Yeppers - perhaps I need a new career.

Got laid-off from my research scientist job some time back and haven't been able to find a replacement. My reality is that I have a wife and 2 girls to support so I need to create a position for me rather than hanging out waiting for others. So, I'm thinking about getting a CDL and driving truck. It's something I enjoyed doing back on the farm. Any truck drivers out there with any advice on how to get started? Pitfalls to avoid? I realize that no-one owes a person a job so no sympathy is sought just some good sound advice.

I have no advice but same thing happened to me. I was laid off from the railroad and I decided to get my CDL. There is alot of place's that need CDL drivers, your going to make money with it no matter what. Good luck

You will make more money working at Wal-Mart or McDonalds.

My wife works in the Home Designee field. High end stuff. She has a few guys that have been laid off. They the gone out and got trucks and move new furniture and appliances for her. The charge fair rates and are clean and polite. She often has them do additional work like hang pictures and hall things away from the homes. This is all done T and M. She like working with them because they own the business and take pride in the work. She just sent a guy to Georgia to pick up carpet. He made enough money to have his house carpeted.


Bill

How old are you??? Ever think about the Military? Best show going. 3o days vacation, free medical, next to free housing, amoung the best school system (free) , get stationed overseas and you really roll in the benifits....

Good luck with whatever you do.

Dave

Hi Gougar,

I would suggest a drivers school to get your CDL as most fail the pre-trip inspection part of the test.

My son took that school at 18yo for $225/8hrs and had his CDL by 4:30pm that day. He's pretty sharp too, ASE diesel certified at 18yo but he stated he would have failed the test without the schooling on pre-inspection.

T_Bone

Dont know a thing about truck drivin', but the crop insurance industry can never find enough adjusters.

You need a knowledge of farming, crops, and computers. Make your own hours and schedule. It generally is per-diem or hourly, but can lead to full time with benefits.

There are somewhere over a dozen companies that have contracts with the government to market and adjust the Multi-Peril crop insurance.

Check out National Crop Insurance Services, the industry group most all the companies work through.

http://www.ag-risk.org/

Good luck, Gene

May get you a job in the future, but right now there are a lot of trucks setting idle with nothing to haul.

Trucking firm here in Iowa with 3 to 4000 trucks has about 600 setting idle right now.

Another with 500 trucks has 100 setting.

Gary

You all gave me some good stuff to noodle over. Thanks.

Wife and kids not good for a truck driver. BTDT yep I still have my CDL and it is long hours not much sleep not real good pay if you think about the hours you put in, plus almost never home. Most driving jobs have you out 5 days plus then maybe if your lucky home one or 2 days.

Sometimes a driving position will fill that void, sorry to hear of the layoff.

Might be a good idea to read up on the local DMV/CDL requirements, see if you can learn some things from an experienced driver, then you need to get seat time and experience. I think common sense goes a long way with truck driving.

One thing and you may not have a choice depending on where you are, economy etc. is staying local or over the road, I'm not current with how things are over the road, seems like there is a lot less work with large fleet operations. Local, maybe a common carrier, or similar, construction and material suppliers can be good jobs, but you need to have experience, though once you are seasoned, it should not be a problem, though there are some that should never be allowed into a commercial vehicle, most fit in with some training and experience and it will provide a living, the over the road type work is as described, definitely something I knew that I'd not be interested in, too confined I supppose, but some people really like it, so each to their own, might be for one, but not another.

I was very fortunate to learn growing up, we had 2 rigs at one time, but later on a good friend and co-worker, helped me learn or hone my skills to shift a fuller trans., all while on the clock at work, then I took it from there, road test and all, did that on company time too, 20 years back, some things have changed, headed down to renew my Class A right now, 8 years = $130, price sure has changed !

A friend of mine got his CDL A license 6 years ago due to a layoff, he was making $50k in 18 months but he hated driving all over the USA.

He usually saw his wife on the weekends, he has no kids. The first 6 months was terrible pay, $8/hour maybe $10, He had to get experience with a company called Stevens transport out of Dallas Tx.

I would recommend that you apply for a local dumptruck driver postion or whatever that kept you home mostly and you drive in the daytime.
If your girls are young then it would suck to be away and not see them grow up.

I dont know what state your from but there is always a shortage of drivers to take containers from the ports.The chassis is supplied all you need is the tractor.When you return the chassis you pick up another container.Tires and maintenance are provided for the chassis.Somebody has to get all that junk to wall mart from China.If you get a CDL all your fees go up.DUI limit is lowered to less than one drink.Most cops when they see a CDL [when driving the car]]wont give you a ticket because they think you are a professional driver. I am not a trucker but I worked at the port for three years and observed the operation.Good luck with your search for work.

return trip could be in a coffin or wheelchair

Re: Yeppers - perhaps I need a new career. in reply to Gougar, 07-10-2009 06:54:45

"How old are you??? Ever think about the Military? Best show going. 3o days vacation, free medical, next to free housing, amoung the best school system (free) , get stationed overseas and you really roll in the benifits...."

