Making decisions about Trucking & Schools: Long! Questions

[Keeper of the Chaos]

Hi,
I'm actually the wife in this decision making. My husband is the one in the midst of making this career change. We've been researching and reading this board a lot, talking to truckers, going to various trucking school and company websites as well.

Mostly, we've talked and talked and weighed the pros and cons. We both think he'd be fine with it and for the most part, I'd be fine too. We're not newlyweds. We've been together almost 25 years. Our relationship can handle the time apart and it can't possibly give us more stress than we've already dealt with in our lives! I think we both have a grip on how difficult the life is, although I'm still learning! We think we can make this work and he's looking for the long term rewards, not to get rich. He just wants some job security and to know that he can make this into a career where over time, things will improve.

My husband has been in account sales for the past 7 years and his company laid him off in March. He had planned to retire from that job so he was rather shocked at this sudden unemployment snag. At the same time, my Mom passed away suddenly in RI so we took the time off to go up to help my Elderly Dad for a bit. We live in Melbourne/Palm Bay, FL. At the present time, I'm living in a motel because that's all we can afford on his unemployment check. Our retirement savings such as they were have been depleted from moving from Georgia, where he worked last back to FL.

Since we've come back, he's put his resume out all over for the same kind of work he'd been doing, but with he economy as it is, nothing promising has come of it as of yet. At one point about a month ago, he and I began discussing him changing careers and that's when becoming a Trucker came into play.

We don't have the upfront money to go to CDL school, so unless he can get a Government grant of some type, he'd probably have to go with one of the trucking schools that provide training.

So on to the questions....As I said, we are in FL. I'd like to stay here if I could when he does this, because my adult son is nearby as well as my Grandaughter. I don't presently have a car either as our car was his company vehicle! The motel that I'm living in doesn't mind that we have as many dogs as we do. I used to be involved in pet rescue so I have more than most! So for all the above reasons, I'd rather stay here than move, but it seems it might be necessary since I don't know as there are any Trucking companies that do the training nearby.

My husband, who you'll see on the board when he decides to post as BoDean, is 51 years old. He's been working steady for the past 32 years up until this layoff in March. He has a great driving record and gets a safe driver award on insurance. And he has no criminal record whatsoever. He, in fact had security clearance from Homeland Security to be able to go on the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center and the Sub base in Georgia for his last job in sales. He's got a great disposition, very friendly and good with customers, very mechanically inclined, all of which I've read are of value in this line of work.

I wanted to ask if anyone could maybe tell me how they would proceed with this if you were in our shoes. I don't know if we should start by trying to get a grant for the training school or if we should just look into a company to train with or what?

I don't know as there is any company that he could work for out of our area anyways. I thought maybe I should just post and say "Hello" and maybe some of the experienced people could give us some input and suggestions.

The other big thing is we definitely need to know if he's going to be making enough to pay my motel rent each week ($300) and also have money on him on the road and hopefully have a little to set aside toward eventually getting into a house instead of this motel room! He makes $320/week on unemployment. He hasn't been able to find a job around here that even pays that much. Hoping the truck driving will be a little bit of an improvement and also get us health insurance.

So thanks in advance for reading my long rambling post! I promise not to go on and on in future posts!

Debbie

[Ridge Runner]

Let's tackle work on first things first......getting the training. The FIRST thing I would do is ask the unemployment office about WIA ( Workforce Investment Act ). If you are un or under employed there is money provided by the feds to pay for schooling and they will let you keep drawning unemployment benifits while in school. By going this route you do not need to lay out any cash and you will not be taking on debt. It will also allow you more chioce of who to work for.

My second choice would be company training.


Please tell me that the $300.00 per week for motel rent was a typo. :shock: You can get a a place to stay MUCH cheaper than that.

[flood]

1st hi

have to go with Ridge Runner on this one.

that is how we did it the unemployment office paid for school, paid unemployment, paid for gas to go to school. we worked at sony in lebanon, TN. when they moved everything to memphis, tn.


check out ALL the schools you can drive to and STAY AWAY from ALL the 2-3 week schools if you can. the only thing they will do is just what they need to so you can pass the test but they don''t care to show you HOW TO DRIVE a truck (it's all about the money)

the school we went to was 7 hr's a day 5 days a week for 3 months....!
on the road driving 3x a week side roads, city, freeway, even big bad mont eagle (a joke now but the first time with 40k in the box) :shock: backing range every day.

the more time he is in school the better it will be when he gets out on the road.

