Any Truckers out there?

[SaltyDawg]

It's possible that I may need to look for a new career path. Ever since I was a kid I wanted to drive the big rigs. Do we have any truckers and can you spare some info and advice?

Thanks in advance.

 

Wayne

[Tom]

Wayne,Ive been driving 37 years. Dont know your age or if a family but just starting out it is a tough and lonely life with very little respect..what I mean by that is there may be 100 super good drivers but if 1 Guy messes up and cuts someone off or tailgates alot of people judge you by the other guys actions. Also more than likely you will start over the road and believe me shippers and receivers take advantage of you IE: you load and unload..you will quickly find out that you loose big time money unloading all day for maybe $70.00 then out of hours to actually drive and thats where your money is. I have been fortunate in the era I came up in as I had plenty of choices and always landed a good driving job. Currently in my opinion I drive for the best company out there BUT you have to have ALOT of experience and a very clean driving record. That is another thing...a clean driving record..if you dont have that you will most likely be turned away or get a pretty crappy driving job. Currently I am close to 4 million lifetime miles no accident or tickets....that has been hard to do but its possible..knock on wood..Good luck in whatever you decide to do and if you need any personal questions answered feel free to call me anytime. Tom

[6pak]

I drove for 15 years until the Dr pulled my DOT physical. I haven't been in a truck in 4 years, but I still miss it every day. I also worked as an instructor for a commercial truck driving course for Altamaha Technical College here in Ga. I made plenty of money on the road. Loved every minute of it. I still follow what's going on out there since my brother drives also.

If you're single or wife can handle you being gone for a week at a time, go for it. And yes, there are plenty of companies that you can be home every weekend.

The only problem is most of those will not hire you as a rookie. Get about 6 months over the road (gone 2 to 3 weeks at a time) experience prior to trying this. Last but not least, Stay away from lease purchase companies, and companies that "pay" for your schooling. These will lock you into a contract you can't legally get out of without fulfilling your 2 or 3 year obligation, then they can starve you and make you pull bs freight with low miles.

Pay for your own schooling or go thru a state accredited college. Stay away from companies that will team you up after training with a driver you don't know. You may get along well with him or her, but the truck is now trying to support 2 families. You split all miles. So if the truck runs 4500 miles you get paid for 2250. You can easily run 3000 by yourself. The only teams that make money are husband and wife. They keep all the money in one house.

If you like to drive, Go for it. You won't be dissapointed. After you get 6 months or so, there are plenty of companies that will hire you, give you 2500-3500 miles a week, and have you home every weekend here in the southeast.

[Jerry W]

Wayne,Ive been driving 37 years. Dont know your age or if a family but just starting out it is a tough and lonely life with very little respect..what I mean by that is there may be 100 super good drivers but if 1 Guy messes up and cuts someone off or tailgates alot of people judge you by the other guys actions. Also more than likely you will start over the road and believe me shippers and receivers take advantage of you IE: you load and unload..you will quickly find out that you loose big time money unloading all day for maybe $70.00 then out of hours to actually drive and thats where your money is. I have been fortunate in the era I came up in as I had plenty of choices and always landed a good driving job. Currently in my opinion I drive for the best company out there BUT you have to have ALOT of experience and a very clean driving record. That is another thing...a clean driving record..if you dont have that you will most likely be turned away or get a pretty crappy driving job. Currently I am close to 4 million lifetime miles no accident or tickets....that has been hard to do but its possible..knock on wood..Good luck in whatever you decide to do and if you need any personal questions answered feel free to call me anytime. Tom

 

Gotta' tell you Tom, Wal-Mart drivers have the best reputation on the road. At least with the folks I know.

[SaltyDawg]

Thanks Tom. That's good information. Unfortunatly I am 47 and would be starting this gig late in life, but I have to provide for my family. My driving record is clean. Nothing since I was 18. I pride myself on being a good driver.

