Wanting to get back into driving.

[red12]

Ok so 4 years ago I went to truck driving school and got my CDL went and work for Hogan. I was young and dum and worked there for 1 month and quit. I think I was mainly home sick and was never away from home before. I never finished training. I called back Hogan a month later after I quit and asked if I could have my job back they said im a know rehire. I never called the school back to see if they would help find something else. Well here I am today wanting to get back into it again. What do you all think I should do to get the ball rolling again call the trucking school back and get a refresher and see if they will get me a pre hire with some other company or call around to a few companys and see if they will take me on with out going back to school?

[Biscuit Lips]

I am kinda confused, do you have a CDL or not?

[bentstrider]

Ok so 4 years ago I went to truck driving school and got my CDL went and work for Hogan. I was young and dum and worked there for 1 month and quit. I think I was mainly home sick and was never away from home before. I never finished training. I called back Hogan a month later after I quit and asked if I could have my job back they said im a know rehire. I never called the school back to see if they would help find something else. Well here I am today wanting to get back into it again. What do you all think I should do to get the ball rolling again call the trucking school back and get a refresher and see if they will get me a pre hire with some other company or call around to a few companys and see if they will take me on with out going back to school?

Grammatical and spelling errors aside, as long as you have no accidents or anything of that nature, you should definitely go for it if it's what you really want to do.

Myself, I was born to roll and I'll jump right back into once someone gives me that chance again.
No other jobs really compare to it, aside from flying a helicopter of course.

[Glad Hand]

At the very least, with no experience you will have to take a refresher course and even then given the current economic situation you still might not get a job.

[red12]

Yes I have CDL and I currently have a job right now. The thing is I just need someone to hire me.

[millersod215]

Red12, think about it long and hard before you get back in to it, reconsider why you quit the job in the first place, and make sure that those won't still be lingering reasons. Don't take this as me being negative, but i was always convinced i was cut out for OTR driving, i've tried it 3 times with no success, i tell myself i'm ready to go back on the road and that i won't miss home or the wife, but after about 3 weeks or so all the old demons arise, i've gotten to the point where i accept that i'm just made for local driving, and i'm happy doing it, plus i make a decent living. All i'm trying to say is just reevaluate your goals, and your life in general and make sure this is what you really want to do, because if you don't go back to it in the right frame of mind you'll end up quitting again, and losing the job you currently have, whatever that might be. Just my 2 cents, and in no way am i trying to discourage your thoughts, i just feel like i could pass along some "been there done that" knowledge.

[GMAN]

If it has been 4 years and with only 1 month driving experience, it is like you don't have any experience. I think that you will need to at least take a refresher course. I am curious as to why you think that you can stick with it now when you got homesick and left 4 years ago? You may want to get a copy of your DAC to see what Hogan put on it when you left.

[red12]

I have regrets everytime I see a big truck go by wishing it was me. And now that im older and have matured more over the years. Im married now dont live at home with mom and dad. And im used to doing things on my own now. Back then I wasnt used it I didnt like change and I thought it would be good for me to get into trucking. I would say I really didnt give my self a chance to get used to being away from home. I have thought about getting a copy of my DAC sometimes I think they may have put something on my DAC but I dont know why they would. I wasnt responible for any of the loads my trainer was not me. I thought about going with maybe swift just to get my foot into the door. I really dont think I have choice.

[Kevin0915]

they said im a know rehire.

Well, you're on the right track, you sure talk like a truck driver.

Do yourself a favor....dont get into this again. You tried it once, you didnt like it. Not to mention, you know how many 'new' drivers this industry has seen in the past few months? Economy sucked everything down so bad, a few tens of thousands (or a few hundred hundreds for you truck drivers) of jobs were eliminated. After looking for other work, the bus driver, or pimpled nosed nerd from Best Buy computer department decided to give their hand a try at truck driving. there are WAY too many drivers for the trucks that are available, and way too many trucks for the freight thats available.

Unless you like sitting in a truck, not making any money, okay, then feel free to give it a 2nd chance (or a 1st chance for the second time for you truck drivers). But you could get the same thing, by going down to your local Kenworth dealership....ask them to sit in one of their trucks for a few hours. Then when you get tired of it, you atleast can get out and go home. ;-)

[bentstrider]

Economy sucked everything down so bad, a few tens of thousands (or a few hundred hundreds for you truck drivers) of jobs were eliminated. After looking for other work, the bus driver, or pimpled nosed nerd from Best Buy computer department decided to give their hand a try at truck driving. there are WAY too many drivers for the trucks that are available, and way too many trucks for the freight thats available.

I wonder how much longer before the pimpled nosed nerds find out that they don't like this and start bailing in droves.
On that question, I'm guessing they're quite gullible when it comes to a typical recruiter feeding them all the exceptional information.
Anytime anyone asks me about, I ask them if they enjoy things like "clubbin'", going out on dates, or dealing with a small space and being away from friends/family for long periods of time.

They usually either re-register for that college class or go back to their old job if they were cool with their old boss.

Anywho, I've got a year left until I could start bugging the large-to-medium OTR companies.
It'll be nice to breath some different air and see some different license plates on the back of cars again.

[millersod215]

Red12, again don't take this as me discouraging you on this decission, but if you have a happy marriage and enjoy the time with your wife, why would u want to get back in to OTR, especially with Swift or these other large carriers, they're going to throw you out for weeks at a time, and if she wasn't with you the first go round and doesn't know what OTR is all about, who's to say she's going to put up with it. It's no different out here then it was in the past, infact it's worse, way more sitting around, much harder to get you home it seems, there are very few companies, especially with your experience level, that are going to offer you much of a home life. I know you've stated you matured and all that, but honestly take a good hard look at everything before you do this again, maturity doesn't mean that you'll enjoy being gone from home weeks at a time, I thought i had to prove something to myself and show myself i could drive OTR, it's just not for me, and i dealt with all the same feelings about it as you did, and probably still are, not trying to go all Dr. Phil on your here, but put some serious consideration in to it. I, and probably many others would agree especially with a new marriage, this will only be detrimental to the outcome of things.

[red12]

I understand what all of you are saying but im at a know where job im only making 22k a year and wanting a better income. My wife knows what to expect and we have talked many of times since I quit driving and she understands. I know the economy isnt the best right now but has it really gotten that bad to where. You guys are telling people not to get into driving and stay away from it. Its not so much that I have to prove something to myself its also I love to drive thats what I love to do im tired of working at this hard labor of a job. I was thinking of only doing it for about a year or 2 and then try to find something local.

[millersod215]

Well seems you've made your mind up, hopefully it will work out, but i think you should stick it out for a while and see how the industry turns around, atleast until maybe regional work offers something for you, OTR on a new marriage is not a good scenario, but you say she knows what to expect, i wonder how considering you've not driven OTR while together with her, I just think the situations i've been through relate exactly to the thoughts you're having, and i've regretted every decission to return to OTR driving, it's never what i think it's going to be, and i've had some great jobs running out of state, but it's all the same, you miss your wife, you miss your home, i could go on........

[GMAN]

If you do get back in this business you need to make up your mind to stick it out for at least a year, preferably with the same carrier. Two years will be better. It can be stressful on your marriage being away from home so much. If you leave the new carrier after such a short time it will be extremely difficult for you to find another trucking job.

[DaveP]

Yes I have CDL and I currently have a job right now. The thing is I just need someone to hire me.

I got out for about 10 years.

Saved myself a lot of headache by just accepting the fact that I was "starting from scratch" and found one of those CDL "mills" nearby...signed up...breezed thru....got that piece of paper and went to work.