Help trying to get back into trucking

[carberator]

Does anyone know how to to get back into thr trucking industry? I quit driving in 04 and went to colllege to get some degrees, they are not helping me get a job. Then I got deployed to Iraq for a year and just got back, this whole time I kept my CDL class A with T X endorsements (out of my own money). The problem is the trucking companies wont touch me because I have no RECENT driving experiance. I went to a truck driving school in 98 to get my class A and then started OTR till 03 then drove local till 04. Does anyone know how to get back into the industry? Thanks the Carb

[bentstrider]

Does anyone know how to to get back into thr trucking industry? I quit driving in 04 and went to colllege to get some degrees, they are not helping me get a job. Then I got deployed to Iraq for a year and just got back, this whole time I kept my CDL class A with T X endorsements (out of my own money). The problem is the trucking companies wont touch me because I have no RECENT driving experiance. I went to a truck driving school in 98 to get my class A and then started OTR till 03 then drove local till 04. Does anyone know how to get back into the industry? Thanks the Carb

You'd think at least having a degree and some military experience would give you some pull, a shame really.

You try any of the companies that take trainees?
Swift, Werner and all the big companies are usually the ones that will take anyone with a spotless driving record and put them through a retrain.

I got my CDL from CRST back in 08/2004, left them in 10/2004, and didn't get on with Swift until two years later with no driving experience between then.

[Jay B]

What is/are your degree(s) in? Where do you live? What was your occupational specialty in the military?

[GMAN]

Unfortunately, your degrees won't do you much good in this business unless you want to go into dispatching or management. I know some companies who hire dispatchers right out of college with no driving experience. Frankly, I think every dispatcher should be required to drive a truck for at least a year or two before being considered for a dispatching job. My guess is that you may need to go back for a refresher course before many carriers will hire you. There is a glut of drivers on the market and carriers are looking for drivers with more experience and good mvr's.

[Luzon]

Unfortunately, your degrees won't do you much good in this business unless you want to go into dispatching or management. I know some companies who hire dispatchers right out of college with no driving experience. Frankly, I think every dispatcher should be required to drive a truck for at least a year or two before being considered for a dispatching job. My guess is that you may need to go back for a refresher course before many carriers will hire you. There is a glut of drivers on the market and carriers are looking for drivers with more experience and good mvr's.

That's the primary reason I left Knight. They will not even consider a driver for advancement into dispatch/sales/CS/etc unless they have a degree but they'll take a wet behind the ears, recently weaned from mama's teet, kid right out of college, make them a dispatcher and put them in charge of drivers with years of experience. Makes zero since to me but oh well.

[dieselgrl]

Does anyone know how to get back into the industry?

You're going to have to go through a refresher program as it stands right now, and truth be told, if a company won't take you and let you out with a trainer for a few weeks just to get back in the swing of things, you might want to consider a short refresher course at a CDL school. That at least shows a company you're dedicated and wanting to come back - I'd be honest with the recruiters and ask them if that would help. I've been off the road since 2007 when I went to work in-house, and I've had a hell of a time trying to get on with reputable outfits because of my lack of "recent experience" despite the fact I had been teaching new recruits how to drive a truck, doing road tests for orientation, and working in the safety department

[GMAN]

Hey tndieselgrl. Since you are now in Oklahoma are you going to change your handle to okdieselgrl? Or perhaps tnokdieselgrl?

[dieselgrl]

Hey tndieselgrl. Since you are now in Oklahoma are you going to change your handle to okdieselgrl? Or perhaps tnokdieselgrl?

Actually, when I tried to get on here and my account got all boogered up, I signed up as 'okdieselgrl' since I'm not in Tennessee anymore (though we are actually looking at moving back one of these days...I miss the Smoky Mtns and the only reason we're in Oklahoma is because I worked at the main terminal for Arrow). I just didn't want to lose my signup date and post count

[GMAN]

We can merge two accounts together. There may be a way to get your old name back if you later decide to do that.

[bentstrider]

That's the primary reason I left Knight. They will not even consider a driver for advancement into dispatch/sales/CS/etc unless they have a degree but they'll take a wet behind the ears, recently weaned from mama's teet, kid right out of college, make them a dispatcher and put them in charge of drivers with years of experience. Makes zero since to me but oh well.

Ain't that the truth?

At least Swift and most of the other good companies were starting to use D/M's and dispatch that had some driving experience under the belt.

The last outfit I was at had dispatchers that were either former BestBuy employees, or from the "get a job or go to school" camp.

Regardless, all new employees to the officer environment of a transportation company should be required to spend 2-3 weeks over-the-road with a driver every so often during their duration.
This keeps the mind fresh and the "in-house" training centered.