 

Do you think it would be better to get my CDL then look for a job, or get hired by a company and let them train me? I know that the cost of the training would come out of my pay.

Thanks again.

 

Wayne

[6pak]

Training first! I don't know about North Carolina, but here in Ga, the state will pick up the majority of the cost (grant). And most run Night courses that allow you to continue to work while training.

[SaltyDawg]

Thanks 6pak great advice. I'm betting the wife could stand for me to be away right about now. LOL. She would not mind a few ride a longs. I doubt she would want to drive though. You also answered my question about paying for training. I was afraid that would happen. I do love to drive and there's alot of this country I haven't seen yet.

Thanks

 

Wayne

[Tom]

Wayne,good info supplied..I never had formal training,just started local driving and somehow wound up over the road so I know nothing about the training courses but I think 6pak can answer those questions. Good luck in your career path and remember drive your truck the way you are comfortable,kinda like riding a MC. Drive to your abilities.

[flb_78]

My father went a did his own training and acquired his CDL a few years ago. No one would hire him unless he went through their CDL training program because he had no over the road experience.

 

Most companies are going to require that you have a minimum of 2 years of driving or you'll have to go through their program to drive for them.

 

You may want to call around and find out before you spend too much time getting training from an outside source if you're still going to have to go through a company's program.

[dynodon]

I am not a "driver" but my oldest son is one. I tried everything I could to discourage him, but he had a vision and went for it. He wanted his own truck, and found out that unless you are VERY good, or very lucky, that your own truck is a good way to go broke.

 

He did over-the road long haul for many years, and missed seeing his kids grow up, and it cost him a lot with his family.

 

Now he is making up for that, got with a decent local company that has him home every night, and weekends. Driving their trucks may put you in some questionable equipment, but if you keep an eye out, it isn't bad. Also, he doesn't have to worry about where to park his rig. Weekend parking is a problem for most owner operators. My wife was even his dispatcher for a while.

 

I am proud of my son for knowing what he wanted, and for going for it no matter what. We supported him after it was clear he wasn't going to change his mind!

 

Get your own training, decide if long haul is OK or not, and get some experience. Seems you have gotten some good advice.

 

As the family member of a trucker, I give them plenty of room on the road, and let them in when passing, I run a CB and usually get thanks for treating truckers right.

 

I have had plenty of them cut me off without warning, they assumed I wouldn't let them in, and they are right most of the time with most four wheel drivers, but those that do use their signals and drive with some respect for others (most of pro drivers do) I give that respect right back.

 

Good luck.

[Guest]

Ive been driving tractor trailers for 35 years. I never owned my own truck. Too much trouble and expense involved. Always worked for a company. I was fortunate to have been trained by a friends father who did air freight out of JFK airport back in the 70's. In 78 I hooked up with a major freight company (Akers motor lines) as a local driver. And yes, it was a union position. Just about all my driving jobs were Teamsters. The money was good and the benefits were great. When Akers went under I hooked up with several local companies before landing with Preston trucking. Lasted there 7 years and went to the Post office. Been driving trucks for them for 23 years now. I did some over the road stuff back in the 80's but I wasnt happy being on the road for days at a time. There are plenty of long haul companies out there who have training programs and also offer ride-along programs so you could bring your spouse. Check out some of the larger truck stops and there should be several free truck guides in the rack which list dozens of trucking companies looking for drivers. If you dont have a CDL with HazMat and air brakes right now that will lessen your chances. A company traditionally pays more for someone with these items and qualifications. In your case if they train you, expect to be on the lower end of the pay spectrum. Research some of these companies beforehand. Some are worthwhile while others are just crap to work for. I would look locally for some local work to get your feet wet and build up some experience.

Good luck.....

[SaltyDawg]

WoW you guys have been great. This is the kind of advise I was looking for. I don't know what the near future holds for me right now, but suffice it to say things are bad enough that I am contemplating other options.

