Truck Driver's, advice needed.

[OLDNEWBIE]

I had 29 yrs in as a Teamster with the last 9 at ABF , so no gum here Stacy.
Oldnewb a dock worker at UPS makes $27 an hour , you might try ( your a little old though ) getting your foot in the door there, no cdl needed.

There are a few more options now that I'm free to work full time. None are that are easy to get your foot in the door pay well.

 

[Mark W.]

In 1996 I decided to get a job as my enthusiasm for making handmade knives for a living was waning (been doing it for 14 years) Wife said hey the school bus co is looking for drivers.

they were 2 blocks away.
I applied I got hired I drove out of the gate on the first of my 40 hours of training and the third party driving instructor (a guy I had known since I was a little kid) looked at me and said. Well you won't have any trouble. and he was right. In the five years I drove for School Bus Services then Ryder then First Student (all the same) I ended up the head sub driver I drove out of 7 different depots for a couple dozen different schools I did trips as long as 4 days and I did as little route work as I could. On average I got 43+ hours a week.

The first summer I was driving bus I got asked if I would like a job driving grass straw picking up in the fields and hauling to the Squeeze (where it is prepped for overseas shipping) I said sure. The farmer a kid from the neighborhood I grew up in had me drive his 87 Int Eagle cab over with a 40ft trailer around the area for an hour. Told me that would be great and I was hired he filled out a Farm endorsement form I took it to DMV the next day and they put a little letter F on my class B CDL. I was no driving 105,500GVW 96 ft long tractor with a 9 ft drom 40' main and 24' pup. I hauled straw 11-12 hours a day for 6 weeks.

Did the grass straw thing the next 4 summers I then heard about the local landscape supply outfit looking for a driver. I got that job while still drivng school bus and worked part time. Then the guy offered me full time and a pay raise if I could get my Class A So I drove the smaller trucks for about a year and then went down and got my Class A. I was driving in one day anything from a 2 axle Ford 8000 cargo at 30K GVW to a 53' Chip trailer. Did this for 4 years until I couldn't stand the AHOLE I was working for any more and my neighbor offered me a job driving construction Dump truck and Pup 105,500gvw for a family owned Paving co.

I been there 12 years now I make a min of $24.00 an hour I average 45-50 hours a week 8 months a year and spend the winter working on my hobbies and projects. Working about one day a week. I am now #3 on the drivers seniority list out of 17. I get a couple nice bonuses a year and some other perks its the best job I have ever had. Now if I didn't have to get up so damn early most days it would be perfect. We work from Newport to Seaside to Portland to Eugene to Santiam Junction via both 20 and 22 We do everything from I 5 to tiny narrow forest service roads and parking lots.

And we laugh our heads off watching OTR drivers try to back up to a loading dock at somewhere like WINCO while we are repaving the parking lot. As backing up is how we make our living.

I don't think I could do OTR unless that was the only possible thing I could find to do.

 

[edslhead]

There are a few more options now that I'm free to work full time. None are that are easy to get your foot in the door pay well.

I hear ya. Doesn't help being 51 either. I agree that you'll find work with a cdl though, so if that's what ya think you'd like , do it. Good luck to ya.

 

[OLDNEWBIE]

Age discrimination is real. I'm in ok shape though. My back and knees hurt but isn't debilitating. Other than that, I kept up with much younger guys at my last job quite well.

 

[oknow]

instead of swift check out schneider they have a better rep. than swift and they have their own school also. I Think they require two years otr to pay for the training. you will be gone from home
3 to 4 weeks then 3 or 4 days home. after 2 yrs. good driving (no accidents tickets) you can get a job at just about any company you. want pm me for more info

 

[OLDNEWBIE]

instead of swift check out schneider they have a better rep. than swift and they have their own school also. I Think they require two years otr to pay for the training. you will be gone from home
3 to 4 weeks then 3 or 4 days home. after 2 yrs. good driving (no accidents tickets) you can get a job at just about any company you. want pm me for more info

In the process of convincing my wife
Thanks for the heads up though!

 

[oknow]

In the process of convincing my wife that whatever happens with us this will be financially good for the Kids and herself. I'm thinking she will oppose otr in the beginning because of the kids.
I'm gonna need a certain amount of cooperation from her and that's hard when we aren't talking.
Thanks for the heads up though!

It is hard on a marriage being gone all the time that is For sure because mom almost becomes a single mom. But if you can get your 2 years in there are local jobs that do pay good. Good luck with your decision.

 

[fredball]

IITR Creswell. Best way to quickly get into a Truck Driving career?

Is this a bad Idea for a 51 year old guy who's closest experience would be driving a "Deuce and a half" through narrow German towns a lifetime ago in the Army and a short stint driving the biggest Ryder box trucks on a weekly 3 hour route each way in the early 90s?

I enjoyed that back then but....

If I still lived in Sunny FL with straight flat driving I probably would have done this by now but must admit snowy, icy, curvy steep roads and Crazy Directions getting lost/stuck etc. worries me a bit.
GPS probably helps a lot these days though.

Any of you Truckers got into it later in life? Is a decent paying Job almost guaranteed if you finish the School with a CDL?

I always said if all else fails, I'd get in to driving trucks. Things are failing on a few fronts at the moment and I gotta make some quick decisions.

wow I don't know of any trucking outfit that makes you eat crappy food and pee into a bottle ,I'm thinking thats your idea , I should likely keep my mouth shut ,but you guys have got to have something to bellyache about so here is my poor story.( Trucking is not what it used to be).