[BanditsCousin]

but they'll take a wet behind the ears, recently weaned from mama's teet, kid right out of college

Quick to assume college graduates are all in this category?

[bentstrider]

Quick to assume college graduates are all in this category?

I once heard that education is wasted on the youth(18-22 category).
Some colleges have a healthy mixture of older students(as in old enough to be dad/mom) to whoop the youngsters into submission.
While others, both comm. colleges and universities are almost predominantly composed of the "get-a-job/military, or go-to-school, or get out" crowd.

I've been trying my hand at it for the last eight years and it seems everyone there is only there to socialize.

Didn't mean to get O/T yet again.

[GMAN]

I don't think a good education is ever wasted. Whether you use it in your work is irrelevant. Education makes you a more well rounded person. It also helps you to learn how to find answers. I also think that no matter what you do for a living there are some aspects of a higher education that can benefit you.

We have a community college in my home town that has a student population of over 12,000. That is much more than the local 4 year college which has an enrollment of around 8,000 students. The community college has a lot of older students who have decided to go back to college once the kids are out of the house. Older students compromise a large segment of many major universities and colleges across the country. Some years ago I spoke with someone at my old university who told me that they were actually actively targeting older students. They were offering more night classes to accommodate their work schedules. I think that working makes it difficult for some adults to go back to college. On line universities are also doing well with older students.

You may not need a higher education to do this job, but an education offers opportunities should this not work out for you. If you lose your health you may not be able to continue in this profession. It could be difficult to match your level of income without a good education. I always encourage people to get as much education as you possibly can.

[chris1]

It isn't always what you major in,it's the fact that you had the discipline to learn.

[GMAN]

It isn't always what you major in,it's the fact that you had the discipline to learn.

I remember Proctor and Gamble was a big recruiter on campus when I was still in school. They didn't care what you had your degree in as long as you had one. Even in a marketing career. I figured that someone who majored in marketing or business would be more in demand than someone with a liberal arts degree. That wasn't necessarily the case. I found that very interesting at the time.

[Luzon]

Quick to assume college graduates are all in this category?

Absolutley not. No where in that post did I mention the word "All". In fact, especially in the world today, I think a degree is more important than ever and if one has the means and fortitude to complete a college degree they should.

I could have worded it better but what I was trying to point out was that the kids I was dealing with fit my description and that that's the caliber of people that they WILL take over a driver with experience.

[chris1]

I remember Proctor and Gamble was a big recruiter on campus when I was still in school. They didn't care what you had your degree in as long as you had one. Even in a marketing career. I figured that someone who majored in marketing or business would be more in demand than someone with a liberal arts degree. That wasn't necessarily the case. I found that very interesting at the time.

It's the ability to stay with something and learn.

[Jackrabbit379]

Now days, it seems like you could have a degree in "basket weaving" and still get hired anywhere, because you have a degree.

[GMAN]

There was a time when all degrees were liberal arts. I believe that one should never stop learning. I like the idea of a degree being career related. There is some irony in that statement. Many people go to college to get a degree in business. However, you will never learn how to run a business in college. You can learn certain aspects of business, such as accounting or marketing. Your real learning comes once you get into the workplace.

[bentstrider]

I don't think a good education is ever wasted. Whether you use it in your work is irrelevant. Education makes you a more well rounded person. It also helps you to learn how to find answers. I also think that no matter what you do for a living there are some aspects of a higher education that can benefit you.

We have a community college in my home town that has a student population of over 12,000. That is much more than the local 4 year college which has an enrollment of around 8,000 students. The community college has a lot of older students who have decided to go back to college once the kids are out of the house. Older students compromise a large segment of many major universities and colleges across the country. Some years ago I spoke with someone at my old university who told me that they were actually actively targeting older students. They were offering more night classes to accommodate their work schedules. I think that working makes it difficult for some adults to go back to college. On line universities are also doing well with older students.

You may not need a higher education to do this job, but an education offers opportunities should this not work out for you. If you lose your health you may not be able to continue in this profession. It could be difficult to match your level of income without a good education. I always encourage people to get as much education as you possibly can.

True, and I haven't really given up on getting additional education myself, I'm just waiting until I'm able to move to another state with a different age demographic.
California seems to be the state where all the youngsters from other areas are moving to in order to be "hip".
Myself and others just want to be able to focus on our degrees or certificates without having to consistently run the risk of getting kicked out/arrested due to some altercation with a disruptive group of students.
So, while the demographic in your area seems an alright one, all we seem to have is 70% 17-22 yrs old, and 30% everyone else.(18,000 enrolled in a campus designed for only 10,000)
While colleges in the MidWest are actually trying to offer incentive to go to school in their state(also lesser units required for a BA or BS out there), the state I'm in is actually placing enrollment caps on all levels of accessible education.