 

Are most of the jobs Union jobs? How's that work. Never been apart of a Union. My BIL was with an electricians Union. He liked it, but there were some issues.

 

Which do you guys think I should go for a CDL or Heavy Equipment Operator? Both have been desires in the back of my head forever.

 

I'm not going to make this a political thread, but they are cutting Govt jobs in the DOD and, well I've been told that ours have a good chance of being on the chopping block. I say it's best to be looking into options.

 

I want to pay for the training outright, even if it is with a company that offers the training. Maybe that's a possibility, I don't know. I have to make some calls. One of our Sons is an trucker and he loves it. He is home most weekends, although for the first year or so he was always on the road. The company paid for his training, but he loved it and had no regrets. I haven't been able to talk to him about this since I have only been really considering this move these past few days.

 

I have discussed this with my wife and she backs me 1000%, we will do what we have to do to survive.

 

Thanks again for all the great advise.

 

Wayne

[jfoster]

I agree with the others....I did it for 12 years and got my training through the military. What I saw along the way:

 

1. I'm personally against driving schools, I think they are a rip-off. I personally think you would be better off finding an owner operator (willing) and paying him to train you, times are hard and it would be easy money for him.

2. Be very leary with companies that have "want ads" on the back of their trailers. They usually abuse their drivers the most and have a huge turnover rate.

3. I'm also against companies like werner or swift that say they will train you and then give you a job. You'll work for nothing for a LONG time and will most likely not get home for a long time.

 

4. Here lately, I've HEARD guys are doing good with hot-shot rigs with all the gas drilling in nw louisiana (your area may be different). Something to consider, easy to drive with no special training but, you will need a cls A cdl. (anything over 26k lbs, most hot shot trailers have a gvwr of 20k and a dually has 11k to 12k gvwr). Then again, if you can find a friend with one and willing to pay him to let you use it to get your license its alot cheaper than a school. (It may be something to look into it) If you go this route, get a current Motor Carrier Regulation Book and study up.

 

5. Like Tom said, there are some good companies out there, but your at the bottom of the list with no experience and those jobs are gonna be out of reach for atleast 3 - 5 yrs. There are small companies out there that will work you. Like Ruffy said, try to find a local company to get your feet wet and still get home at night.

 

When I got out of the military I asked a local co in Summerville SC if they would let me ride with them for experience (I already had my cdl). It worked out great on my days off and when I got out of the military I went straight into a job hauling equipment. I was like a pig in slop and loved it. Kinda like what Captain Phil said, "you got to want it and be willingly to work for free to get into it."

Edited September 23, 2010 by jfoster

[midnite]

Wayne, I'll tell you some of the other side of trucking to help you decide.

1. If you don't mind being lied to:ie,dispatchers telling you the load is ready, shippers telling you it hasn't been run yet wait 8-9 hours maybe then, dispatch; you're appointment is at 6am get there shipper says hell we don't need that till next week.

2. DOT always looking over your shoulder. The game is you get away with as much as possible, they try their best to catch you.

3. Bad food, weight gain from always sitting, some health issuses,etc.

4. Regular sleep ain't happening, get what ya can when ya can.

5. Never plan anything with wife or family till ya pull in the driveway.

6. Wife will have to take care of anything that comes up, Never take home problems with you on the road. To much time to think, will drive ya crazy.

Just a few things to think about

[Guest]

Wayne, most trucking jobs are not union jobs. Companies like Yellow freight, ABF, Roadway express, etc are union jobs but they are dwindling. My union positions have all been in NYC, very union oriented and a requirement if you wanted to drive for one of those companies, unlike the right to work states where union participation isnt a requirement for employment. If the company offers a fair wage and decent benefits then its worth it. Many companies give you nothing in return for your long hours. Another option would be to apply for a dock loader position at some of the larger freight companies (LTL, less then truckload operations) and maybe work your way into a driving position. You have to decide whats a good fit for you.