Stopping in Fargo??

I find myself in the same situation regarding getting into the trucking industry or staying in my current profession. I grew up around trucks and spent most summers on the road with my dad criss-crossing the country. I loved it...every boring, cramped, lonely minute of it. I witnessed first hand the political bs drivers had to put up with. There were many times I wouldn't see my dad for weeks on end, and then when I got to see him, he was gone. It wasn't bad though. I knew that was what he had to do.

I'm in college right now myself, and work in a bank. I like what I do, but every single time I see a Kenworth rumble by, my wife thinks I'm going to pass out from enthusiasm.

There are bumps in the road every where you turn. No, trucking is not as glamorous as being a high-level executive, but on the flip side, I don't think the latter sounds exciting.

Ultimately, I want to do the same thing. I want to get the degree and then pursue trucking. No, it might not work out, but who's to say that what I'm doing now will either.

Oh, and by the way, you could also check out Petro off of 45th St. up in Fargo. I grew up there and know the area pretty well. Are you going to NDSU or MSU?

 

I go to NDSU, I agree with your thinking, I could end up as a big wig executive somewhere but that doesn't sound good to me, I would rather by by myself in a truck driving day in and day out, and I know I haven't done it so who knows if that is what I really want, but hey worst comes to worst I hate driving after a few years so I quit, then I can try the executive route, if that doesn't work then I'm ******. I remember when I was young and the folks would always tell me "you don't know if you like it until you try it" so what the hell might as well give it a shot!! I forgot about the Petro I will have to check there too thanks! Where do you go to school?? Have you been looking into places to get your CDL training?

 

I've been to a few different schools. U of M, NDSU, now part time at Normandale in Bloomington. I've checked around and Dakota County Technical in Rosemount has the best program for the most reasonable for driver training. You can go either full time for eight weeks or part time for 12 weeks. Each will total 320 hours of training. I have called around to a few local companies in Fargo and down here in Minneapolis, and Dakota County is one of the only schools that they recognize and will hire from if coming straight out of school. Just curious, what peaked your interest to go into trucking?

 

My grandpa was a truck driver up until about 7 yrs ago when he had a massive stroke. Other then that I guess I really don't know for some reason I have always had a fascination with the rigs and the job. I could drive around all day just looking at trucks. I have been looking at some schools around there too and I have notice Dakota seems like the best bet. I have also thought of going through a company like Roehl, I have heard a lot of good about them and they sound like a good company, training is around $2500 and they have a tuition reimbursment program if you agree to drive for them for a year. If you leave under a year then you only pay a prorated rate which for most companies you have to pay all of it back. There nearest terminal is in Wisconsin but that isn't too far if I remember right it is in Marshfield. What year in school are you?

 

Another post I've nailed to the door here many times--go cheap on your training if you go.

Some of us got into trucking naively believing it was a sensible job that pays an honest day's wage for an honest day's work. I used to believe that, too. I laugh over how little I knew back when I was in your shoes, guys. I went to a private training school in 1995 and dropped WAY more than I should have...it was like 5,000 bones plus opportunity costs (5 weeks of not working) which totaled around 10 grand for my CDL.

You can do better than this idiotic move. Go cheap on your training and see if you can keep working while you train. I think many community colleges offer weekend training. Don't quit your job and be unemployed for weeks on end if you decide to attend a training school. Don't drop a wad for tuition, either. Today I'd spend about 700 for training...PERIOD, plus I'd make sure my opportunity cost was as low as possible, as in GOOSE EGG.

If I could get one, I'd make my tuition cost ZERO via a government grant. Hey, if there really IS a critical driver shortage (there isn't--this is a lie), the trucking companies or society as a whole can pay my tuition. I wouldn't pay any 5K today. No #### way. I know what trucking entails and am aware of the games being played in the racket that is today's truck driver training.

If a trucking company wants me so badly, it can pay my training costs, or at least share in that cost. If I had to pay the 5K today knowing what I know now, the company would at least share or I wouldn't be going to training. That 5K would stay in my wallet, right where it belongs.

