inexperienced ,thinking about a career in trucking

hi. i've been at my present job for 10 years.i want a change.i've often thought about giving trucking a try,this time i'm serious.i'm considering going through the schneider training program,it's based in charlotte about 2 hours from there..i'm 43 years old,no felonies,no moving violations in over 10 years.good work record.i would appreciate any feedback any of you otr people can give me, thanks.

Hello there,

I am ~ERIC G. uv NC~
I too started driving later in Life when I was 40.
I am now 47.
There are many different avenues to cruise when considering a career in Trucking and there is no certain answer to which one is best.
Scheineder, J.B. Hunt, C.R. England (reefer), Swift, among others are certainly good ways to go despite what you may hear along the way.
Training periods vary somewhat with each company, however one can expect to be gone up to six weeks with a trainer AFTER or including the orientation at the respective company, which is usually about a week.
Having a clean driving/criminal record helps substantially.
Life On The Road can be very interesting and should be with the right mindset. There are companies that offer ride along so one can take another with them, and there are pet allowances as well.
Schneider would be a good choice as they offer not just dry van, but also have step deck, tanker, which is a good variation from the norm of simply one type trailer.
You're in NC or SC?
I'm in Greensboro, NC and my handle is BLAKOWT. I hope to be talking to ya sometime On The Road.
E-mail if ya wish:
valcaldera@msn.com

BEst of WELLness 2-u-n-urs-n ALL ventures!!

i'm in va.i talked to a schneider driver he liked it.the idea of driving alone,traveling "kinda" being my own boss appeals to me.the driver told me they had a lot of dedicated routes also.he had been with them 8 months and had his own route,anyway thanks.

appeals to you the most?

Is it:

- Days away from your home, friends and family?

- Monotonous unhealthy food?

- A unhealthy sedentary lifestyle that will take years off your life?

- The prospect of spending another 30-40 years in a truck and then dying in the sleeper berth?

- The mindless CB chatter and the same old truckstop stories?

- The prospect of doing something that seems pretty easy and can easily be performed *cheaper* by an illegal alien, once they are given work permits.

I don't intend to put you down, but I'm curious why trucking appeals to you. My government tells me there are a ton of great jobs out there and that the economy is booming, so why trucking? Why not go for the great jobs?

actually,yes i do like the idea of being away from freind's and family.
no job can make me sedintary and unhealthy if i don't want to be sedintary and unhealthy.
while i've never done it,i don't see it being an easy job.
as for those "great jobs" most won't have the security i believe trucking has.most require a lot more education than i have.
remember,goverment does not make this a great country,it's the people like truckers,and the other working people out there that makes it great.

Subject: What part of trucking...
Username: icantinaturner
IP Address: 69.34.26.235
Time/Date: 2005-11-20 23:07:17
Message:


appeals to you the most?

Is it:

- Days away from your home, friends and family?

- Monotonous unhealthy food?

- A unhealthy sedentary lifestyle that will take years off your life?

- The prospect of spending another 30-40 years in a truck and then dying in the sleeper berth?

- The mindless CB chatter and the same old truckstop stories?

- The prospect of doing something that seems pretty easy and can easily be performed *cheaper* by an illegal alien, once they are given work permits.

I don't intend to put you down, but I'm curious why trucking appeals to you. My government tells me there are a ton of great jobs out there and that the economy is booming, so why trucking? Why not go for the great jobs?


At first, I thought this was funny. Then I decided the poster didn't mean for it to be.
Hon, if you believe everything your government tells you, then you are an unarmed person in the brains department.
1. Nothing wrong w/ being away from home, if you are supporting yourself or family.
2. Unhealthy food? Only if you eat that way.
3. Sedentary? An office job sitting on your beehind 8-9 hours is sedentary. At least with driving, you're moving your body parts. And most anything can take years off your life.
4. Unless you are 20, most people who get into trucking (like myself) are already up in age. I plan on spending 20 years driving. No more, no less. Oh, and I'll die in my own bed. Unless of course, I get hit by a bus.
5. Turn the CB off, pop in some music. Truck stories? That's what portable DVD players are for.
6. Illigal's won't drive. They prefer the sunshine in the fields.

**1. Nothing wrong w/ being away from home, if you are supporting yourself or family.**

It depends on the trade off, there are very few trucking jobs that will support entire familes and all their bills that can not be equalled or BETTERED in the local workplace.

