new guy here

[UncleChuck]

Hey everyone! Im new to this site! New the expediting world. Im 30 years old. I always wanted to drive trucks for my whole life. I have driven small delivery trucks for years and held a class A to drive a bottom dump. As of now my job is far from trucking and I have had all types of jobs after my last driving job and I came to the conclusion that I am happy driving and I wish to drive as my career. I always wanted to own my own truck.

So to keep this short I will say that I am still doing my research in this matter. I am going to take 3-5 years to save up for a truck,operating cost and parts, besides that I know I need to educate my self in the business part of it. I know about the lifestyle of being on the road....living out of your truck, waiting for loads hours on end and so on....I have no problem with the lifestyle!

So I have read alot of negitive things about this driving career...but how about some positive ones.....I dont want this career for the money, nor to travel( but seeing the country is nice......Im here to drive, thats what I love and it what I do best!


looking foward to hearing some good points of view!!

 

[OntarioVanMan]

Welcome UncleChuck....No relation to ChuckyCheese are ya?

good start..research and save them dollars and more research.

 

[piper1]

Welcome Uncle Chuck! Research is the key as well as a bit of a bankroll!!

Don't let the negativity you may see in posts lately get you down. Lots of folks are slow and now it's hurting and sinking in that the economy is slowing down for real.

It will get better, hopefully you are ready to go when it does!

Lots of very knowledgeable folks on here so read up!!

 

[Jack_Berry]

unclechuck said:
I dont want this career for the money, nor to travel( but seeing the country is nice......Im here to drive, thats what I love and it what I do best!

if the money and travel do not matter then why not go with one of the bigs in t/t. you get to sleep regular while someone else drives the company equipment. schneider, jb and swift will ensure you all the miles you can digest. being only 30 you could also hang with the hhg crowd.

 

[pelicn]

If you just like to drive, I'd suggest becoming an over the road, tractor trailer, company driver. You can drive as many miles as the hours of service allow, and not worry about the businessman side of it. To be an owner operator of any sort, it's businessman first, driver second.

 

[Humble2drive]

I always wanted to drive trucks for my whole life.

I am happy driving and I wish to drive as my career..

.

....Im here to drive, thats what I love and it what I do best!..

Don't get the wrong idea. The posters here have your best interest in mind when they suggest OTR TT type stuff.
It is downright frustrating for someone who just wants to drive to have to deal with all of the other aspects of expediting, especially all of the waiting and not driving.

Keep that in mind when you do your research and if you do decide on expedite, why not drive for a fleet owner and get a real feel for the lifestyle and what type of truck you would want.

 

[Yesteryear]

Hi Unclechuck! I'm 30 years old too! Least I once was, I think, hmmmmm, ok, at one time I was thirty years old too! Whats great about this job you ask? Why that's the simplest of questions! You get to meet great new people everyday, just like me! You get to go to new places, see more than most people will ever get to see, you'll learn the geography of your home country and Canada. You'll have lots of time to dream and ponder. You'll learn a lot of things you will never have thought of. And best you'll have the freedom of the wide blue yonder at your beck and call! That's what's so very great about this job!

 

[UncleChuck]

Hey thanks everyone for the replies, they are very welcomed!!!!!!!

Yes I have applied for swift and got denied do to my driving record(to many speeding tickets) and yes Im still paying them off.... Also having alot of my family in trucking...my uncle mainly...(hence the name uncle chuck), I have a pretty good idea of what being a company driver has to offer me and that is still a very good option if anything else does not work out.

being on these boards I figured out that expediting has to do with time and temp sensitive cargo. I am also figuring out that there is a business part to that. Well I do know that I have always had a burning desire to work for no one but myself, and when I work, I take it very seriously, so the business side I will have to conquer that. Does anybody have any recommendation on some fields of study I should take. I have a exellent community college a few blocks away!

My main reason for wanting to this form of trucking is because I can own my own truck sooner do the the price. But on the other hand I have found fair class A tractors for the same price as class b tractors.....it been my dream to own my own rig and Im just thinking about operating cost mainly.

So all this is still up in the air, thats why Im here Im seeking guidence and knowledge

thanks for the nice welcome!

 

[Lawrence]

Welcome Uncle Chuck!

 

[shawnm1981]

I seen where you had said you got denied from swift due to tickets keep in mind before buying any truck just cause you own it doesn't mean your in the clear on the tickets the companies like tri state and panther and bolt etc. all have requirements on how many points wrecks duis and such are on your record just a friendly heads up

 

[mirangerman]

Welcome!