Plus all the free 5.56 and 9 MM you can carry... Military is ok, but you will deploy to Iraq or Afghanistan if you join. Food is free though when deployed.

Wayne

Even if you change your mind, having a CDL is never a bad idea.
I've kept mine for over twenty years, just something else for a resume.
Started off running corn trucks on the farm before I had any license. Both fun and scary (down big hills) at the same time.

I don't drive but my son did OJT with a friend and got his CDL A started OTR for a couple years liked it but you need to check on the DOT driving hours restrictions what was killing him was places where they would take 3 to 4 hours loading and unloading which subtracts from your road time. Waiting on his next load assignment took for ever and he had to sit in his truck waiting till it came across the computer and was not allowed to call back to the terminal make sure you can handle a rig in the worst winter conditions and not be afraid to run downtown New York City if none of the aforementioned bother you you're good.

I have a cousin who was a owner - operator. Just gave up on it, after 10 years. Said it wasn't getting any easier, and the money sucked.

Run for political office. Great benefits and all.

Been there done that. Spent 8 yrs in Marine Corps and if it was so great I would have stayed in. And yes I got to visit all those fun places like Iraq. You sound like a boot or recruiter. If you have a meal card food is not free. It is not the best show going I spent 4 out of 8 yrs away from my wife and kids and was shot at with everything from small arms to arty and thanks to the Air force friendly fire from a A-10. I also lost 2 good friends. Dont play that gung ho crap with me

If you can get your CDL the best jobs are union jobs.You will need experience to get a union job,maybe 3 years.Or buy your own truck,but now is not a good time.I hauled a couple of loads this week and in the Kansas City area where I was it seems like there is a lot less trucks than 3 years ago when I drove.Plus I saw a couple of places with a bunch of dry boxes parked,weeds growing up so you know they havent moved in a while.I think there will always be driving jobs available,its just what do you want to put up with?My suggestion would be to look for a smaller company if you can find one that will take you and let you run the same route for a while.Thats what I did years ago.Just be careful,leave a lot of distance between you and everybody for a while,dont get in a big hurry,and you probably can do well.If you can get a run to the same place for a couple of months in a smaller city somewhere to get used to driving and backing up and such would be good.I went from Missouri to Wichita,Ks for 6 months,and Iowa,and Indiana,to places that werent too bad to back in at.
The main thing is try not to have a bunch of wrecks in your first year or 2.That will give you a bad reputation and keep you from getting a better job.
Now some people will say its not true,but I know that union pay is almost double what some over the road companies pay.Plus they have better benefits usually.It is kind of hard to get a union job,but with a good clean driving record you can.I made more take home pay after taxes when I worked for a union company,and had good medical,dental,and credit union,payroll savings,bought stock,than when I owned my own truck.
Thats the best you can probably get,but you can make lots of money if you own the truck pulling oversize,or pulling tankers,reefers,or something for a company that pays good.You need a good accountant so you can hang onto some,but the taxes are outrageous.Plus the price of repairs,everything is higher all the time,so now its a good idea to work for somebody rather than own your own.It costs a lot to travel over the road.Waiting to load and unload,if you arent getting paid to set there,can hurt you bad if you wait everywhere you go in a week.Plus its not an easy job.Driving the truck is the easiest part of the job.The waiting,the stress,the stuff you have to put up with,the cops,the DOT,the traffic,the people at docks,other truck drivers,its just not a job everybody can do.I would say dont go to a school if you can avoid it,because beginning pay is not that good,then you have to pay them back for the school.By the time you do that you might as well go try and get a job at McDonalds or somewhere that you can be home if your kids are small.Its hard on your wife too,but cell phones help on that now days.If you need to be involved in a decision or something you can set a time where you can pull in somewhere and talk to your wife,where in the old days you had to find a pay phone and it cost a fortune to talk 3 minutes.What I did to drive was went with one driver for a week,then another one,then back to the first one,then 2 weeks straight with an old driver,in an ice storm,and by then I was ready to drive on my own.You must have somebody teach you about mountains because they can and do kill people driving trucks.They arent what they were in the past with the better trucks,jake brakes,tires,suspension,and things of modern trucks now,but they can still kill you if you dont know what you are doing.That and driving along and hitting black ice,big snow drifts,or pushing into storms like a hurricane or tornado can kill you or hurt you and others.A dispacher probably has not heard the weather report and if you take that good paying load to Florida you better look at the weather channel first this time of year because you dont want to be there in a hurricane.I found that out with hurricane Andrew years back.You dont get a lot of sleep if you want to make money.You work hard dont let them lie to you either.Its not maybe a real bad job,but you need to know when to say no.At least until you know your limits and have enough experience to know when to quit.Every load is not any more important than your life.If you try and get one there ASAP and roll it over in the median because you go to sleep behind the wheel,well it will be a day or 2 before they get that load if ever.If you sleep 2 or 4 or 8 hours and keep the truck upright and deliver the load they will be happy to see you,whether or not they say so.I have had to deliver a load that somebody wrecked,or even had to go to a plant and get another load to cover the one that somebody ruined in a wreck to satisfy a customer more than once.If the first driver had slept when he got sleepy it wouldnt have happened.You can go a very long ways in a good day,sleep 8 hours and go again the next day you can go 1500 or more miles legally in that time period.If thats not good enough they need to put it on an airplane.Dont ever tell them that because next week they might just put it on an airplane,but no load is worth killing yourself or somebody else over.
You cant hardly eat a good meal at a truck stop without spending 10 dollars.There are lots of fast food places,but that stuff is hard on your heart if you eat it every day.Best is to try and get a job that gets you home every few days,maybe for a day.You can take some home cooked stuff,get a microwave and refrigerator,and if you can get home every 2 or 3 days you can stay healthier.Some times you can run so hard you dont have time to eat even that way,so then you just have to take time to relax and eat.Your dispacher is going to sleep at night and eat several meals a day so you should too,or look for another job.
I dont know there is a lot to driving a truck,I could write a bunch more about it.I think out of 20 people that actually get a CDL and drive for 2 years over the road,and go to driving school,its up to like 18 of them quit before 2 years is up.The reason is trucking companies have the opinion that drivers are a machine.They dont care if your kid is failing math and needs a little help from you,they want that load delivered.I wish I had a nickel for every time I heard on Thursday night after running all week,"do me a favor and run up to such and such 300 miles away and get that drop trailer and run it to such and such and deliver Monday Tuesday and Wednesday next week then I promise Ill run you by the house."You do all that and get home and arent there 2 hours and they are calling wanting you to go out again as soon as your log book will let you later on that night.Yeah then the same thing next week.Its a lot easier to take if you get union wages for your trouble than whatever they can get you to do it for.If you have to negotiate your pay go for all you can get.They operate by cutting each others throat anyway.They wont have much if any loyalty to you,so they deserve the same from you.Thats in most cases.There are good people that you might find everywhere you work.Its best to stick with them if you can,its just a little less stressful to work for some folks you actually like.

