First, let me say this is one of the most interesting forums I've found on the Web. I've been lurking here for a few weeks, reading tons of old and new posts, and it's great stuff!

My situation is this: I've been a desk jockey for almost 20 years, complete with university degree on the wall. About two years ago, a bunch of stressful stuff hit in a short period of time (death of a parent about two weeks after starting a new job; legal problems related to the will; gf diagnosed with luekemia). Yup, when the sh*it hits, it really hits! Anyway, since the new boss was a complete biatch to work for, I stuck it out a few months, decided life is too short to work for someone like that, and left to renovate and sell real estate.

Well, two years later and I'm now looking at my options. My house is now paid for, I have no kids or wife to worry about, and I've always thought I'd enjoy trucking. I grew up on a farm, so I've had some exposure to heavy equipment and trucks, including 18-wheelers.

My questions:

1. I live in Saskatchewan, Canada and will likely take a two-week training course before obtaining my CDL. Once I do have the 1a license, what are some good options for that first trucking job? Anyone familiar enough with Sask trucking to provide some first job pointers?

2. From what I've read here on CAD, the LTL life might be a little better since it involves more frequent home time? Is LTL the only option if I want to be home more than two days out of every two-week period? I don't need to be home every night, but would hate to leave my house unattended for long stretches like that (lawn maintenance can be expensive, and so can burglars!)

3. What about Fedex or UPS driving? Or do they take experienced drivers only?

4. Looking only at dollars, which type of trucking jobs are the best for pay?


I'm sure I'll have a ton of other questions in coming weeks but for now, this is it - just wanted to introduce myself and ask a few general questions! A big thanks in advance for any advice, guidance or opinions.

 

Welcome to the board Andy-up_north!

With LTL you'll be home every night and have the weekends off. You'll probably start working the docks and then transition into a driving job--once you get your CDL, prove yourself to the company, etc.

There may be companies in your neck-of-the-woods that have a dedicated account. So you might have the weekends off as well as be back at the house for 1 or more days during the week. Perhaps some of your fellow Canadians could clue you in as to which companies those might be....

In order to get a dedicated account, however, you'll need to put in 6-12 months OTR. I did OTR for 6-months and then landed a dedicated account where I was home often during the week.

All the best in your decisions!

 

Thanks for the welcome and for your advice, BigWheels!

 

Your situation sounds a lot like mine! I'm also in Canada (Barrie, Ontario, 1 hour north of Toronto). I may be a bit younger at 34 though, but looking for a career change. Went to college and university, but never really got the kind of work I wanted. Real estate investing has piqued my curiosity, but right now I need some good cash coming in. I've thought about trucking a lot over the last few years. Almost got started taking lessons last year but didn't. This year, I got a school bus driving job, though very little experience as I started near the end of the school year. Now I'm off and hoping to get a government grant to get truck driving lessons. If not, I'll save up and aim for the fall.

A few weeks ago, I took a 2.5 hour driving lesson in a tractor trailer and loved it. Starting in a small, quiet industrial area, I got the hang of the road ranger transmission and was driving on all the main city streets (except downtown) by the end of the lesson, and even backed in the trailer, with the help of the instructor. It's bigger than a school bus, but easy to adapt to. I'm not sure they should have allowed a novice like me to do this on a first lesson, but I wasn't complaining! Incidentally, the trucking school went out of business a week after I took my lesson. Some people paid for all of their lessons and seem to be SOL now.

My only concern is that my parents are quite elderly and I hate to leave them alone too long. They live in the same city as I do, so it would be great to be home every night, or at least every second night. On the other hand, driving all across Canada and the USA sounds like a blast, as long as I won't be worried about them the whole time. The last few years have seen me make less and less money as time goes by and I'm ready to turn that around.

 

Kindersly is one of the biggest companies out of Saskachewan, Also Bison, Arnold Brothers, are all big ones out in the west. The best thing to do is get out and talk to different trucking companies. Try the smaller companies as well, not just the bigger ones. What about hauling grain or something like that. Get out the phone book, go knock on some doors, check the local papers, companies often advertise in the paper. You may find a company looking for local drivers.

You could try LTL companies. UPS may be a bit harder to get into though. They generally don't hire off the street unless they are really hurting for drivers and they are not as big a company as in the US. But it is always worth a try. You could try LTL companies like Reimer and SLH. SLH hauls UPS trailers out west. You could also look into hauling containers or something like that which could also get you home often

Hauling speciallized generally pays more than hauling regular vans. Flat bed, tanker, oversize will all pay a little more

Good luck, hope I could help out a little

 

Call some trucking firms....Most want/need two years experience because they can't insure you. I found out after wasting $ on a short course...Now starting "Earning your Wheels" course in a week... 12 weeks -plus 5 weeks driving with a trainer--then a job. Most charge $12 to $13,000...There is an top trucking firm here in BC that is $8700 and a job when you finish....

Sorry, but although everyone is looking for drivers---they are looking/needing experienced.

 

A few years ago, a friend of mine in Montreal saw an ad in the paper for UPS. They were initially just looking for people to drive the little package trucks, which I believe only requires a regular car license. But, they saw she had a school bus license and practically forced her to drive a straight truck. She told them she had no experience with straight trucks, but they said it didn't matter, she had the license for it. They even put her on air brake equipped trucks and she didn't have an air brake endorsement (which she later got on her own to avoid problems).

Not sure how this compares to driving a tractor trailer for UPS, but I've considered contacting UPS to see if I could drive a straight truck since I also have a school bus license as well as an air brake endorsement. The pay won't be as good, but at least I'd be home every night.

 

Yea, my nephew also drove delivery trucks for UPS..or maybe it was Federal Express. Different animals. I think it all has to do with the liability and insurance now a days. All those axles and 80,000 lbs. of steel- that would just flatten a bus or SUV full of passengers. Now imagine a load of $3000 plama tv's... Not many companies could survive the liability.

Thats why companies in Saskatchewan are importing experienced drivers from Europe, the UK and Australia. There is a special rush immigration program for them...

You would think the government could come up with a program to train our own citizens.

Good luck.