Startin' over again..

Hi all,
Like the topic implies, I'm startin' over again, for the 3rd time. I wasted my hard earned money going to the Heavy Equipment Scam School in OKC. That worked for about 4 yrs. Then the construction work in my area dried up like a prune, and got laid off.

I had another "career" spanning about 24yrs. Getting out of that, and after bumming around for a couple years had to do something, hence the scam school. Well, one thing that a lot of construction companies are requiring now, is their HEOs (heavy equip operators) have a CDL.

My last "job" was with a real, real small local, construction company. There was a verbal agreement, if he helped me get my CDL, I would drive trucks for him. He didn't need HEOs. So I got my CDL permit, and drove an end-dump, and some dump trucks. However I messed up when I took the skills test. Then before I could re-test, he had to lay everyone off. He hired several people, betting he was going to land a couple of projects he had bid on. Well he didn't get them, so out the door we all went. Now my permit expired, and I think I'm at the end of my testing time (180 days). So I'll have to start over again.

I'm in Kansas, and have been trying to get into a school. There's only 2 that I'm aware of in the eastern part of the state. I've tried to get dislocated worker's financial aid, but it's currently frozen. I've been scrambling, selling things to get the cash together to pay for it myself. Not easy when you've been out of work most of the year.

My little bro' has been truckin' for about 15 or so yrs now. I've been with him on a run or two. The last one I got a real good taste of how things go. Learned that an old man can stay awake for 48hrs. He provided me with a lot of good advice. He's been around the block, heck, he's been around the continent a time or two. He's told me to steer clear of certain schools.

Basically what I'm after is a CDL, so I can run dumps, flatbeds, lowboys. While working construction, I drove straight dumps, and off-road articulated, water trucks, as well as the other equipment.

So I'll be poking around and possibly asking a question or two..

Oh, I choose my username, after getting to pedal the truck my little bro' drives. Nice 18spd Pete Conventional. Governed at about 90mph. I had to constantly watch the speedometer, took nothing on a flat stretch to be kicking 85, fully loaded.