Thank you.

Carlisle PA is the epicenter for all kinds of driving jobs in PA
you wont really know what kind of job you want until your out here doing one you dont want
but by then you will understand what you really want from trucking other then a paycheck
good luck and ty
the cheese you ate at dinner was on my truck yesterday
or maybe the mushrooms or the butter on your taters

 

[QUOTE="semi" retired;4383057]Hi PPan, 1st, welcome aboard. Next, I don't mean to be a wet blanket, but if you enjoyed opening gifts with your kids on Christmas morning, if you go into trucking, there'a a good chance you can kiss that good-bye. I'm sure there's many driver's that were stuck in a truck stop, for whatever reason, and weren't there for Christmas. Do yourself and your kids a favor and DON'T go into trucking.[/QUOTE]
Oh, please!

I am one of those truckers that stayed at a truck stop today - Christmas day.

Guess what?
Most truck stops are pretty empty because most of us are home with our families.

I stay out by choice. I am not forced to do so.
I doubt many are.
At least with Swift, if you want to be home at Christmas they will try to get you there.

I am the 'ex', so I give my girls a second Christmas a week later.
It works out for everyone. I don't intrude with the ex-family, Swift has freight moving, and I still get to give my girls something special a bit later.

But like I said, most companies will try to get drivers with families home for that day.
Everyone knows how important it is - even the shippers and receivers.

 

Don't forget about the mind numbing dull Laborers making the product, The Shippers, The logistics team, The Receivers, The Laborer stocking shelves, The cashiers. It's large amount of people, Truck drivers just get in product and get out product.

I thank everyone

 

[QUOTE="semi" retired;4383057]Hi PPan, 1st, welcome aboard. Next, I don't mean to be a wet blanket, but if you enjoyed opening gifts with your kids on Christmas morning, if you go into trucking, there'a a good chance you can kiss that good-bye. I'm sure there's many driver's that were stuck in a truck stop, for whatever reason, and weren't there for Christmas. Do yourself and your kids a favor and DON'T go into trucking.[/QUOTE]
I've never agreed with you from your first post and through the present day.

Plenty of very high paying jobs in trucking, Not all doom and gloom. You are a wet blanket and only embarrassing yourself with so called 35 years experience, It's not a fancy career choice, but dang well a lot us of make it work with common sense and wage to compensate.

I don't care if another driver sat at a truck stop on any holiday. It's his/her personal choice to work for that carrier.

 

PPan, sometimes one NEEDS to hear the words of discouragement as so to be given as many sides as possible. Trucking or the trucking industry in general is NOT a bed of roses, but you may get a job hauling roses to the flower shops! There WILL BE many lifetime events that YOU WILL MISS, and that you will never get back. No video, or snap shot you see will ever give you the feeling of being there. To some that are underemployed as you say you are, and to some that are unemployed, why is it that they always think trucking will be for them? Sure, trucking may have helped some families out of a hole, but at what long term price? I know and a few others here know, that you will do what you want. But if you only want to hear the good things, then you ARE SHORTCHANGING your over all decisions. And that my friend, you AND your family may never recover from.

HHMMmmm. Not everyone, not everyone.

Yes, safe assumption. It very well at times comes to being, "at the right place at the right time". If you walk in to a "local job" and 3 others there have even say 6 months to a year of driving, and you fresh out of school, realistically, who do YOU THINK gets the job? Many employers in the local sector, simply DO NOT have the time to train you. They hand over the keys, no orientation, no safety meeting, and tell you to GO. Right out of school you will really not GO as fast as you think you can. One accident, and you're GONE.

I wondered why my cheese had tire marks in it. Could you be a bit more careful next time?

 

Ok, Shaggy, I've had a little time to think about your post, and the mods must be watching this one, as my last comment got "pulled around back", so I canceled it. Clearly, your 8 years experience trumps my 35 years any day. I'm not going to get in an argument here, as there are so many cool people here, I don't want to risk getting reprimanded. I came here to help people with my 35 years of experience, and I'll continue to do so.
To PPan, it is not my intent to discourage you, but to inform you of the real truths of trucking. I've been there, and you should be aware of ups and downs, and not coming from someone who loves their trucking, because it works for them. I haven't been here long, but one thing is clear. There is a never ending river of wannabe's, that spend thousands of dollars in tuition, get stuck with a crummy trainer, and work for companies that won't even let you off because you are too sick to drive, and come back here telling us how miserable they are. My heart goes out to these people. For many, trucking is a last resort, it's the only game in town, and they make these major decisions, like trucking, because like you say, the bills keep coming in. Please, explore other vocations before you "settle" for trucking. Go into healthcare, healthcare pays well, and you have the great satisfaction of helping people, something that is totally lacking in the trucking world. Good luck.

 

Not necessarily. There are a lot of low paying local jobs. But if you look hard enough you can find a good one. Good paying is a relative term, good money to one person is crap to someone else. I started at $18 an hour straight out of school. I work less than 50 hrs per week and I made about $45,000 this year, which is my first year. I am happy with that, some people would not be

 

Hey Shaggy, you forgot about the conniving, lying sales people who have sold their soul, and would say or do just about anything to sell you their product!

Being in the right place at the right time is likely more responsible for folks being hired in ALL jobs. Sometimes, you do everything right, go above and beyond with resumes, knock on all the doors in the world, and feel like you are beating your head against a brick wall.

Then suddenly, the stars align right, and you just happen to walk through the right door at the right time. AND YOU HAVE A JOB! Yes, life is about luck. Of course, the harder you work, the luckier you are.

Oh yeah, your cheese got tire marks on it after Pete brought it from California to be aged in Wisconsin. The doggone fork lift driver busted a pallet and ran over a bunch of it!

Uh, YEAH. You SHOULD be happy with that. Though I see you are in Chicago, which would make a difference.

 

Yea, high cost of living here. But still better money then I have made doing anything else. It supports my family, so I am happy.