What yall think

A driver is on duty 14 hours a day. A driver has an 11 hour drive clock. Rinse and repeat in that for a few weeks and then try to figure out the time, sleep, and energy to wrench. A seasoned owner operator who can chose his own loads and work on his rig can arrange home time to do so. Things don’t break at home. There isn’t room on most trucks to carry the tools etc...breakdowns happen usually at night in the snow (even in summer) in the middle of nowhere.

A new driver is company driver 99% of the time. You aren’t allowed to work on the truck. They have a whole facility for that with seasoned SAE mechanics.

Nothing is free. It’s a time management issue, and yes @Ridgeline is right there is a cost.

Let me say. Your plan is bad. Do one. Do it the best you can. Put everything you’ve got into it. Just ####ing around with both gives us a ####ty mechanic and a dangerous driver. You have a ####ty work history. Stop that by focusing.

BTW let me add people are quick to say thoughts and prayers or thank you for your service if that is applicable. It’s great but does nothing other than offer the smallest amount of respect. There are a lot of people on here who served or had family members who served and came back stacked with PTSD, injuries or under the Flag. If you want a beer go to the legion. If you want advice on driving shut your hole and listen. These people are trying to help. You appear to be looking for confirmation on what you’ve decided. That’s great go ####ing do it then and stop wasting our time.

I wish you well. Cheers....

 

What a ###. If you want to learn mechanics that's great. If you want to drive that's great too. Will one help you save some money in the future who knows for sure. Being able to do your own work will cut your expenses. Will you ever save enough to cover 3 years of lost wages while not driving and lost wages working on your truck rather than being on the road again who knows. Besides, repair cost are tax deductible and offsets your income putting more money in your pocket at the end of the year. Do what makes you happy. To stay with it you have to enjoy it. From one veteran to another.

 

Sorry you went through that, I didn't want that for anyone but that aside, it is the problem with all of this, not just the military, but school loans and so on.

I see potential with being a mechanic of any sort when it comes to trucking but then I also see potential with being an aircraft mechanic (which can be applied to truck repair) more so than ever driving a truck ... we have plenty of drivers ... too many drivers for that matter and a crap load of owners who are on the edge of failing which the public doesn't understand ... see what I am getting at?

We need good honest people who repair our trucks, these people are few and far between, it is rare where we actually get someone who knows what the hell they are doing and actually treat us as adults so they tell us the truth.

So do what you want, if you want some advice, take a serious look at what I am saying, use the benefits and you can make more, sleep better and not risk your life again living on the road in one of the most dangerous jobs.

 

I'm a former mechanic and I think that skill has helped me tremendously in trucking. I'm never whining to the shop about something that I can repair myself. Certain drivers get a rep at their terminals and you don't want to be that guy.

BTW, thank you for your service. You've earned the right to go to trade school. Go for it.

 

did the same thing in the 70's.

came back from Vietnam and bummed around for about 8-9 yrs. construction, college . didn't stay in the same state for more than 6-7 months.

after I decided suit and tie jobs suck, tried driving. 35 yrs later, retired from it.

do what you want. use the GI bill for whatever you want. YOU EARNED IT!!.

good luck to ya !

 

I am sailing the same boat, some unconvential practices which have worked well but not by the book. Just look them in the eye and explain to them what you were doing. As long as it is lawful all you will have is jealousy to deal with. They play the wrong game.

 

Knowing the basics is good but the real needs in the future is in electronics and all the new technology they producing, we are kind of going into another leap in tech.

 

Been out here 12 to 13 years now. Most repairs that we as drivers do take mainly common sense and a willingness to actually do the repairs. The type of repairs your talking about going to school for are not going to be done on a roadside breakdown and are going to require equipment and a shop to do. If you have those great. If not your training is going to be mostly idol and not used. Don't get me wrong, knowledge is great but the practical side is a huge expense for something you might never use seems kind of a waste.

 

Trucking might be a good fit if you have trouble holding down traditional jobs because you live at your job. You don't have to drive anywhere, battle rush hour every morning and show up somewhere on time everyday. It's a bit different.

I have enjoyed it so far and was a bit depressed before I came into trucking like you. Didn't like dealing witht he same people every single day and always feeling like I had to please everyone. I still have to try and make some people happy as a truck driver, but it's a bit different and I found the expectations reasonable so far. I don't have to worry about what I say most of the time and I get to meet a diverse group of people wherever I go across the country. And they aren't expecting me to make them happy and fix everything yesterday, they just want me to pick up their freight.

Something to consider.

 

Just put honda civic Chinese exhaust and you will be in people hearts ever since !