Too old to be a newbie?

It's amazing to meet truckers at shippers, receivers, and truck stops that have such a wide range of experiences, especially the older drivers that are starting a second career. Doctors, lawyers, businessmen, etc. I got into trucking for a few years back in '77 and then went off into a career in importing, managing factories in Asia and working with buyers at major brand name corporations, everything from printed products to garments to stainless steel vacuum bottles. I finally got burnt out last year when my factories kept shipping mistake after mistake and I lost tens of thousands of dollars. Had to go without salary for most of the year. Then I remembered trucking...

... been back on the road for three months with my brother and just got hired by Swift and waiting for two other offers. I'm really looking forward to getting into my own truck and my wife is looking forward to riding with me. Our kids are grown and gone and we're both 57. I plan on doing this for the rest of my life. I love being on the road.

 

I'm with ya there, Lepton1 !

 

Go for it OP...I'm retired now at a "young 63" Giggles can vouch for me...she's working on getting her Old Fart's card.....Good luck..if you enjoy it half as much as I did for over 3 decades.....you'll never regret your decision!

 

There are newbie truck drivers PAST the age of 60.

 

congrats on your cdl

 

Sounds like my story but I'm a few years younger. I also live in NY and have worked IT for over 15 years until the company I was with closed and I was left looking at IT jobs with crazy low pay offers and I was already exhausted from the business so taking less just made my guts hurt knowing I hated what I was doing and I would be doing it for less ( a lot less). So I started looking at other options and it came to driving a truck and will be starting a 4 week program at a local school in May.

Here is my advice from thinking about trucking to getting in a school since that's as far as I made as of now. Do what you do best RESEARCH and as you learn more you will figure out what is important to you and start to narrow down companies. The most important part is to take with others say with some caution good or bad and remember facts are facts and opinions are opinions. I for one and maybe it's my IT brain telling me this but as a new driver I like all the rules and regulations including E-logs because I see it as a way for me to work it to my advantage and use it to stand my ground when it's needed. As you will learn on here and other places that when you are driving that truck it's all on you. If you can plan a trip and manage a clock everything will work out, at least that's my hope when I get out there.

Think of it like this, when you are doing 63mph or 59mph down the highway with some music on some new marketing intern won't be walking into your office asking you about mailchimp and the best part is emails can wait.
I'm excited to see what will be next for me.

 

We're excited for you too, Runkle!

 

Ill be 50 in June & just started trucking, & flatbed at that. Met one of our driver trainers out on the road a couple weeks ago. He's 65 & been trucking for only 5 years.

 

Update: First day of orientation and, at 51, I'm not the oldest in the class (several are older than I am)