Worth getting a CDL in my situation?

Beware -- not all CDL carriers (that hire & train rookies) are equal.

Some are indeed better starting gigs than others....

-- L

 

OK, lets look at this objectively:

You make $100,000/yr+ in ALABAMA? That means you MUST have some sort of specialized skill, which will most likely earn you more $$ just about anywhere else. So, in that case, if the issue is just that you can't find a career paying as much in Alabama, then move to where the jobs are.

OTOH, if there is some reason you want to stay in Alabama, keep in mind you probably won't make half that when you start, and to make that kind of money in trucking, you ain't a-gonna see much of Alabama for the next few years anyway, IF you ever get to the point of making that kind of money. For every guy making $100k/yr, there are probably a dozen making only $50k.

Either way, I don't think making the switch is a good move in the long run.

You know, I still have my CDL, but I have a house, a relationship, friends, and a job that I work from 7-4 M-F, occasionally Saturday mornings, a 10 minute commute, and a reliable $80k/yr. I wouldn't mind driving again at least once for maybe a week, but I d@mn sure ain't gonna go back to OTR!!

 

It’s not going to help. It’s not like you will get laid off and be trucking in two days. You have zero experience. More than likely the places that will hire you will want to send you to school again. This isn’t 45 years ago where you can just hop in a truck on a hand shake. Again you have zero experience and your training will be stale.

 

Ok. Well, you certainly know more than us. Good luck with it.

 

This was something I didn't realize ahead of time. I got a Class B through VOC Rehab, but because I've never worked at all, no one would hire me... and because no one will hire me, my CDL is sort of useless unless someone hired me and paid for a refresher course.

Trucking schools told me companies will hire you fresh out of school with no experience. They didn't specify that you have to be a kid for that to be the case.

 

How do you qualify for free tuition in Alabama making “six figures”.

$30 k income is 200% of poverty level for a single person. How do you get past their income qualifications?

 

My advice is , if you can , I’d stick with flying .
And / or whatever other jobs you may have

Visit a busy truckstop and observe the drivers

most are foreigners who can’t speak English and are fresh off the boat from some third world country

that’s who you’re gonna be competing against .
An endless suplly of foreigners .
If someone who can’t speak English can be doing your job in five weeks , are you really going to get paid very much ?

Don’t be swayed by the recruiters ,
They get paid for recruiting
Kinda like the ones for the military

Think about this :
WHY are they recruiting so heavily ?

the answer is because the trucking companies AND every other person you interact with at shipping and receiving docks , weigh stations , cops etc

EVERYONE treats drivers like dog doo that’s stuck to the bottom of their shoe.

In some niche markets of trucking , the shippers and receivers are happy to see you but for general freight , you’re just a pain in the neck cause you showed up

In normal freight you will spend HOURS sitting and waiting and not getting paid

Most places won’t let
You use the restroom
And every EVERY person you interact with either hates you for showing up and making them have to unload one more truck , or everyone has their hand out trying to extort some money

some places will have an appointment time and you show up a couple hours early , and get told to come back ten minutes before your appointment

if you’re late for your appointment by a couple minutes , they reschedule your appointment, for one day next week , and you’re stuck waiting for days without getting paid

my neighbor is a driver for a company that does oversize loads for the military.
Their drivers are home every weekend and have to get a security Clearance from the military.

he was making about $100k and home every weekend but that work has dried up

he’s Looking at driving a trash truck

unless your $100k a year career is in a very fragile industry, or unless you really hate it , I’d stick with it

 

Well… yeah, when people are telling you that it is a waste of your time at this point and you don’t want to hear that. Probably because you have already made up your mind. Instead you throw out some laughable BS about a recruiter. And since you made the humble brag about being a pilot for the military; I would expect you to know that recruiters are full of ####.

If you are not planning on using that license in the next six months to a year. Don’t waste your time going to school. It won’t help
You.