New driver over 50 - job offers?

[LD27]

I am starting school next week at the local community college.
I will get my CDL by end November.
I am 54 years old. Excellent driving record and excellent work history.
My background is in manufacturing management but I'm tired of the rat race.
I'm seeking a career change, but don't want to leave the wife at home alone for more than a day or 2 at a time.
Based upon all this, what type of offers do you think I'll get when I finish school. Is my age an issue at all?
My main goal is steady employment until retirement. I'm not looking to make the big bucks, just enough to live comfortably. We have no mortgage or credit card debt or car payments to make. No kids to raise. So our financial needs are minimal.
Comments?

Len

[GMAN]

Age shouldn't be a problem as long as you can pass the DOT physical. Getting home every day or two could be a problem. Most companies will put you with a trainer for a few weeks before turning you lose in a truck by yourself. Most keep you out from 2-3 weeks at a time until you gain some experience. You may want to try and find a local driving job. Some are difficult to come by without over the road experience. My advice is to start making phone calls to find a company who best meets your needs. Some of the larger carrier's have listings on this forum under "Company Listings." This by no means all the companies who hire drivers. The major problem facing most who don't have any experience is finding a company who has insurance that will cover an inexperienced driver. Those of us who only have a few trucks find it very difficult to obtain affordable insurance that will cover a driver with less than 2 years experience. If you are pretty rigid in wanting to be home every day or two, I would spend the time to find a potential employer before spending the time and money to go to driving school. Good luck.

[lifespalette]

My brother jumped from owning Burger Kings to driving a truck at 55, he's with CR England has averaged just a little of $1000 per week net and I've a number of friends who have made the jump into driving from various professional careers all well after turning 50. I think you'll find you're not alone.......not by a long shot.

As to spending just a couple of days away from home..........I think you're under estimating that. As a new driver with no experience it's going to be hard to find a company that gets you home every other day........you might get lucky and find a local job that will train you for local work, but, in most cases it's the insurance underwriters that have restrictions that force the companies to hire drivers with at least a year's experience. I think you're going to be hard pressed your first year to get what you want.......most likely you're going to have to go OTR for at least a year..........get your experience and then find something local that will allow you to get home nightly or at least weekends..............

[Uturn2001]

As G-man said age is not going to be a factor as long as you can pass the DOT physical.

Unless you live in or near a larger metro area however you are likely going to find it difficult getting a CDL job that is regular and will get you home daily unless you want to run a garbage route or maybe work your butt off delivering soda or bear to stores.

[Sealord]

Delivering bear must be a ..... bear. Now beer, that's a whole 'nother deal. BOL

[wrangler69]

LOL

[benny the deuce]

I am in school right now at age 52, going truckin for a while.
Age vs. job offers?.. Heck I have a dozen pre-hire letters!
Now I am seeking long haul, that may make a difference...

I think we need to start the Newbie52Driver club. See you out there!

[Skywalker]

My brother jumped from owning Burger Kings to driving a truck at 55,

Say whhhhaaaattt? If I owned even one BK....I wouldn't be doing this!! The freakin' things are gold mines!! Just the fanchise cost for the sign is a small fortune!!

Me, I'd find a reliable manager and buy a boat and be in the Caribbean enjoy my life...big time. I darn sure wouldn't be doing this!!! No..no.no!

[Flatspot]

I was 59 when I quit the manufacturing planning and scheduling rat race an entered professional driving. Still kick myself in the butt every day for waiting so long!

The only way you will get home every day or so is to find a local driving job - dump, oil (of some kind), fuel delivery, etc.

The pay is no where near what you can earn OTR or regional, but the home time is great.

If pay is the overriding concern, then go with regional, and get home on weekends (maybe).

PS. If you have a stable work history, and an acceptable driving school certificate, there are many companies out there that will take you on. They want reliable, not outlaw, drivers. (but, watch out for the dispatchers. they'll try to get you to do things you shouldn't).

[syl77dar]

goodluck

[syl77dar]

goodluck

[Flatspot]

I got to agree with you, syl77dar. It ain't their butt in the sling. It ain't the butt of company owners in the sling. It's only the drivers' butts in the sling.
If you, the driver, allow the company (via disatch or any other entity of the company) to cooerce you into breaking the FMCSA rules, You get busted, and You pay the fines. It doesn't come out of their paycheck; it comes out of Your paycheck.

Stand your ground. Have a copy of the Regs handy, and quote to them Regullation, Paragraph, Page Number, Whatever.

