Team with Wife

This is very good advice! I took my 25 year old daughter with me last year on some local runs. We have some very small turn rows to get in and some have ditches you could lose a truck in. She actually got out of the truck on the way back out and waited for me to make my turn because it freaked her out so much. It's very different being in a truck than thinking about it.

 

I second getting a DOT physical first, to make sure you're able to get a CDL. If that checks out, then look into driving schools. I recommend that you go to an independant, even if it's a CDL mill, because then you're not beholden to any company after you get your CDL.

Start looking now at companies you're interested in working for. Check the internet, go eat at a truck stop near the truckers and listen, and talk to any local schools, and see if they have former students who would answer questions. Make youself a list of places that sound promising, and call them. Ask if they want teams, how they train, if there's time apart, etc. Grill them for questions, make yourself a list.

Don't sell everything until you've been in the business at least a year. My school mentioned a lot of people drop out in the first year, and it takes a year to really adjust to the lifestyle and demands of trucking. After doing it for 5 months, I agree. I've wanted to quit a couple times, but I'm not willing to give up without trying. If you or the wife find out you hate trucking, how will it work out if you don't have anything left?

Have a backup plan. What happens if one of you hates it? My boyfriend and I are at odds over this. He doesn't like OTR nearly as much as I do, and so he's often talking about getting a local job after we've been driving a year. Me, I like OTR, and I recognized I put up with less crap and get paid better than most of the local jobs here, so we're at odds. We also want to buy a house, and that requires us to reevaluate the OTR driving.

 

I agree with not selling everything.... we did give up our house as our landlord refused the allow the house to be vacant 3 weeks at a time while we were OTR, but all our belongings are in storage and if things dont work out for some reason, we only need to have enough money to rent a new place and we are back on track. Climate controlled storage rooms cost a bit, but you still own all your furniture, etc...

 

Make sure Schneider actually pays you during school.. most will only pay for Orientation, not school.

Question, how does your wife feel about training separately from you. It means as much as 5-7 weeks away from you with a different trainer..... If she is cool with that great, but Schneider only promises that they will try to get her a female trainer (if one happens to be available), they do not guarantee it. I know a couple of guys who went through Schneider training that are doing well.

My wife and I went with Interstate because their training school is a community college program which is a PTDI course, Interstate is paying for the tuition, hotel and travel expenses and when we leave here we will be trained together. Our trainer will not drive like a team, but will sit in the passengers seat for 14 hours a day while we drive and train us. When his 14 hours are up, the trainer goes to a hotel and my wife and I sleep in the truck. The school is actually a 10 week course, 5 in the school and 5 on the road with a trainer doing paid OJT.

I'm not trying to talk you out of Schneider dont get me wrong, but please make sure your wife is cool with the possibility of ending up training with a strange guy for Schneider's training period. My wife was not willing to do that unless it was a last resort.

 

We are basically in the same boat as you just a little bit ahead. We rented our house to our son for the first year. We own a motorhome (40') and live in it full time now while we go to school. I still work full time, and we go to school here in Salt Lake with Sage. We actually do a 1/2 day during afternoon (1-5)and 1/2 day during evening schedule (5:30-9:30), so we basically get a full day. Staff is great, school is small, we were basically told if we do this part time, etc, they would work with us whenever we could show up.
We will leave the motorhome at our house when we grad and looking at Interstate Dist. at the moment. If all goes well, we will sell the house after the first year. Then when we want vacation time, (week or two) we'll just use the motorhome and go.
I am quitting my job after 11 years here, and we had a motorcyle rental business wingz mostly ran, that we are shutting down. So we are pretty much dropping all to go on the road. Excited and scared too, but do your research. That will at least make you feel somewhat more comfortable with your decision if you feel you are making an educated decision.
LIVE on the forums, you can learn alot. I lived on another forum very similar to this, and also a company's forum (CFI) for along time, met some, etc.
BOL to you.
Cheers
Roadie

 

Your lucky to have such a highly rated PTDI school close by. I have heard many positive comments about the instructors and quality of the education there in Appleton.
I attended a PTDI School (Community College) here in Nashville, and was very impressed with the training, plus being a state run school, everything was done by the book, providing a safe & educational foundation....and the best part it was only $1300 for a 10 week program Jon


P.S. I was born & raised in Madison, WI originally, moved to TN about 5 years ago......just too cold for me up there any more!!

 

I believe this is the right thing to do. Makes a lot of sense to me!

Of course this has to be YOUR decision. I was just going by what I've heard from some other drivers I have known.

Whatever you decide, Good Luck!