http://www.classadrivers.com/forum/n...ne-advise.html

 

I understand why you would want your daughter to be close to her mother. Quitting a good job for trucking is risky though. Jobs up here right now are hard to come by but it wont always be that way (we hope not anyway). Getting a guaranteed job offer from Covenant shouldnt be a factor in choosing a school. They arent that hard to get on with and you could do better anyway. I live about 20 minutes from Lorain so feel free to ask or even PM when the job search begins. BTW it looks like you served in the USAF from your screen name. I was an electronic countermeasure technician on F4's. Yeah, it was a few years ago, LOL. Spent time at Keesler and Seymour Johnson.

 

Snowman7
electronic countermeasure technician on F-4's I was a Navy shipboard electronic warfare type, was it just F-4s or Wild Weasels you worked on? BOL

 

I hate for the way this is going to sound ...... but.... Your training starts here.

 

What "HeavyHaulerss" Said!!

Seriously Sidewinder, you REALLLLLY ought to give this entire matter some very serious thought before you make a commitment involving several thousands of dollars to "RoadMaster Wholesale Freight Relocation University", or before deciding to leave your present job to go into trucking at this time.

Two years ago, driving jobs were out there for the asking, and even the less than desirable drivers could find work. Those days are now in the past, and it's anyone's guess when they will return.

One factor you need to give extremely serious thought to is cash flow. With a 13 y/o daughter, I'm presuming that you will be paying child support, and in some states (Texas, among others) in the cases of divorce, the father is legally required to provide health insurance for a child.

You are talking about entering an industry that is already hurting very badly, where your weekly and monthly cash flow will be extremely erratic. As I told you last night, I have just learned how difficult times are for very highly experienced drivers with excellent track records. You would be coming in as a total noob. Starting off as a rookie will make things even more difficult for you.

Companies like Swift, Schnieder, Werner, CRST, Prime, JB Hunt, and (God Forbid) CR England, as well as many other carriers, have never been the best companies to drive for, and while the recruiters are good at making promises, you'll quickly find that they tend to suffer from what is known as "TDS". (Truth Deficit Syndrome) Covenant has long had a reputation for making nice promises regarding miles, but not exactly keeping their word.

Seriously, Sidewinder, you need to re-think this whole idea before making any kind of move.

BOL2U!!

 

Yes, I was a weapons troop on the F-16 station at Shaw AFB, SC.
I'll be sure to look you up when I begin job searching.

 

I understand the concern, and I appreciate the advice, but there just isn't work of my kind in the Lorain Area. The closest I could find was in Chicago's O'Hare Airport.
Just so you know, my job involves working on Passenger Boarding Bridges, Conveyor systems, and Baggage Scales. I currently make twenty dollars p/hour. This is why I am looking at enrolling with Roadmaster; they allow me to keep my job while I train for my CDL. Not Many Options for Me!

 

I checked out Mid-Florida Tech, and one of the instructors explained that classes are currently full through the end of April. He also agreed with you guys that the training is better. And you were right, the cost is only $2051.00 for everything. Thanks for the info anyways. All of you guy's help has been really useful for me. I hope that others that are in my situation can take away something from our conversations.

Thanks!

Sidewinder

 

SideWinderF16:

It's your life, and it's up to you what you do with it. Having said that, the stakes here are very high. Do yourself a huge favor. Go out and visit some truck stops, even if you have to travel a distance to get to them. Rather than relying upon what RM tells you or what a recruiter tells you, go talk to some of the drivers. Better yet, go sit at the coffee counter, and just listen to other drivers talking. Unless things have changed drastically, you'll hear some pretty wild tales; some of them may even be believable, and a few of them may even be true!!



Seriously, though: Talk to drivers who are currently facing the troubles we are describing, and as long as they are not pinched for time, most will be happy to fill you in.

There is only so much we can offer you here. Quite honestly, I don't think you really understand the complete dimensions of the troubles or the problems you will be facing. I realize that there are some serious distance concerns regarding your daughter, but you are talking about moving to a part of the country that (truth be told) is in more of a depression that it is a recession. The same appears to be true for the trucking industry; not only at the local level, but also on a nationwide scale.

Once again, I do wish you the very best!!

 

Sidewinderf16, I understand your motivation in wanting to please you daughter by moving her closer to her mother. I would ask why your daughter's mother could not move closer to where you and your daughter live? It would be much easier for her to move than you and your daughter. Your daughter is established in school and would leave her friends to move to where her mother resides. You would also need to leave a good paying job. This is not the best time to be making major changes. Jobs are not as plentiful as they were only a few months ago. If you have a good job I suggest you delay your move until the economy improves. Freight is down dramatically as are freight rates. Carriers are having to cut costs in any way they can. Many are going out of business. I am not trying to discourage you from doing what you want but would have you step back and take a look at the realities of what is going on in this country. As others have pointed out you are moving to a very depressed part of the country. This is the first time in many years when we have seen this part of the country in such a depressed state. In fact, I don't recall the economy being down so much in my lifetime. If you are planning on driving over the road it may be easier to live in one of the "rust belt" states when the economy is strong, but with the economy being low it may be more difficult to get home and you will likely be doing much more sitting. Everyone that I know is sitting much more than usual. You need to take a reality check as to your financial needs and whether this industry could support those needs with the current economy. If your daughter wants to spend more time with her mother then perhaps she could either go spend the summers with her or even move to where her mother lives by herself. You need to look at this realistically. Your income will likely drop at least in the near term. If you do decide to proceed then I would echo what some others have mentioned about finding a community college or state vocational school to get your training and CDL. It costs much less than a private school and you will get as good if not better training. They will also assist you in finding a driving position.