I drove legal, and I still turned 120, 000 miles per year. I had my confrontations with dispatch in every company I drove for.. As soon as I quoted Page, Paragraph, sub... etc, they shut up.

Of course, they tried for a few weeks to screw me on short runs that didn't pay much, but they paid less for the company than they paid for me. So, they backed off.

It boils down to patience. Can you wait them out?
If not, you screw yourself, no one else. If you can wait them out, someone in the company will see that you are not performing to expectation. Then they will look at how you are dispatched. Then the hammer comes down on dispatch. because it's known that YOU don't schedue the loads, that's done by dispatch.

Bottom line, lads and lasses, Stand your ground! Don't break the rules because someone tries to coerce you into breaking them. The only person to pay any fines is you. Everyone else gets off Scot free.

I don't know anyone, in any company I've driven for, that I love so much that I'm willing to take the penalty and pay the fine out of my pocket, without 100% reimbursment.

[Aligator]

Moving the truck when it ain't safe.....

Yesterday I parked for 15 minutes in Americus, GA while I waited for the sun to go down and get out of my eyes. I parked right next to a "No Parking" sign, but the businesses were closed and the sun was too low to drive safely. Cop was super nice..

[tken]

54 in school now prehired by CFI. They want you bad, you bring a good work ethic, maturity and common sense. Good luck but definately check out any perspective company B4 you talk with their recruiter.

[lifespalette]

My brother jumped from owning Burger Kings to driving a truck at 55,

Say whhhhaaaattt? If I owned even one BK....I wouldn't be doing this!! The freakin' things are gold mines!! Just the fanchise cost for the sign is a small fortune!!

Me, I'd find a reliable manager and buy a boat and be in the Caribbean enjoy my life...big time. I darn sure wouldn't be doing this!!! No..no.no!

You would think that's the way it is Sky..........however, reality like trucking is something different. Alot of money goes through the typical BK, not all of it goes into the owner's pocket though........try $.o3 profit on a regular cheese burger............that's what it comes out to.........then you have to deal with managers, shift managers who can't make decisions without calling the Owner..........Produce vendors who don't make the delivery on time, or produce that comes in rotten, meat that comes in thawed, crew members who don't show up, workers who use false SS, you name it........it's no picnic..........throw in the lawsuits for customers just waiting for something they can take to court on.....(my brother has been in court for everything from coffee to hot to coffee to cold, hard buns, limp fries, and a spilled soft drink.......) In addition to the BK's, he also had 4 Golden Corrals.........maybe you recall an incident about 6 years ago in Kansas........E. Colie outbreak, a little girl and elderly woman spent almost 3 months in ICU because of it......turns out the lettuce was contaminated.........properly washed, it was in the lettuce, just like the recent outbreak with spinach............to make a long story short, the outcome was law suits in the millions............BK elected to invoke a character clause in the franchisee contract, thereby forcing my brother to sell his franchise units back to BK.

So at 55 he made the jump to trucking......and he loves it, he wishes he had done it 10 years ago............I had the opportunity to have dinner with him about a week ago here in Memphis, and I have to admit, I haven't seen him so relaxed in the last 20 years.

Be careful what you wish for Skywalker............covers always look better, but many times the story inside is far different than what you expect.

[ghost_ryder]

dispatchers don't care it ain't their butt in the sling. just grow balls or female claws and say no. it was dec 2004 i was in KY and the idiotic dispatcher got mad when i parked truck for 3 days due to a 6 inch ice storm and then going west in indiana they had 3 feet of snow and the National Weather Advisory Service over public radio said park and don't move until we tell you it is safe to do so, due to 2 big rigs jackknived in middle of hwy 64 or 65 and they pulled in National Guard to rescue drivers out of their big rigs, cars, trucks, vehicles and brought them back to the local motel/hotels. dispatcher kept on QualComming me all night every stinking 30 minutes, I got sick and tired stuck it under seat and packed clothes around it and ignored it; next morning us express dispatch had gall 2 ask me y i didn't answer? i asked them if they would like me 2 call them at home when they were in bed every 30 minutes and then i reported them to supervisors and safety and had no more problems! that is when i learned to say no and use claws! i ain't afraid 2 tell anyone i won't move a truck if it is not safe 2 do so! then the next week the same idiot dispatchers had an ice storm and guess how many showed up 4 work???? NOT ONE!!!!!

I agree. They are not the ones going to be put through hell, it will be you. I feel being a driver of a truck is like being the captain of a ship. The higher ups can tell you go ahead, but you have to make the final decision if that truck will move or not. You will be responsible if something happens.