I’ve been seriously considering a career change and wanted to get some real-world input.
Right now, I work for the federal government, making around $100k a year, but I’m completely burnt out. Just over it. I’ve been looking at making a switch to driving full-time.
I currently hold a Class B CDL with no restrictions and have HazMat, Tanker, Passenger, and School Bus endorsements. I also have my Class A permit and doubles/triples endorsement done, and I’ve got the opportunity to go back and get my full Class A for free, which I’m strongly considering.
For background, I originally got my Class B for free as a fallback plan, and honestly, the only thing I’ve really used it for was driving my nephew’s middle school football team around for a season. So I don’t have a ton of “traditional” trucking experience yet.
My current thought process is:
Go do food service or something similar for a year to build experience
Then try to move into LTL or possibly local fuel hauling
Keep my HazMat current and build toward something more stable long-term
I know I’d be taking a pay cut initially, but I’m looking for a change in lifestyle more than anything right now.
For those of you who’ve made a similar switch (especially from a stable/non-driving career), was it worth it?
Would you do it again?
Or am I looking at this with rose-colored glasses?
Appreciate any insight.

 

First, welcome to the forum!

Your plan is pretty sound, a lot of food service trucking positions are open to those with little to no class A experience. Best of luck!