Always wanted to be a trucker

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Hey PD, I'm pretty new myself and found this site after applying at and being accepted at prime, and I did an enormous emount of research, mostly due to this site I did not train at prime I went to Roehl transport their school is fairly cheap and there is no servitude contract with them, but dont know if they hire out of oregon or not. go into the report a bad company thread as well as discuss your favorite company thread, just by going onto a cos. website u cannot tell what is really going to happen Primes site sounded really good until I found out the truth. Also; figure out if you want to go van or flatbed, maverick is supposed to be a good flatbed co. and I may be mistaken but watkins shepard is supposed to be a good van co.? from your area(??) I have also heard that it is a good idea to stay away from reefers (u do a lot of sitting, waiting to get loaded/unloaded) I can tell u that with my personal experience roehl school was great and the company itself great. I have had an excellent experience with them. Hope this helps, oh, I have heard that local comm. colleges are the way to go for training, stay away from CDL mills they charge 6-9000 dollars for your cdl but they don't really teach u much.

 

Oh one other thing, going to a truck stop would be a good idea, but probably work better if u have a cb to make the first contact though. before I went to school I saw a roehl truck at a rest stop in southern indiana and was getting ready to go talk to him but thought he might be sleeping or maybe he would think I was up to no good by approaching his truck so I didn't.

 

Welcome to the Board.

Getting "started" is not difficult. First thing you need to do is figure out is if you want to attend a private school or a sponsored school. I personally recommend a private school if you can afford it or are able to take advantage of any type of grants or even low interest loans that may be available to you. If you attend a sponsoed school (sponsored my a trucking company) you will be required to sign a contract that can range anywhere from 8 months to 18 months. If you are terminated or leave the company prior to the end of the contract, you may be required to pay part or the full amount for the CDL training, which in many cases is over inflated.

Once you figure out how to obtain your CDL, then start researching which companies will fit your needs. This is the most time consuming process. Make a list of your wants and needs and then see how or what companies fit that list the best. Do this research by reading threads on this board or others, go to truck stops and speak with drivers from a company that you are interested in, call recruiters. Do what ever it takes to gather as much current information as possible, this way you can make an educated decision BEFORE signing on with someone. The key here is to take as much time as possible and research, research, research.......

I just retired from the military and am in my last week of CDL school. I have conducted my research thoroughly over the past couple of years and I am very well prepared to enter this industry. If you care to PM or email me, I will be more than happy to share any of my information with you.

Best of luck to you.

 

No need for a cb....just go into the restuarant and sit down at the counter. This is what I did and found that more often than not drivers were more than willing to talk to me and share information. When you or they are about to leave, offer to pay for their coffee or meal as a "thank you" gesture. It worked well for me.

 

Hey forgot about that counter, well I never go there anyway I always go to the booths

 

So far, these guys and gals have given you good advice. I left the comfort of staring at a computer screen all day to start driving a truck. That was about two years go.

I had the money to pay cash for independent school and took the chance. I found a good one (after comparing several), which was located at the community college. The cost was pretty cheap (less than $2500) and the training lasted for 6 weeks and included lots of extras like forklift driving and plenty of time behind the wheel. Check your local community college and see what they offer. Most driving schools are 3-5 weeks long, but longer is usually better, in my opinion.

While working at the driving school, I got a job through a temp agency working on a loading dock, which not only got me in better shape, but got me looking at a truck again (from the lumper's perspective). Plus you get paid $10/hour to lose weight. lol

Anyway, the company I drive for now is the company I started with. Well, technically I started with Werner, but I only did orientation there before decided I wanted nothing to do with them. I went out as a local driver with a company local (the boss' son, it turns out) for a little over a week and then OTR with a trainer for about a month.

Don't expect to make the same kind of money you make at a professional job your first year. I took a $15k+ paycut that first year and will probably just barely match my average pre-driving income this year. You can expect to make about $30k your first year, give or take, depending on the company you're with and how much home time you want. If you drive team, you can expect to make more. I can't imagine how team drivers put up with someone 24/7 like that, though. Not to mention sleeping while they're driving... lol

 

I'm a firm believer that you will never know what you like unless you try it. I've tried everything, almost. Friends laugh at the amount of schooling I have had and the fact that as of yet I've not found a permanent career. I went to truck driving school because it felt like the natural thing for me to do. I grew up around truckers and I've always loved to drive any and everything with a motor and wheels. I figured it was time I started getting paid for all that driving so getting my cdl seemed like the most logical thing in the world to do. Hang out at the truck stop and talk to a few truckers. I don't think they will think you are weird. And I also think you'll get some honest answers to your questions that way.

 

I totally agree here, freebird. I've tried a lot of things myself. When I was a small business consultant, I used to tell people that the #1 thing that stops most people from trying a new business is never actually starting one in the first place.

Never be afraid of failure, only of being afraid to try.