**2. Unhealthy food? Only if you eat that way.**

To buy and or prepare decent foods its takes A LOT more $$$. The trap of convenience foods and missed meals followed by buffet binges is just getting to be the norm.

**3. Sedentary? An office job sitting on your beehind 8-9 hours is sedentary.**

Not compared to the sleeper to seat lifestyle of the trucker. Desk jobs are complete with lunches and PAID breaks away from said desks where you can walk and get some fresh air and some real conversation with real people.

**At least with driving, you're moving your body parts. And most anything can take years off your life.**

Only if you can get fit by moving your eyeballs...

**4. Unless you are 20, most people who get into trucking (like myself) are already up in age.**

And whatever shape your in, be prepared to degrade pretty rapidly unless you plan on unloading freight or something to get some steady workouts in. Of course "real" truckers demand the right to sit on their tookuses while others who really dont need the exercise get paid to do it.

**I plan on spending 20 years driving. No more, no less. Oh, and I'll die in my own bed. Unless of course, I get hit by a bus.**

There are hundreds if not thousands of drivers who have passed away on the road, or where lucky enough to get disabled enough to be at home when the "lifestyle" kills them.

**5. Turn the CB off, pop in some music. Truck stories? That's what portable DVD players are for.**

You're missing the point. Music and stories get pretty darned old after a while.

**6. Illigal's won't drive. They prefer the sunshine in the fields.**

Really? Then who will drive the trucks when they finally make it so lowly paid or the conditions get even worse than they are now?

Hey Icantina since we're in the same neighborhood how bout hookin me up with one of those good jobs? 50,highschool grad, only missin a few body parts,can mostly see... howboutya?

slightly tongue-in-cheek and Fozzy nailed the intent of it in his reply.

I do think that plenty of folks go trucking without considering all the drawbacks -- and there are plenty. Given the state of social security, the inability of Americans to save anything for retirement and the absence of real retirement plans in most of trucking, a person like 30wt could be staring at 25-30 *years* behind the wheel, in spite of all the good intentions to live healthy..

Today, people are already pouring out of formerly decent industries and coming to trucking. Read this board. Thirtyweight is only one example and there are several on this page. That influx of additional drivers tends to drive down compensation.

In 10 years, with industry consolidation and increased political clout, trucks could be crammed with smiling foreigners on H2B visas, amnesty or work permits. This will further depress pay.

In 20 years, OTR trucks might be driven robotically on separate highways and even fewer drivers will be needed. Oops! Pay drops again.

In 30 years, freight could be beamed from point to point ala Star Trek... Sound ridiculous? So did your PC system 30 years ago. Apparently scientists have already beamed matter across a lab... Hey, push a button and the freight is on your dock -- now! =0)

Even if some low-buck trucking jobs still exist in decades to come, what will the future hold for young folks coming into the industry today?

There was an article in one of the freebie trucking publications that stated that the "trucking lifestyle" takes something like 5 years off your life! That is a heavy price to pay IMHO. I've often wondered what a person would give for 5 additional healthy years, if they had the option.

Trucking is easy, but the "lifestyle" is a killer. If you don't believe that, just look around the truckstops and talk to your fellow truckers. I've recently met guys in their 50s who have had heart bypasses, strokes and plenty who have had heart attacks. Funny how something like that will get them to quit smoking and start watching the diet... Yes, some of them now look great, but I wonder what they'd give for the extra 5 years. =0(

If you don't think trucking is sedentary, wear a pedometer for a week. As Fozzy stated, you don't get exercise behind the wheel and unless the desk jockey is a telemarketer or something odd like that, they'll walk more in a day than we do in a week.

Really, you're right on the money. There is nothing around here (Gettysburg/Adams county area) for the average working person.

I read the papers and listen to all those glowing acounts in the media about how the economy is "booming" and I wonder where that's happening. Without a CDL, the best I could realistically expect around here would be $10 per hour and I'd be really lucky to get that.

Some folks in this county are screaming for a new Wal*Mart distribution center on hiway 15, because it would bring jobs paying a "living wage" (their words, not mine) of -- ready? -- 11 whole bucks an hour!!! Wow! Without overtime, that would be almost $325 - $350 per week take home. Where would they spend it all? Probably at a "Supercenter," no?

It's pretty sad when trucking is the only alternative to working two crappy jobs. And GM just announced they were laying off 30K workers in the next two years. Those guys are probably already scouting out trucking jobs. As you can see, this stuff makes me nutz. =0)