Upgrade my CDL?

Hey all!

I'm sitting here at the Pilot in Toledo, Ohio and have something on my mind. I just registered with the forums to get some advice from experienced truckers and others alike in hopes I can be steered in the right direction. A little about me...

My name is Shane and I'm 26 years old. I have been driving commercially for a year (dump truck last construction season, moved to expediting during the winter months and stayed aboard). I am a second generation truck driver (my father drove OTR for JS Crawford & Son before they were purchased by the Siemens Transportation Group) and grew up my whole life around trucks. Even when I was back in elementary and high school, I always had this nagging feeling that I would end up driving for a living. I believe trucking isn't a job you do for the sake of earning a paycheque (paycheck for you US folk), rather it embodies the things we as truckers love about life itself and what it's supposed to mean to be a trucker in the first place (freedom, open roads, brotherhood, etc). I'll first start off by telling you about my current job, and whether or not it would be worth my while to upgrade my CDL (DZ to AZ in Ontario) to start driving big rigs. My driving record is spotless with no accidents or traffic violations. I've been a licensed driver for 10 years but have only had that one year of commercial driving experience, 5 months as an OTR driver. I have my FAST card and I am legal to haul hazmat loads.

Right now I'm working for a mom & pop outfit on the very eastern edge of Ontario. I'm a company driver, which is fairly rare as far as I can tell in the expedite industry. We do not have O/O's driving for us. We're an expedite company with an excellent CVOR and do a lot of work for FedEx, Landstar, Load One, etc. Being that we're a small company, each driver gets treated very well and there is not a lot of office politics involved. We always have dispatchers standing by who speak to us with respect and view us as individuals and not as numbers. Our fleet is mostly Chevy and Ford cube vans but we have two '05 Peterbilts (one 330 and one 387) and I'm the driver of the latter. Both are Eaton 10spd autos, one is semi-auto. The equipment is being replaced within the next three months as both new trucks have already been spec'd and ordered. Although our current equipment both are pushing or past 1,000,000km and are 8 years old, they are always well maintained (20k oil changes, brake adjustments, yearly annuals, etc). Qualcomm dispatched loads, smartphones for uploading all our paperwork, etc. So as a company, they're not too bad at all.

Some of the finer details of my employment being a driver for this company:
- $0.25/km ($0.125/km if we are team driving).
- $10 for every p/u, drop, border crossing.
- $25 per day layover.
- We have to expense items such as oil, coolant, bulbs, fuses, etc. Our expenses are paid promptly.
- 24/7 on-call basis which means I have to contact them if I want to attend a sports event, go out with friends, etc.
- No guaranteed home time, you take what you can get.
- Gone for up to three weeks at a time.
- Comdata advances
- Concierge service for drivers (order flowers for your wife, etc).
- Medical and dental coverage, though I'd have to find out the deductible amounts because I don't know them off hand.
- Paid hotels occasionally for myself and the other driver with sleeper units.
- Paper logs (and no, I don't have two on the go).

As far as 401k/RRSP, I'm not aware of any plan in action by the company. As far as I can tell, it's the drivers responsibility to worry about his own future. In terms of taxes (and I'm god awful and knowing how to do taxes) we can deduct for food, hotels, etc for days we're out on the road. I will have to worry about that next tax season, so I'm trying to learn on the fly.


I might be missing a few things, but that's all I can think of right now. So now, on to the real question. Should I upgrade?

I've always wanted to drive an 18-wheeler. Flatbed, tanker, reefer, dry van, etc. It's just something I always wanted to do. I've driven Eaton Fuller 8LL before but nothing higher than that. I didn't even go to trucking school. I spent two weeks studying the DZ (Class 7 for US?)/Air Brake Endorsement handbooks and went and wrote my test. I drove in a dump truck for a week, took my road test and bingo, got my DZ. So everything I've learned up this point has been on the fly or stuff my dad has tried to help with, or just things picked up from other truckers on the road.

So here are my questions, and I apologize for an already long thread, but I'll try to make this brief.

- How much based on my current experience should I expect to earn? (I am grossing around $30k/CDN after taxes at the moment)
- Is the pay significantly higher that I should upgrade to begin with?
- How hard would finding a position with one year of over-the-road experience be? (I am planning to stay at my current job for another half-year)
- I will have to attend a training program for Class A/8. Will I need to drive with a trainer once hired?
- What would you do in my position?

I like my time at home, but I like being on the road too. I have no dependents, I live on my own and am stable financially. I know the job isn't meant for everyone. I understand larger vehicles require more room to park, back to docks, stop, there's more to inspect, higher GWVR, scales, DOT/MTO, etc. How much money am I missing out on as a company AZ/CDL driver? Would I be home more often? More free time to hang out with friends, etc?

Any help, info, advice, opinions, criticisms, praise, etc. is appreciated. I'm still fairly young and I know I have much to learn. Which I why I came to you guys for help. Have to start somewhere. If you've read this entire thing, I want to truly thank you for staying. I can be a bit of a chatterbox at times, and I tried to cover as much as I could. Take care and drive safely.

 

It's hard to find comparable rates for company expedite drivers because most are O/O or driving for a fleet owner. I don't split rates 60/40, it's just $0.25 across the board regardless of load pricing. I feel there's more money to be had moving up to AZ and perhaps more flexible home time depending on the company. That's why I'm considering it but I'm not trying to get too ahead of myself either. Basically trying to figure out the pros and cons of both lifestyles and see what they offer.