I'm a Vetran and proud American and call some of you guys friend that I know ,

Ok I'm done

 

[Mikej]

"Pee in a bottle" Drive I-84 across Idaho and have your passenger(s) count the pee bottles tossed on the road side! Hint, they will be the ones with the yellow liquid in them.

 

[oknow]

"Pee in a bottle" Drive I-84 across Idaho and have your passenger(s) count the pee bottles tossed on the road side! Hint, they will be the ones with the yellow liquid in them.

and you think it is just truck drivers throwing those out?
btw it is only yellow for a short time then it is brownish.

 

[oknow]

wow I don't know of any trucking outfit that makes you eat crappy food and pee into a bottle ,I'm thinking thats your idea , I should likely keep my mouth shut ,but you guys have got to have something to bellyache about so here is my poor story.( Trucking is not what it used to be).
The out fit I drive for pays me milage .75cents per mile ,pays me for sleeping 47.00 a night pays me 60.00 each time I need to chain up if I chain 6 times in one day thats and additional 360.00 bux ,they pay me for every drop and hook 22.00 ea , pay me 22.00 hr for break downs give me clothing to wear and they have it laundred, brand new truck to drive 2016 ,I get 5 weeks of vacation a year,all my holidays off with pay ,2 personal days a year and you can save those for as long as your here ,4 safety days a year ,and if your lucky a random drawing for day off with pay , My medical is great ,my dental is great,vision& I work with some of the best people in oregon ,Plus I don't pay oregon income tax ,And we are non Union , I'm on vacation now till february 3rd then in march i get it all back ,All over again on my aniversary day. I knew i forgot something we get a safety bonus every 1/4 works out to around 3700.00 a year just for doing your job safely ,now I know I made a bad choice at some point in my life or wouldn't be doing this but ,I'm a Vetran and proud American and call some of you guys friend that I know ,

Ok I'm done B itchen

darn and I thought I was working for a good company.....

 

[fredball]

Nice looking Yellow lab

 

[fredball]

I should not post stuff like that I will delete it

 

[Ironbar]

If you enjoy not seeing your family for weeks on end, then get a job as a long haul driver. Otherwise you're looking at local hauler jobs.

 

[Scott F]

In the process of convincing my wife that whatever happens with us this will be financially good for the Kids and herself. I'm thinking she will oppose otr in the beginning because of the kids.
I'm gonna need a certain amount of cooperation from her and that's hard when we aren't talking.
Thanks for the heads up though!

Most every company that will take on a trainee will require 6 months OTR. I did my six months and just before it was up I was offered a great dedicated run that had me home every other night and made us good money.

 

[Ned Braden]

An experienced driver with a class A CDL can pretty much pick who they work for. These days many over the road trucks have automatic transmissions, refrigerators, Direct TV, very quiet cabs, ride like a car, and are actually a pleasure to drive. Of course the drawback is you can be away from home and family for MANY days at a time. Good luck, I was standing in your shoes several years ago.

 

[misterarman]

Good driving jobs are hard to find. You find something good and it seems nothing stays the same.
Constant change so flexibility is a must.
I went to work for a trucking company in 1990 and then got my CDL and started driving for them in 1997 and have never regretted my decision. Gave up a set schedule for a living wage with great benefits.
Working 60 plus hours a week with a lot of 10 hours off and back gets old quick.
A steady paycheck doesn't.
I would really try to avoid mileage jobs but getting experience you may have to sell your soul.
When I got together with my wife 16 years ago she said she wanted nothing to do with a long haul trucker. i said that's great because I'm not going to be one. So we have a deal, no OTR for me. Not to say I have not paid my dues but now being #1 seniority driver out of the Vancouver terminal for the largest food grade bulk hauler west of the Mississippi does come with some perks.
That doesn't mean I will never get laid over every year or 2.
Trucking does come with some labor but nothing I don't envision I can't do until I retire or I mean until I can't get up and do it anymore.

I think any trucking job during a divorce with a parenting plan schedule is going to be tough at best.

Living wage VS. a life?

Good luck. I don't envy your choice but life will go on.

 

[misterarman]

Oh, and by the way I have never peed in a bottle. With 5-9 axles I can always find a way.

 

[tj3006]

I am a 20 year truck driver.
I recommend it as a good way to earn a living. There are so many decent trucking jobs out there its amazing.
The drawbacks are significant. The regulations are many and the consequences for screwing up are significant. I never went 4 days without a shower and ate well.
You can expect to make between 40 and 60 grand a year. The first year is tuff. Go to craigs list and look at the transportation jobs. There are companies that will pay you while you train if you sign on for a year. After that year if you have no accidents and no major tickets , you are in great shape to get local job driving a dump truck or similar stuff.
I hope to retire at 68 with about 3300, a month . tj3006

 

[Mongo1]

My last position was owner/operator with May Trucking. I started as a company driver in 2004. There were a lot of the black tractors in the fleet at that time. I began talking with the owner/operators in those trucks. They all owned there trucks free and clear. I then lease/purchased a Freightliner Century. I paid it off on time. Sold it and lease/purchased another Century. I paid it off in August 2009. I would still be there if I hadn't developed night blindness. With the first truck, I ran 11 western states. With the second, I ran Oregon/Washington only. I was home every week. I got my CDL in 1970. I enjoyed being on the road. Truck driving is a piece of cake compared to when I started.