(quoted from post at 15:27:45 07/10/09) return trip could be in a coffin or wheelchair

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Same as with a trip to the bathroom or supermarket..... Only difference would be a steady job, more education money/benifits than most don't even use, a chance to see something other than a cornfield or cow teets, $400k life insurance that costs next to nothing, etc, etc.... Not a bad deal compared to welfare, unemployment, or walmart........

I'm no recruiter and it's not about being gungho, just answering the original poster. It's not for everyone, that's why the ones that do it deserve our respect and gratitude. Never met a lot of Marines, but the ones I did meet never whined or badmouthed the The Corp. Semper Fidelis meant a little more to them than using it as a handle on a tractor forum and to do that.

Good Luck .

Dave

Best advice I can give is to not listen to t-40, when he starts talkin politics, otherwise, he may have a point in that epistle, somewhere!

No one is bad mouthing my Corps I am just telling the facts so you dont put bright ideals in some young kids mind that the military is the best thing going.

I am not whining and if you said that in front you would not be having a good day after that. How many COMBAT Marine veterans have you meet?

I can use Semperfi as much as I want I earned so go f**k yourself. You are going to tell them the good about the military then tell them the bad.

I can tell you have never been to combat because once you have you will change your thinking. Go to a VFW and talk to a Vietnam Veteran or talk to my dad who is also a Vietnam Veteran.

In my family everyone serve's, my sister is in Iraq right now. So yours words dont mean crap to me boy.

If your on welfare or unemployment or working at walmart that is your on fault. I think everyone should serve but you better be prepared for what can happen. Go sell the Military some where else

Very true go to the local VA and see all the Veterans missing limbs and in wheel chairs. I have the up most respect for those brothers and go out of my way to help them.

When I go to the VA it tears me up to see them like that. But I am sure they will tell you it was worth because they had 400k in life insurance and free food and was not working at walmart.

Dont mind me DAVE2 I am just a cry baby Marine right!

Let's not get the post poofed. Just agree to disagree and let it go. Sorry if I offended you. There's good and bad in everything.

BTW. I appreciate you and your family's service more than you'll ever know.


Dave

Your right I tend to get hot headed sorry about that. Just want the young people that are thinking about joining fully understand what they might get into and how it will affect them the rest of there life. Thank you for the support

Mike

trucker40 your dead on same thing my son has said because he drove for (God forgive me J B Hunt)now drives on a regional route for a contract parts company on third shift. I really left out the worst part I lost my oldest brother in 1981 on the PA. turnpike near Somerset flipped his truck coming out of the tunnel driving for Roadway on June 1st. My son worries about me riding a motorcycle all the time. All things are relative you can get killed going to the local grocery store.CT