Wanna be truckdriver

Depending on where you live you can get driving job and be home daily or every weekend. Driving doesn't have to mean only getting home every few weeks/months like in the old days.

The only exploring you do if you drive a truck is looking for truck parking spots. Almost every minute of your week is already "spent" making someone's schedule happen, while most of the people you deal with don't care if they do their work in the next 30 minutes of 4 days and 7.5 hours. They go home when the clock strikes the magic moment. You can sleep/eat/go home once things are completed.

The only way to enter this field and not make a big mistake is to do a ton of research. Don't even consider getting your lisense until you have identified the trucking company job you want. There are a dozen ways to get the license. Almost anyone can get the license, assume you will get the license. What makes the job hard is not working at a place where the job that fits what you want is the job they have. This is not a sexist comment, I have been using it for everyone for decades. Think of getting the right trucking job like getting a pair of shoes. What matters is the fit on your feet. The wrong size shoes for you, even if they are super expensive and the highest quality shoes on the Earth, will not make you happy.

You need to idnetify exactly your needs and then find that job with a company near you that meets those needs. MOST newbies just assume they are going to work for the 5 biggest advertisers on Google. Just accept they are going to be poorly paid and poorly treated. 90% of those people quit the industry BEFORE they complete 1 year. Your research will determine your success. NOTHING is more important than your research.

The job is not especially dangerous for women. You don't need to be physically strong or tough. The difficulties are mostly mental. The stress of being in traffic with cars that would happily watch your truck burn to the ground if it meant they could get to the office or home 1.3 seconds faster is the hardest thing for many drivers. If you don't have people and family back home you will still need time off. When you decide where to work, you have just decided how much time off you can get. You cannot change a trucking company's operating tempo so you get the time off you want when you want it if they don't operate that in a way that makes it easy for you. You get what you sign up for. Choose CAREFULLY.

Under no circumstance work for CR England.

10-25% of trucking companies allow pets in trucks, but many of those companies have a weight restriction on the pet. Their pet policy will not be changed by you and you should not even think about sneaking a pet into the truck. There are dozens of ways to get caught you will never think of until you get fired because of it. The only reliable answer about "does company ABC allows pets" comes from Company ABC. Seeing a pet in a truck from Company ABC doesn't answer the question and taking the word of a stranger on the internet is not good enough.Talk to the company. Company recruiters will lie. An answer from the company HR or Safety Dept is a reliable answer.

 

Do your research. Plenty of good companies out there.
I worked for a 25 truck outfit, & always got from$900-1200 bonuses every quarter. He started giving a $10,000 longevity bonus every 5 years.
Was in Pacific northwest so I moved back South.
Good luck

 

65000 a year income. Spend 10K annually in food. Never mind the other vices...

 

S&S Transport.

Home - S&S Transport

 

Do not sign up for someone to pay you via contract. You will not last that long in the industry your first few years with that employer.

Save your welding income and pay the school yourself.

Too many newbies think they got it made with free CDL, then get fired after they break a pole or something and are now stuck with judgement for 5600 dollars or whatever.

HOWEVER, I am beginning to consider that you have the right temperament to do this so... go for it.

 

2 years!?

 

2 year contract. You'd be better off joining the Army.

Find a community college and get a loan to pay for training. Some companies reimburse and there's always the sign on bonus.

 

A) the company I work for... I love them. My benefits are good - health, dental, vision, life insurance, 401 k, and more. My team is awesome. Some customers treat you like a number, but my team is who I work with every day, by text messaging mostly, and they're just awesome. My truck is almost new, and very well maintained.
There are companies that will pay you back for your schooling. Mine pays 100 bucks a month that can be put toward any debt you have. I got my cdl thru a govt grant, which pays 100% because the trucking industry needs drivers, so they say. Never sign a contract with a company for 2 years... if you dont like them, you will hate the job. If you pay for your own school, even on payments, you are free to switch companies any time you want. Make it a year in any one company, and you will have a lot more options.
Not sure why these guys who think trucking sucks are even in this biz. Sure, fatigue kills. But dont drive fatigued. It's ok to stop for half an hour and nap. No load is more valuable than a life. No company wants their equipment and a load scattered across the highway. It can be dangerous, but that's why you drive carefully and safely.
I love it, and I hope you will too.

 

If you are currently employed, keep working and spend your off time researching which trucking company you want to work for. The slower you come in this industry, and the more info you have about the company you pick to work for the easier it is and the more likely you feel like you made a good change.