[kc0iv]

Originally Posted by SteveBooth

That's also a quick test to see if you've had a stroke. Someone who has will start to slowly drop the left hand.

Not all the time.

I have had two strokes and don't have a problem holding my left or right hand up. BTW my strokes affected my left arm as well as causing a lose of memory.

That is why I quit driving.

kc0iv

[Skywalker]

Originally Posted by Beef

Hey Rat,
Thanks for the info...I really appreciate it...I am single currently...

What do you think of local and regional truck driving jobs, like coke, pepsi, etc...?

There is a program at the local community college...do you think that would be suitable?

Since it seems that you are somewhat "hellbent" to do this.... might as well try to help you get good information.

1. If you are going to schoold to get a CDL, then a community college based program should be very good. Get ahold of their curriculum and ask them where there graduates typically end up working. More than likely you will get far better training and alot higher quality instructors than alot of CDL mills have. It may take longer, but over all....you'll spend alot less money getting your license and still have better baseline skills.

2. Do tons and tons of research before you jump on any "local, regional, or OTR" job.... One of the greatest pitfalls of this industry is that what a lot of companies advertise or tell you on the phone is often 180 degrees from reality after you start with them.

3. If you begin to settle in on an employer....try to talk to as many of their drivers as you possibly can....ask them all the same questions, write down their answers, then check the responses for closeness/similarities. You will have to make some allowances for style answer differences, but you will either get consistencies or a load of crap. You should be able to figure out which ones to avoid.

[Beef]

Thanks a lot for the wonderful info!!!

its a shame that the most nerve wrecking part for me is a dot test...just shows what a phobia can do!

[Ian Williams]

Take your time. I searched a year before I found my job.

Once you develop a short list talk to 6-10 drivers to get a good sample.

[Skywalker]

Originally Posted by Beef

Thanks a lot for the wonderful info!!!

its a shame that the most nerve wrecking part for me is a dot test...just shows what a phobia can do!

Actually, I think the toughest part of the physical for me is to squat down and pick up the container with 70 lbs of stuff in it and stand back up... :shock: my knees just "creak and groan"... :shock: :shock: 8)

Other than that....the physical is no big deal, unless of course you have let yourself fall apart..... :x

[Beef]

Im sure it isnt a big deal...and I appreciate all the info you guys have given me, its really helped a lot...

would you guys say there is more pros then cons driving a truck?

[Skywalker]

Originally Posted by Beef

Im sure it isnt a big deal...and I appreciate all the info you guys have given me, its really helped a lot...

would you guys say there is more pros then cons driving a truck?

Thats a loaded question with even more loaded answers... 8) And depending on who answers the question.....you will have the enumeration of your pro's and con's.....

Me...for me, the pro's "tend" to outweigh the cons....but then I don't drive for a "mega-carrier" or a bottomfeeder....so I don't put up with much grief, and I've been doing this long enough now that I'm immune to most of the crap and I know how to play the game better than the "players".... 8)

[josephjoe]

Hey there i can relate to your situation. I always wanted to try driving but finished my schooling first. After having door after door closed and a couple of dead end jobs I looked at driving. I didn't do the research that you're doing so i signed on with a cdl mill school. Now that I've just finished up a year at my current job I feel refreshed and am glad I was able to make it through my contract. One thing I learned in this job is patience!! I also got to see alot of the country which was really good for me. There are so many good people out there working as hard as I am. I also took the time in my truck to reflect on my life and where I am and where I want to be.

I'd say go try it but as has been said 1. Avoid getting a contract to work anywhere. 2. Try to find a company that you can stay at least a year with 3. Respect goes a long way, respect to other drivers, 4 wheelers, ship rec people, security guards, cashiers, your employer, mechanics, police officers. I ve seen this time and time again that the people who give the most respect/courtesy get unloaded/processed faster get less flak from dispatch and people in general and get you into a new truck faster 4. Good luck to you I hope that with this experience you can be more positive and find out what you really want to do if it isn't driving. I'm going back into accounting within the next year with a refreshed perspective. Somehow I don't think an office deadline will rattle me as much as an empty trailer in a snowstorm lol. :shock:

[Super 8]

Originally Posted by Beef

would you guys say there is more pros then cons driving a truck?

That completely depends on the individual.

For some people, they love being alone and just driving. They can be out for weeks at a time and that's fine for them. It's almost a nomadic existence.

For a family man like myself there are probably more cons than pros. For me it always comes down to being home. With the company I am with I drive regionally. I'm never more than maybe 3-500 miles away. I get home every weekend, and even some nights during the week although it's often just enough time to eat, sleep, shower, and leave again. It's a pretty good deal, but I still find myself feeling like it's not enough. I enjoy driving and going places, but I still feel a strong desire to be home with my wife and kids at the end of the day.
That is why it is better that you are single with no kids if you are considering this profession. There are a lot of divorced drivers out there who are estranged from their kids.

[Beef]

yes, i am single...but at the same time am close to my family as far as my mom and dad, etc...my mom is against it, and is basically saying "you better not" type thing...

how should i react to that? :roll: