with big trucks and the trucking life just appeals to me for some reason. I would not even consider a career like this if I had a wife/kids/serious GF. But if it's just me coming out of college, I would def consider doing OTR for a few years at least. I have been lurking here on this forum for a few months so I have read everyone's experiences with this sort of job. I realize it's long hours, crappy pay, and long periods away from home. But still, the open road beckons so, with that being said, I have a few questions for all ya road warriors out there first of all, I have a hearing impairment (not too severe, I can talk over the phone pretty well). I use a hearing aid which really helps, however my question is will I still be able to pass the DOT physical with this? second, are there any good trucking companies running out of Madison that hire newbie drivers? I know Roehl has a drop yard in Madison but beyond that I don't know. Roehl seems like a nice outfit for beginners (after reading through the DAC reports, they seem to be better than the others such as CR England, Swift and Werner). and I was also wondering if the expediter segment is a good one for beginners. I know they have to run hard to make money, and most of the outfits generally favor teams (something I don't really want, after reading all the horror stories on here). still maybe there's something there for me. thanks
During the exam someone will say something behind your back. If you hear it and respond, you will be OK.
All my hearing tests during DOT exams have been whispered words, i've passed everytime. My left ear is bad, can't use phone with it, loud music sounds like blown speaker. Right ear is 25% loss. So you're good... Decent reefer freight in and out of WI, look there, maybe Marten ?
I just had my DOT physical last week. The doctor said, "that'll be $77.00 for the exam". I said, "What"??? He said, "you pass". Now to the o/p. Get YOUR EDUCATION, maybe in business?? This way when you are READY you can be ahead of the game by being "business savvy". The expediting end of it can be hard at first. Some companies REQUIRE previous driving experience. But there are always owner-operators that need drivers fro such a job, they just may not pay well or offer benefits. Good luck, I wish you well, and STAY IN SCHOOL..!!!
yup thanks man, at this point I haven't decided what sort of degree I want, but I've been considering one in business for awhile yeah I can tell it really helps to know business, especially if someone decides to go O/O I have seen alot of Marten trucks in WI, are they based somewhere here? I'm pretty sure they have a place somewhere south of Madison, like in Fitchburg or Verona, but that could have been a different company.
Seems like you have a plan in place which is always good. Going to community college is a good start and since you are 19, you will have to wait a bit to go otr. Most companies require you to be at least 23, but I think there are some that will let you start at 21. Marten is out of WI and I'm sure they at least have drop yards around the Madison area.
