Late stage career change..got a Class A CDL...

[gman2304]

Originally Posted By: Linctex
Originally Posted By: Mr Nice

Even if a driver moves his truck at truck stop to get to a quieter area of a truck stop at night.... it might accidentally trigger the ELD and officially your day has begun even if you wanted to get 8 hours of sleep.


That SUCKS!!!
. Also not true. I’ve had to move during an 8 hour break for emergency vehicles etc and not reset the ELD. I retired in March and the ELD will allow the truck to be moved 8/10 of a mile before starting back up. There is also a DOT “safe harbor” rule to allow the vehicle to be moved to a safe place without penalty.

 

[Mr Nice]

Some drives were complaining if they drove over ___ miles per hour it caused their clock to start.

 

[xxch4osxx]

Been driving truck for 24 years now, and dislike it more every year. I wouldn't recommend it to anybody to be honest. Get a trade, you will make way more money than you ever will driving a truck.

 

[Chris142]

I have found that driving for a trucking company does not pay well. Driving for a company that must use a truck to deliver their product pays much better and you will work normal hrs.

 

[Jarlaxle]

Originally Posted By: dblshock
...looking forward to seeing the country..surprised at the persistent demand for this skill...wrote dbl/tpl, tanker, hazmat and passenger endorsements will do the TWIC and Canada/Mexico/port pass right away too...see where that takes me first year.


OTR is a great idea, if you love the thought of working 90-hour weeks for peanuts, running two logbooks, and washing down No-Doz with Red Bull. You usually make more per hour flipping burgers.

How long does the haz-mat paperwork take? Last time I looked into it (a long time ago), the backlog here was about a year and a half.

 

[Jarlaxle]

Originally Posted By: dblshock
I'm new to this but it seems they regulate a ton of responsibility to the driver..i'd bet the pay will zoom with demand through the roof like it is.

Good one!

 

[Jarlaxle]

Originally Posted By: dblshock
We had trained with 48' trailers in MI. but I'm from neighboring WI. where the exam is on 53' rigs.. but I aced the yard with 0 points, proud of myself for that..as well I should.


Nice. I lost 8 on the pre-trip, 0 on backing maneuvers (straight, left-side parallel, and reverse lane-change), and one (ground a gear) on the road. I trained (and tested) on a single-axle day-cab and 40' trailer. (Which works well, because I will be driving single-axle day cabs with 28, 36, and 45' trailers.)

If you ever hook up to a 28' pup, be aware: they are HARDER to back up than a 48! Did that once, and ye gods, that thing swings around in a hurry.

 

[Mr Nice]

Originally Posted By: Jarlaxle
Originally Posted By: dblshock
I'm new to this but it seems they regulate a ton of responsibility to the driver..i'd bet the pay will zoom with demand through the roof like it is.

Good one!


Can't knock the hard working guy for wanting to do well in his new career.

The pay is another topic...

 

[Chris142]

This is whats popular here. They are a real pain to try to back up. I used to steer the dolly by putting small rocks down. Some guys had trailers that could be pinned and others would unhook,cage the brakes and push it back then rehook.

https://youtu.be/8-nmmtwqfU0

 

[CT8]

Originally Posted By: jeepman3071

Some trucking companies are terrible and others are fairly decent to work for. You just have to find the right one for you.



This is a big part of it. A friend of mine has his CDL and just recently got a job with a local town. He drives a backhoe, road grader, and a town dump truck. He has great benefits, good pay, and gets a ton of well paying overtime when he plows snow. [/uote]If he does all that he is skilled. Put a guy on a grader or a hoe and his skill level either makes the company money or not. I love watching the great operaters

 

[dblshock]

not many good options til after the first year, then opportunities open up.

 

[Mr Nice]

Originally Posted By: dblshock
not many good options til after the first year, then opportunities open up.


What does your wife say about your career change ?

 

[dblshock]

GF is fine with the schedule I'm relocating 250mi. near her...think she's having further aspiration for us but that's another can of worms.

 

[Mr Nice]

Originally Posted By: Reddy45
Originally Posted By: Mr Nice
Some trucking companies are terrible and others are fairly decent to work for. You just have to find the right one for you.

Indiana Jack is my favorite YouTube trucker, love his videos of OTR driving.


Hooray another Indiana Jack fan! He doesn't sugar coat what he does but he still tries to make his movies into "films" in the traditional sense.


I've must have watched about 50,000 miles of his driving over the years.