I want to get my CDL and drive Trucks for a living.

[South Bound]

I want to get into a good field that does not show signs of slowing down. I have a family, I do like to travel, I have worked on gas pipelines traveling alot. From reading some of these posts, you would think Truck Driving was the nearest thing to hell on earth. I would like to hear honest feedback on what I should expect and any good advice on CDL schools and good companies to work for. I really apreciate your help, and time.

[AFretired]

I can''t tell you about trucking as of yet, but I can vouch for a school that I am in right now. It is CCS in Fall Branch, TN. I just finished my second week and will complete my training next Friday. Cost is better than most, they have apartments to rent and you will get more backing practice as well as on the road driving than the other places that I checked into. I think that I will like trucking, just finished 21 years in the Air Force and this was a big decision and a huge change in occupation (I was in the medical field in the Air Force). CCS will also help you find a job, so far I have 4 pre-hires. I am looking at a couple of companies that offer home weekends. Good Luck

Greg

[Uturn2001]

Since you did not put where you live I can only tell you some general information.

Central Tech in Drumright, OK is one of the best, if not the best, rated school in the USA. Sage schools, which there are several around the nation are also good for the most part, though some are better than others.

When choosing a school you really want a program that is at least 160 hours. Most companies will not hire newbies with less. For the most options for post school employment a PTDI (Professiona Truck Drive Institute) certifed school is the best.

As far as the "best" companies to go to work for, this is open for debate. This will really depend on what you are wanting/needing as far as type of freight, hometime, benefits, etc. While I will not say what companies to focus on I will suggest avoiding any company that really pushes a lease purchase program, such as Cr England and Prime.

A few of the companies that seem to have a better rep that hire students are:

Millis (must attend their school) dry van
Crete (must be a PTDI school) dry van
Marten reefer
Schaffer reefer
Maverick flatbed
TMC flatbed

Regardless of what I or anyone else says though, you need to research any company you might be interested in from top to bottom and then choose which one you feel is right for you at this time.

[Taglio]

its tough the first 6 mos to a year, trust me! I hope you dont have many bills...If you have a good job now, by god- keep it, cause good trucking cos are few and far between. Many a driver has posted here that went broke...In all fairness, many more have not posted here that are happy...GL

[South Bound]

Why are there so many truckers out there making a decent living? I guess from what some people are writing I should turn tail and run from the trucking industry. If it is really this bad out there, why are there so many truckers still driving out there? My goal is to get my CDL, unfortunately I will have to sign on with a company to pay for it, work for them for a while OTR, and then find local work, which there is tons of here in Georgia. I just do not get all the negative posts out there, is it really that bad?

[Douglas]

Why are there so many truckers out there making a decent living? I guess from what some people are writing I should turn tail and run from the trucking industry. If it is really this bad out there, why are there so many truckers still driving out there? My goal is to get my CDL, unfortunately I will have to sign on with a company to pay for it, work for them for a while OTR, and then find local work, which there is tons of here in Georgia. I just do not get all the negative posts out there, is it really that bad?

I too am from Georgia. I only have my Class AP's right now, so I don't know much about trucking companies, but I'm glad to hear there's lots of locals in GA.

[stereo mars]

i've been driving for 4yrs now and its ok u just have to pick the right company and if u want to stay local or otr.

[GMAN]

I want to get into a good field that does not show signs of slowing down. I have a family, I do like to travel, I have worked on gas pipelines traveling alot. From reading some of these posts, you would think Truck Driving was the nearest thing to hell on earth. I would like to hear honest feedback on what I should expect and any good advice on CDL schools and good companies to work for. I really apreciate your help, and time.

I have been involved in this business for some years. I know of others who have also been in this business for many years. If it were so bad, people would not stay in it. There seem to be more whiners than some businesses. I think some of it comes from those who simply could not cut it. This is not a business in which everyone who want to do it will be successful. There are a couple of reasons why they may not make it. Some go into this with false expectations. Some feel that they will leisurely travel the country, see the sights and someone will send them a check. That is not how this works. This is a business. Most of the time, especially if you pull a van, you will need to adhere to a schedule to pick up and deliver your load. You will spend time away from home. In the beginning most will spend more time away from home than they will as they gain in experience. Once you complete your training and get your own truck, you will probably spend about 2 weeks on the road before getting home. There are a few companies who will get you home weekly. It will usually be about 1 to 1 1/2 days. This can be a physically and mentally challenging business. You will need to learn to manage yourself and your time.

Although it is demanding, it can also be rewarding. You do get to see some beautiful things on the road. You can't do all the touristy things, but you will see some beautiful sights. I have seen some of the most beautiful sunsets from the seat of a truck. You will miss some home time, but will be well compensated once you gain some experience. Starting out, you will likely need to watch your money, but with experience comes greater rewards in the form of increased compensation.

[rigidsporty]

The only problem I had with OTR was that it NEVER ended. It was a 24/7 job. There was no weekends off, or going home at night and having a break till morning or anything. As soon as you got done with one load you were sent on another... over and over and over. It was literally non-stop week after week. Other than that I loved it, I got to see places I never thought I'd see.

[Blind Driver]

I almost starved while with my trainer for 6 weeks. After that, I'm bringing home $1000 per week and off on weekends and holidays.

I am a happy driver

Ignore the whiners and criers. I should have done tis years ago

[kc0iv]

Douglas Why don't you reduce the picture image. Try something like 25% reduction. Makes it load faster plus many have to scroll to read the text.

Thanks.

kc0iv

Why are there so many truckers out there making a decent living? I guess from what some people are writing I should turn tail and run from the trucking industry. If it is really this bad out there, why are there so many truckers still driving out there? My goal is to get my CDL, unfortunately I will have to sign on with a company to pay for it, work for them for a while OTR, and then find local work, which there is tons of here in Georgia. I just do not get all the negative posts out there, is it really that bad?

I'll be honest with you. As far as OTR goes, what it boils down to is that the time/effort invested in the job doesn't equal the pay received. You might think $1,000 per week sounds like a pretty good paycheck. But figure that you'll be clocking in 80-100 hour workweeks which means you're making around 11 bucks an hour. Now consider for that amount of money, you're away from home for up to two weeks at a time with scheduled hometime a roll of the dice. You're not eating healthy and your body gets soft from sitting on your rear-end for 11 hours straight. You're also working irregular hours: days, nights, mornings, weekends. Sometimes you run when your body wants to sleep and sleep when your body wants to run. And the sleep you do get usually isn't the quiet, deep rest that your body needs for REM. Often, you aren't able to get a shower or even sleep in a place with bathroom facilities and running water.

You also aren't paid for alot of things. You won't get paid for all the miles you drive. If there's no freight in your area then you sit around waiting on a load for free. You get nothing/peanuts to get loaded/unloaded. No pay for inspecting the truck, fueling the truck, traffic jams, dropping/hooking trailers, washouts, pallet swaps, scaling loads, chaining, sweeping trailers, checking into shippers/receivers, etc. If your truck breaks down or you're scheduled for a PM at the terminal then you won't get paid for that either. No overtime after 40 hours on the job. You're also not treated very well at alot of places. Some places won't even let truckers use their restrooms. Others take your keys and make you wait in a small room with nothing but a broken card table and a Coke machine while you're getting loaded/unloaded.

You don't have to believe me but the numbers tell the tale: OTR as a whole enjoys a massive 130% turnover rate, which means that these big McMega fleets are going through thousands of drivers per year. That's why there's a driver shortage. Not because there's not enough qualified drivers to do the job. It's because most people won't stay in the job for the low-wages and crappy lifestyle being offered.