Greetings all! It's been about two years since I frequented the board as jetfueljunkie; precisely the same amount of time since I retired from the Navy and embarked on the truck driving journey. Unfortunately, the only computer I had access to was the one at work, and just recently got one of my own. Forgot my old password, and couldn't re-activate the jetfueljunkie account with the new e-mail address, so had to re-register.
After much research and countless hours reading and re-reading advice from this board, I decided to throw in the towel with the Navy (22 years is long enough to get tired of ANY job) and try something new. I attended a 320 hour (8 week) CDL program at Bradford-Union Vo-Tech in Starke, FL, hoping at best to land a southeast regional driving position. At the time I thought I'd pursue a flatbed job where I could get some experience under my belt, then progress into tankers (I read Cyanide's tanker posts 'til I could nearly recite them word by word
). To make a long story short, I was offered a position with Florida Rock & Tank Lines hauling dry bulk cement on a dedicated account with Florida Rock Industries (now a subsidiary of Vulcan Materials). Now here I am, two years later and I LOVE IT!!!!
Some very interesting statistics were quoted while I was in school regarding new drivers, and if success can be measured by beating the statistics, then I suppose my journey has been successful. Don't recall the exact figures (I'll try to find the exact numbers again to post later), but it was somewhere around 50% of driving school graduates will still be in driving jobs after the first year. The average first year driver will change companies 3-5 times in that year, and gross around $32-$35k. Again, two years later I'm still here, still with the same company I started with, and grossed just over $41k in my first 12 months.
As I began the process, I considered keeping a running diary of sorts to post here as has been done many times before. Regrettably, that idea was overcome by events and never materialized. Feeling an obligation to give something back to the board in appreciation for all the enlightenment I received here, I've decided to put up a series of posts dealing with the milestones of my journey, from preparation and school selection through the first solo year and beyond. My hope is that I can do my part to help any prospective drivers following the board by discussing what worked for me and what didn't, as well as my observations along the way.
So, thanks again to the administrators of this board and all those industry professionals who take time out of their busy days to post their pearls of wisdom here. You can be assured your efforts are very much appreciated, and have contributed immeasurably to my successful journey.
And for any prospective driver who happens to be reading this, let me assure you that you're already head and shoulders ahead of your peers simply by following this board. You'd be amazed (at least I was) how little thought and preparation many prospective drivers put into the decision to begin a driving career.
Jetfueljunkie's back; new screen name