Yeah - I'd say if ya got turned down by swift - chances are real good to get turned down by pretty-well all of them. Especially now w/ the glut of drivers that are out there.


-charles

 

[moose]

Would it help if he drive fast in reverse ...?

or he can move to Michigan ...:

Michigan Man Killed by Trucking Company that Allowed Epileptic Driver and Out-of-Service Truck Makes Case for Punitive Damages | Michigan Auto Law Blog




Moose.

 

[moose]

for me its very simple
if you have such a bad driving record ,with speeding tickets all over ...
so bad that you did not made
"the swift list "

you have no place driving a truck without the proper training.

go to an expenssive driving school .
find a trucking company that have a long training program ,(such as Prime )
investing in safety is the best investment you will ever make in your future career . its the ABC of trucking.



Moose.

 

[UncleChuck]

dont get me wrong. I know how to operate a vehicle safely, my speeding tickets were all on my motorcycle. But keep in mind guys that I am going to do this in 3-5 years.....enough time to save money, enough time for some tickets to clear.

So if all fails I will go the company route, but I really like to own my truck, but if I have to pays my dues and drive company then so be it!

 

[UncleChuck]

you have no place driving a truck without the proper training.





Moose.[/QUOTE]

I HAVE been a class A driver, with all endorsements, so I know how to drive pal

 

[Crazynuff]

A lot of you are out of touch with the OTR industry . Things have changed . Just this morning I read a post by a driver that left another career and took Schneider training . He has been getting less than 1500 miles a week . His training obligates him to work for them a year or compensate them for his training . Schools are a ripoff . The carriers are all reducing the fleet size . Here's what's happening . Recruiters go to schools and hire drivers . The drivers go to orientation and are sent home to wait weeks without pay for an available truck . A truck becomes available when someone that was hired out of school less than 6 months earlier can't afford to go any further in the hole taking home $300 a week or less and quits . It's an ongoing cycle . Think you have it tough ? Please be kind and don't guide anyone to CDL schools or OTR carriers .

 

[VBobby]

The truckload companies that I have talked to all say that they are being very picky hiring drivers. They have many experienced drivers knocking on their doors. They are a lot less forgiving to their current drivers as well because they are so easly replaced. They are not buying any trucks right now. New hire's are waiting weeks for a truck.

Some are operating training programs anyway. It is another stream of income. They get students on the hook basicly as endentured servents. They also get money from the government for each student. There are some good company training programs. I went through one.

As for the guy that went to Schneider; he must mean that he had to ride with a driver trainer for a while. Schneider discontinued their school four or five months ago.

All that to say this. What driver shortage. Times have changed as Crazynuff said.

 

[nightcreacher]

Let me tell you a long story that I will try to shorten.
Before becoming a truck driver,I was a horse trainer.Every weekend going to horse shows or in the winter time horse sales.I had my own tractor trailer,and probably drove 20000 miles a year.After my divorce,as my ex wife received all my tach(horse equipment)I decided to become a truck driver.At first was really cool,was pulling a 6 horse trailer with living quarters,received 25cpm per horse,and with the 6 horse trailer,was doing well,except very illegal.I wont go into this.Well to make a long story short,I decided to become an over the road trucker.Now since i didnt have to log any of the miles I had been driving,I couldnt find a job,so off to truck driving school I went,this equals 6 months of over road driving.In the 70's so many companies were going under,when you filled an application out,it was hard for any company to know what you have written were true or not,hense my 1st job.
Now this driving seemed like a simple thing,why wouldnt i want to be an owner operator,and bought my 1st truck.Needless to say,that lasted 6 months,the repo man came and got it.between Murphy's Law and buying everything in site,no money to pay the bills.
Bottom line,before you get into this with both feet,you better know all the ins and outs to the business.If I wanted to see the country,first off,get your drivers liscense straightened out,most companies will let you have 2 in 1 year and 3 in 2 years but thats it.Insurance companies will not except much more,whether on a MC or car or truck.Now after you get hired,use that company truck to learn the business,make mistakes with someone elses money,and in those 3 or 4 years you will be ready.

 

[Dakota]

another good site to get information on OTR trucking is Pumpkindriver.com
If your thinking about driving for a company for experience, that site will give you the information you need.