 

I have the degree, have worked in management and got the blood pressure to go with it. Now I haul molasses to feed yards in a tanker. I make a lot less money but now my blood pressure is normal. Its the easiest job I have ever had and I make enough to live comfortably. I do put in the hours but I don't see a lot of traffic in my neck of the woods, which is one of the reasons I like it here. I think its a matter of finding the job that fits you right and there is many different types of jobs in trucking. My advise to newbies would be to keep their ears open to the many different jobs trucking has to offer.

 

That's true. Finding a niche definitely helps. I learned the run-of-the-mill big-company OTR jobs were not what I was looking for as a company driver. If I were to get back in and do that, it'd be best if I were an O/O. This way I could pick and choose my loads to make sure I don't have to go to places like California, the NE I-95 corridor, and the Chicago area.

Yes, you newbies getting in...see if you can get into some niche. You'll probably be happier and make more, plus you'll definitely see home more. A guy who graduated from driving school with me immediately got a job at Coca-cola driving those little straight trucks delivering pop. My classmates and I thought he was crazy. Well, he had it all over us. I quit my first job after a few months, as did most of the rest of my school's class. I even got rid of my CDL later. This guy at the bottler is still there, and now he has seniority and makes a killing. The rest of us idiots who were so hell-bent on driving BIG rigs don't even drive trucks the size of coke trucks anymore.

You don't HAVE to drive 18 wheels to do well in trucking.

 

I have read a lot on here about not doing training through a carrier, the thing is a lot of the tech schools in the area are more expensive then through a company. I know you have to drive for the company a year usually but then you get paid back for the training. I have been looking mostly at Roehl and i have heard a lot of good things...do you guys still recommend not doing it through a company like Roehl even if it is cheaper?? I have looked at private schools and they can run from 6k-8k and usually run 4-6 weeks and Roehls is only three...it just seems like a much better deal to go though a company even if you ahve to drive for them for a year...thoughts??

 

Well Tip, now you're the hammer that's hit the nail square on the head. I guess you've let the cat out of the bag regarding this phoney driver shortage baloney. He**, truckdrivers are a dime a dozen; if they weren't, why would wages be so low?
I can't believe how many times I'm hearing about wannabe truckdrivers spending thousands of dollars to learn a trade so mundane and easy as driving a truck. When I first learned to drive back in the early '70's, it was as a helper for an owner operator who owned a tractor leased to an agent. He paid ME while he was teaching me to drive. Take it from me, if you can't learn just about everything you need to know about safely operating a simple truck- including the dreaded "ally dock" inside of a week, then you probably don't have the basic aptitude for trailer trucking in the first place. It pains me to admit it, because I drive for a living, but this is among the lowest skilled jobs a person could have as well as one of the easiest to learn.
By the way, when did rookies become known as "newbies"? The term newbie has always referred to a person who was a novice in internet usage. Could it be that we have more computer users on here that genuine truckers? If that's the case then I'm outta here...
rx

 

I've been railing on this issue since the first day I showed up at this site.

Companies claim (falsely) there is a driver shortage so they can continue to receive benefits from the government. Training schools make big money on grants provided by Uncle Sam to people who need to be moved off of welfare. Of course, many a training mill is at least partially controlled by the hugeantics. Yeap, some of the companies actually get revenue through the back door due to turnover. I believe companies also get tax breaks on training costs when they train a green driver in-house. Yeah, some get plenty of benefits from turnover or there would be no turnover. It's in their interest for drivers to quit in droves. Those drivers can be replaced by graduates from the mills. The stockholders who hold stakes in these companies would be pitching a ##### fit if that were not the case. Honest turnover would run a company into the ground quick, which explains why the smallest of companies don't have 100, 150, 200, and even 250 percent turnover. They can't afford it, and neither can the big boys.

No...there is no driver shortage. There's a driver surplus, if anything. A surplus of drivers plus a pack of lies (and the liars that tell them) claiming a 'driver shortage'.