[knobs]

like the other posts try and stay away from the large trucking schools if possible. i had to go to a large trucking school had no other choice i did this in nov of 0/6 and I'm still paying. but i was kinda lucky i used them for what i needed. and it is true they will do what it takes to get you threw it. i had people in my class that had no business in a truck but they were passed. so go if its the last resort. so i did 3 months with that co if i had stayed it would have been close to two years before there loan would have been pd. after 3 months i had a enough i was able to get on with a reefer co been there over a yr now. now you live in fl so did i over by winter haven and i have to say for me and the co i was with it is hard to get freight out of fl. i think you will hear from other drivers and co you look into they will agree. i finally just moved back to Indiana where there is more freight and opportunities. not saying fl is all bad i have freinds who live there and drive its just not the best there are alot of truck co that will not even hire you if you live in fl. the co im with finally just stoped hiring. good luck

[JR OTR]

Remember that any of the "free" training schemes you choose will make your husband an indentured servant for 12-24 months to pay back that "kindness".

If you can scrape together about $1,800 he could do what I did: I got approved to go to Crowder College in Neosho, MO through CFI (which is now Conway Truckload) and they picked up all but $1,000 of the expense of the school. The other $800 or so went to room and board at the school during the four weeks of training and some odds and ends.

The good thing about this deal, aside from the low cost, is that your commitment to Conway ends after your husband completes his 2-3 weeks with his finisher and pulls his first load. The great thing is that Crowder has an excellent truck driving program so you don't have to worry about making the wrong choice there.

I highly recommend as part of your investigative process you give Christine Harwick a call at 1-800-234-3748 with any questions you have about the program.

Good luck,

Jim

[Keeper of the Chaos]

Thanks so much for all the advice. We're still trying to get answers about the WIA grant. Anytime we have to call the unemployment office for anything, it's hit or miss if you get through. I guess it's because there are so many people unemployed, but when he calls, it goes right to being put on hold and he's sat on hold for an hour before. Today he tried calling about 6 times and the last time was at 3:30 and they kept him on hold and suddenly at 4:15, they put a recording on that said the office is closed until tomorrow! So he's going to get on the phone first thing tomorrow.

No typo on the motel cost. We're in a Motel 6 and this is the cheapest for a motel around here that I know of and will allow multiple pets. I have Labs and Chihuahuas!

So I gather finding Trucking companies in FL is not that easy. Can you offer any suggestions for where we'd be better off living along the East Coast? I'm originally from RI, but it's expensive to live there and motels are expensive there. My Dad is still there, but I can't live with him with my dogs so that's not an option.

I can't even believe we are finding ourselves in this position. If anybody told me a year ago, we'd be homeless and jobless, I would've thought they were nuts.

I was telling him today that even though it will take longer for him to get his CDL and start working, that after reading the forum and doing other research, I definitely want him to take whatever amount of time it takes to be trained right. It's going to be scary enough to think of him out on the road driving for a living without thinking he's been tossed into a truck not knowing what he's doing!

Will keep you posted on the WIA Grant if we ever get through to unemployment,

Thanks again for all the input!
Debbie

[Kurbski]

Calling an unemployment office will take alot of time since your competing with alot of unemployed people.If your serious about the WIA route,then go to the office and stand in line. Calling will get you nowhere fast. All depends on how quick you need a paycheck.

If it were me, I would reclocate to the Jacksonville area for alot of different reasons.

1. Inexpensive rent around the Mayport Navy base or in the area. Jax is a big city 90 square miles. May not be the greatest neighborhoods, but if you look around a trailer park for adults only where you can rent and have pets isn't hard to find.

2. Better Freight lanes - Lot's of freight moves through JAX and lot's of companies don't hire south of Jax because it's hard to get you home.

As for companies that train you. Alot of folks on this board don't like Swift. But they come to mind because they have their own school and your husband can be bringing in a paycheck in less than a month. Swift has a terminal in Ocala and (GARY) the recruiter's cell phone is 352 208 2475. He might be able to get him on a bus within a week or so. Training pay is $50 a day after school, then you go to .28 cents a mile until you prove yourself, deliver on time and don't crash their trucks. And it will allow you better home time since they have 8000 trucks on the road.

MCT also has a school and they train you for no money down (I think). Training pay is .12 per mile but it will add up because the truck stops to fuel and drop one trailer and pick up another. Since they run hard they also keep you out for 3-4 weeks at a time or more. The pay goes up after a certain amount of miles.
Call 1 800 843 9904 x 684 for the details.
Good Luck.

