Yeah i am extremely afraid of the market right now, but at the same time i want out. I understand paying dues very well, just dont want to make a move that will hurt the family to bad. I got a lot to consider, but the fortunate thing is i have some time to look around and research. I dont get out till march.

 

Gman, Coastie it's been a while. I met JRPrat... on a military forum. He was talking about trucking, so I suggested that he might visit this board for the truth. Don't take it easy on him.



JR..... WELCOME ABOARD!

You are now in the right place to get answers. These folks are straight shooters, and they are the motherload of combined experience and experiences.

Damn, I miss being behind the wheel !!! :wink:

 

What's your occupational specialty now? Or is it career field or something of that sort in the Air Force?

Are you eligible to reclassify to a different occupation? I know I've come across plenty of Air Force and Navy personnel driving semis (actual Class 8 tractors, not tactical vehicles), and who had obtained their CDL through their branch of service. So it may be possible that you can have a bit of both worlds?

 

I would go with May before Stevens, and if you can go with Gordon Trucking in your area, they are a great starter company! Have you thought about jobs in the defense contractor industry? They love ex-mils!

 

About Re-classing; I was in the process of leaving my current career field and retrainin into Military Survival School Instructor position. Due to the intensity of my training even before leaving for school i got injured. They want me to re-up for another 4-6 yrs before i can be eligible to try again. I just dont want to take the chance of not getting it and being stuck in my current job. I feel six years was long enough doing a job i didnt like. I did it good and have almost served my contract, so i dont feel they can ask much more of me.

The Air Force is paying for my training to go through driving school and that i am greatful for. I am going to be working eight hours a night and going to school for eight hours a day, to get my CDL before get out. Long six weeks, but doable. I worked those kind of hours for 6 months in Iraq so i can probably handle it for a short burst here at home.

I will look into Gordon! Seems to me i can almost get as many miles running regional as running full fledged OTR, do companies that run regional tend to work better at getting you home on time or is it the same as long haul. Request DM for down time?

 

Thanks Man Good to see you over here!

 

Well, it is good to see some of the old faces and catch up on some trucking trends. JR....I know it's tough to be on such a high concerning the romance or passion of trucking and have to hear so many negative things. However, the honeymoon can end quickly for some new drivers. But hey, if you feel it that strong, go for it. With the economy in the shitter, as G-man and others have said, many companies have folded displacing hundreds/thousands of seasoned drivers. Hence there is a lot of competition out there. As far as regional goes, Roehl has a flexible home-time schedules. I walked away from a part-time job (weekender) where the full timers were pulling between $900-$1200 a week doing dedicated local runs to paper mills (home everyday). If you decide to go for it, turn over every rock. I was told that I will only be able to find crap jobs as a part-timer. I was starting to think they were right, per my first gig. But I kept looking. I wish I could have kept it up, but I was working full time elsewhere and going to school and raising a family. Something had to give. Plus the Maine Winters are dangerous as hell for a rookie driver, lol.

As far as the military goes, as you probably know, reentry for prior service is slim -- except for security forces. You will be operating without a safety net.


Anyway, I hope you become a success story!!

 

He could go either go into the Air Force Reserve or Air National Guard, or, if he decided to reenter the military, go to a branch which is more lenient on prior service reentries, by which I mean, the Army. I've known people who'd even gotten RE4s in the Navy, but were able to go into the Army.

 

Ridge a local? :?: I had no idea! Shows what I know. 8)

 

I know. Now that he's revealed that, he actually seems somewhat likable now :P