Well guys, it's decision time....

Where did you say you live?

 

Some people think having faith means everything should go the way of their choosing not understanding why things go differently.

when you accept the outcome no matter what it is as the right outcome for you then you can rightfully say “I have faith”


Lots of good info on this forums and many good people to help guide you,


I personally wouldn’t quit my day job that provides for the family to get a cdl then hopefully find a job.

I would try weekend classes to get it and then line up a job before leaving.

 

I spent 4 months on Haven Street School in Baltimore downtown. Saturday and Sunday 15 hours a day nothing but either classroom or running western maryland DC rush traffic or whatever. The rest of the time playing in the 2 acre transfer dock situation learning everything. Offset, parking, docking and so on. All of it.

I worked 5 days a week doing seafood in our Tavern. Going into spring and summer that worked out to be a good business for both Tavern and myself. Fuel costs nothing on that old car for about 10 miles to school each way.

Once I got my class A it was not difficult to pickup a trucking job like a month later. 10 minutes talking to safety who got all your information, checked your DMV record, PSP, CSA and so on all of it while you took a half hour road trip down the road and back. Nothing stressful. Just a nice drive.

When I got back to yard, safety boss told be to be there at 2 am ready to work all day with my trainer. Turned out to be a 15 hour day most days of the week. Home on weekends in Bulk Cement. two weeks later they gave me a old mack. Something cheap enough for me to crash, total, roll over or whatever and it wont hurt them none. Just me. And something tough and simple enough to put up with my mistakes learning. A dent or ding don't hurt it none. And if I blew up a tire? Big deal get another one from the rack and a air tool, get to work. In those days 5 spoke wheel on split rim easy peasy.

And the money? Erm about around 450 gross a day if you were dedicated to Pentagon Silos in Arlington VA which is like stones throw from our greatest military HQ ever. "Fort Fumble" as in screw ups etc. 5 days a week? Oh around 2200 gross, 1200 net. (My withholding was big. for both state and federal. I had by then gotten sick and tired of taxes each year. you owe 670, and another 400 please.

So I turned it around, you pay me back 20,000 based on total fed and state of 500 per week over and beyond W2 standard deducting.

Interest? We have been essentially 0% since 2003. There is no real interest to earn even today. Not unless you bought out a annuity which seems to pay out 7 years of taxable income each quarter until Annuity is all gone. You get to pay taxes on same. So a 10K annuity will probably produce around 3000 more dollars give or take over 7 years to pay out to zero. as long the investment and taxes you pay are less than the 7 year total you are making money personally. If you had 5 annuities guess what? you bank em all. And buy 10 annuities. Keep stacking. Then it wont matter what happens to Social Security, its there and nice to get but you wont need it. THAT much.

Unlimited trucks back then too. Speeding tickets started in Maryland about 45 dollars for 1 to 15 over. 70 for 20 and less over. If it was 95 and faster then arrest becomes a option because that's considered racing, speed contest, reckless and so on and on.

In those days if someone fired you, you were in orientaiton next week. All they cared about before CDL (1991-1994) was that you were not supsended or revoked. I would tell my employers I had 7 points to go another 6 months before the two year time to drop off. No problem get going yer late.

Everything we endure in Orientaiton today the BS associated with that is tracable to both the CDL Laws of the early 90's and the post 9-11 homeland security indirectly affecting some of us who are not good drivers for the USA.

From what I understand as of 2020 into 2023 we individually are now required to self certify that were are drug free or whatever it is. If thats proven to be false guess what? it's prison. Federal Prison.

Today? HA no work for me in trucking, you can be sure of that.