Florida's economy was a house of cards built upon real estate speculation and tourism...and now FL leads the nation in foreclosures and less people are flying/driving down there due to fuel prices. Besides that, it's mostly retirees and illegal immigrants from Cuba who take every unskilled job (of which, there are many). Although the mild weather, low tax-structure, and cheap illegal immigrant workforce are desired by business, the threat of a major hurricane trumps all that...which is why not many manufacturing companies wish to set up shop down there. The exception was noted by another poster...that being Jacksonville in the North which has only suffered a major hit back in the 1880's.

Florida is what's known as a consumption economy....lots of freight going in, but not much going out. You will not find many good-paying trucking jobs down there - especially with no experience. If you look at hiring maps, most of the training carriers do not hire from Florida besides teams.

I really hate to mention this...but have you considered joining the ranks of the mobile homeless and teaming with your hubby? You can both live out of the truck (COUGH!) and save on rent/utilities and move all your belongings into storage. That way, you can build up your savings again.

You have just been granted a treasure-trove of wisdom from one of the most sought-after sages in the truckin' biz. Use it wisely!

[Keeper of the Chaos]

No kidding! I said that. If things were different, I would absolutely drive Team with him. But I have dogs that are family members that I can't part with and no, they can't go with us! 2 are too big and there are too many. We have 2 labs and 4 Chihuahuas. But that's not all of it. I have health related problems and I don't think I'd be able to drive if it came down to it. But yes, that was the first thing that came to mind. We both have always wanted to "see the country" and while the rest of the world flew from place to place, I have always been up for a road trip. I love driving.

And hurricane? We're keeping a close eye on Hannah. Been through Francis and Jean and that was NOT fun. I can't even fathom what it would be like in a motel!

Hey, I really appreciate the input though. You're all giving us great advice and ideas.

Debbie

[Orangetxguy]

Florida's economy was a house of cards built upon real estate speculation and tourism...and now FL leads the nation in foreclosures and less people are flying/driving down there due to fuel prices. Besides that, it's mostly retirees and illegal immigrants from Cuba who take every unskilled job (of which, there are many). Although the mild weather, low tax-structure, and cheap illegal immigrant workforce are desired by business, the threat of a major hurricane trumps all that...which is why not many manufacturing companies wish to set up shop down there. The exception was noted by another poster...that being Jacksonville in the North which has only suffered a major hit back in the 1880's.

Florida is what's known as a consumption economy....lots of freight going in, but not much going out. You will not find many good-paying trucking jobs down there - especially with no experience. If you look at hiring maps, most of the training carriers do not hire from Florida besides teams.

I really hate to mention this...but have you considered joining the ranks of the mobile homeless and teaming with your hubby? You can both live out of the truck (COUGH!) and save on rent/utilities and move all your belongings into storage. That way, you can build up your savings again.

You have just been granted a treasure-trove of wisdom from one of the most sought-after sages in the truckin' biz. Use it wisely!

Dang now LBJ / CFM...there you go....combining a halfazzed rant...whith and entirely understandable alternative, to a bad situation!

:shock: :shock: :shock:

Have you been feeling ok? Did you hurt any other part of your body when you fell the other day? Are there bad bruises? That is twice in a week you actually supported the idea someone can benefit from doing OTR...even if it is just to get reilef from a crappy situation!


Can we get you a pillow? Perhaps some liquid advil?? :wink:

Dang now LBJ / CFM...there you go....combining a halfazzed rant...whith and entirely understandable alternative, to a bad situation!

:shock: :shock: :shock:

Have you been feeling ok? Did you hurt any other part of your body when you fell the other day? Are there bad bruises? That is twice in a week you actually supported the idea someone can benefit from doing OTR...even if it is just to get reilef from a crappy situation!


Can we get you a pillow? Perhaps some liquid advil?? :wink:

I have always stated that OTR is a job of last resort, Stan. Since these people are one step away from living in a Maytag refrigerator box and standing in line to get donated commodities and dirty looks from the locals, OTR is better than nothing.

Wouldn't you agree?

[Sealord]

As a previous poster stated, you'll have to do a face-to-face at your nearest "one-stop" in the Melbourne area. Check this link -http://www.floridajobs.org/onestop/onestopdir/. And yes I know you apply for unemployement assistance in Florida via the internet, you get job training assistance by face-to-face with a counselor. Be prepared to burn some shoe leather getting started and satisfying the state and federal WIA requirements if you go that way. I believe you'll have a better training experience if you go the community college route for training vice a commercial school such as National or Roadmaster. Relocation from south Florida may also be something to consider. BOL

[okie]

I agree the phone blows. Face face with WIA worked best 4 me as well. Be prepared to blow them away with facts and figures a list of your accomplishments, such as in a job interview. You have to make them want to help you. Make them feel your suffering so to speak. I knew I had succeeded when I walked out and she handed me a refferal to be able to get 1st dibs at a "Toys 4 Tots" event. Good Luck

[DaveP]

Let's tackle work on first things first......getting the training. The FIRST thing I would do is ask the unemployment office about WIA ( Workforce Investment Act ).

I was in your position in '92 and THIS is the way to go.

WIA saved my butt. I hold that program in high regard.

Not to mention the fact that you'll likely get much more thorough training that you WON'T get in one of those CDL "mills"...

[Keeper of the Chaos]

Thanks so much Sealord for posting the URL for the one stop site. We were getting pretty discouraged when the office we go though for unemployment said they didn't know anything about WIA. I guess the actual place that we deal with for processing our Unemployment checks is different than these one stop offices. I had never even heard of these one stop offices unti you mentioned them here. So we found out our local one isn't far from here. Monday beng a holiday, they'll be closed, but Tuesday, Bob is going to be on their doorstep with his best pitch! Do you know if you have to make an appt. or can you just walk in?

I appreciate all the input. Feel totally lost sometimes with the system and jumping through hoops to get help.

We want to try to do this the way that is going to get him the best, most thorough training and getting WIA to do a Community College seems to be the best way to go.

Will keep you posted.

Debbie

[Sealord]

Debbie,
"Do you know if you have to make an appt. or can you just walk in?" Dunno, I'm a vet and I'd just walk in and ask to meet with a VetRep. I had to wait a bit if one was busy, but usually not long. While I was waiting I'd be going thru the job listings on the bulletin boards or in EmployFlorida.com. on a computer terminal. P.S. They also help with resume and interview prep. BOL

[Keeper of the Chaos]

Anybody got any input about where we should think of relocating to be in an area that has some trucking companies that my husband could work for if he goes through CDL training via a WIA grant?

I think I've read Tennessee is a big area that has trucking companies/local hubs etc. What part of Tennessee should we be looking at? Also, what about Georgia?

I probably shouldn't have posted this here as it's not what the thread was about, but I'm kinda shy about creating too many new threads on message boards! I know how that goes!

Thanks Guys!
Debbie

[coastie]

Anybody got any input about where we should think of relocating to be in an area that has some trucking companies that my husband could work for if he goes through CDL training via a WIA grant?

I think I've read Tennessee is a big area that has trucking companies/local hubs etc. What part of Tennessee should we be looking at? Also, what about Georgia?

I probably shouldn't have posted this here as it's not what the thread was about, but I'm kinda shy about creating too many new threads on message boards! I know how that goes!

Thanks Guys!
Debbie

Tennessee Nashville area has several Companies located there, Memphis also.

Georgia - Atlanta area.

[Roadstar]

Debbie, don't know if your husband has made a decision yet. Your story is very similiar to mine. Hard to start a new career at our age, I'm 50 also. Not much work out there for Real Estate agents right now. So after doing all the research I could find, I'm going with CR England for the school and training, plus they get you on the road in 4 weeks and start making money. At this point, money is key and a very important consideration. After 3 years of a horribly bad RE market, my family and I are nearly broke, and short of McDonalds, I went with this option. From all the research I've done, this may not be ultimately the best route to take, but it is the quickest one to a regular paycheck. England doesn't have much of a reputation on this board, but I am a member of several other forums from mortorcycles to real estate and from my experience, take what you can and leave the rest. You get what you pay for so to say. I start next month with England at their Utah facility, pay about $80 to get started and they provide the bus ticket. They finance the school and take it out of your paycheck. If you don't finance it's $1900 and they pay you back $1000 over time if you continue to drive for the company. So, since I'm at the end of my rope in the RE industry (20 years or so), I'm actually really looking forward to this new adventure and am going to make it work no matter what I have to put up with.

Also, as an introduction, I'm new to the forum and thanks to all of you for the valuable insight. Really appreciate it

Mark[/img]

[Ian Williams]

Roadstar

Even in this economy I suspect that you could do better than CRE. At least Swift does not hard sell LP and or make you deal with Grocery Warehouses.

If you insist on going with CRE: Get you training, DO NOT under any circumstances get sucked into their "Fleece-Pruchase" sharecropping scam, do your year and get out.

You goal is to make a bit of $, protect your driving record and get out. Do NOT let your "trainer" or dispatcher pressure you.

If you can grind it out 9-12 months you will be in a better spot to hire on somewhere better.

For comparison the reputable truck schools in Reno (Horizon & Sierra) will sometimes have specials for $1500-2000 TOTAL.