Profile For Phil P.

I am coming out of retirement to drive again. Going to a local school, yesterday was my first day. I chose school for two reasons, (1) I can pick any company that suits my life style. And (2) being a senior the school gave me 50% discount on my training. My first training was with a company in 1999. And free, I got what I paid for, very poor training. My first day was more than all the training I got with the company/with a few exceptions. Today the school is closed because of snow storm. Most local companies will hire old timers for local and part time driving, which is right up my alley. I will bring more info as I can. Wish me well.

I can remember 15 years ago when I was looking to change my life from Salesman to truck driver and going to a local truck stop to look for a company I could see as my next commitment. I had picked out 2 or 3 from appearance that lookedgreat, however after I started driving for another company it didn't take long to get the skinny on a lot of different jobs from the drivers on the CB and at the truck stops. In short, trucking company's like women look good until you are with them for a while, and that time spent will teach you a tremendous amount about who is who. You will get experience the same way we all get it, (going through it), sometimes more than once. Good luck, keep the positive attitude.

Mountain Girl, everything Brett and Flatwater said is true and precisely what I meant by being presenting yourself in a professional manner. Do not speak against the school, even if you are tempted to, it leads nowhere. I understand your dilemma completely, those who were in here when I first started know that my first choice company rejected me, and I kept trying to get in, even spent a lot of money on some surgery to get past the physical, but it was not meant to be. Sometimes the door we want to walk through just will not open up for us, but you hang in there because you've got all the right qualities to make a real good go at this - we're all pulling for ya!

Just one more example of leasing being a no no. Several years ago I was on my way back from a delivery in ohio and returning to the distribution center in Bedford PA . Another driver was running behind me on Rt 30 heading east, we were jawing on the CB he, was running as a company driver, and told me of his experiences on the road. One thing he mentioned was that he was a prisoner of war for 5 years. Knowing of his approximate age, I thought of Vietnam, but when I asked about that, he said no, that he meant the company he was leased to for 5 years. I will not name the name of the company as it has been a long time ago and it may be different now. He was now enjoying the less hectic life of a company driver, in fact, the reason he was on Rt 30 and not the interstate or turnpike, was to enjoy the scenery on the smaller roads. He regretted his leasing career.

Wanted to touch back on this, im not a new driver i let my cdl go when i moved back to indiana due to lack of cash, i actually spoke to a gentleman that has been leasing from them for 4 years. He advised like i already planned is to put back money

Richard, I'm not going to harp on what I already advised you, but do you not realize that what your fellow lessee just said was that you better be prepared ahead of time to be losing money? I understand business, and that it is a wise thing to be prepared for unexpected expenses, but you are preparing for losses that you are already expecting to have based on another lessee's experience. There is something about owning a big rig that is such an ego booster that people will throw all good sense right out of the window so that they can feel the rush of being an independent trucker. If you came by putting that six grand back through hard work and determination, I am very proud of you and know it wasn't easy in this economy. Do everything you can to hang on to it.

i found what i needed from veteran participants.

Richard, you found what you wanted, time well tell if it was really what you needed. I seriously wish you the best, but the trucking companies have this deck stacked in their favor, and that is the reason they have continued to pursue this strategy.

I am in a similar situation and have contacted one of the trucking companies that TT has on it's company's that offer training page. Millis to be specific. Their recruiter said they would train just as if I had no CDL and gauge the amount of training I really need, based on performance and adjust accordingly. I have since changed my mind about returning to driving and decided to continue in retirement, and playing more golf. Good luck, I hope this helps you in some way. Phil

Indeed Starcar and Dave are right.

What you want to do is Apply For Truck Driving Jobs with the companies you're interested in. We also have another set of Truck Driving Jobs at that link.

Once you've applied, the companies that are interested will give you a pre-hire. For those who aren't familiar with the process we have an article that will help you Understand The Pre-Hire Process.

The pre-hire will specify what the company will require from you as far as schooling. If it's a company with their own training program they'll likely just have you work through as much of it as they feel you need and get you on the road ASAP. If it's a company that does not have its own training program they will likely require you to take a refresher course at an independent truck driving school and they'll even specify how long the course has to be and which schools they'll approve.

So apply to trucking companies, see who offers you a pre-hire, and then do whatever training they require you to do.

Also, make sure you call every company you apply to persistently until you get a final response. Trucking companies spend a fortune on recruiting and half the time let the applications sit on a pile collecting dust. So make sure you get someone on the line and they give you an answer. Don't wait on them to call you.

Now, that last sentence is what I'd call a bit creepy.............what do you think?

Thanks Anchorman. Its a good thing to encourage others to join. I know I have learnt lots from the Q/A and I am still learning new stuff. Just don't forget some of us "GIRLS" are truckers, newbie truckers and wannabe truckers - (referring to "Quit being a girl and sign up already".) Only the ratio is different.

I have only one expectations females in the trucking industry......work at least as hard as I do and earn your money. Nothing more or nothing less.......I bet ya thought I was going somewhere else with this huh? nope. I can be creepy but there are times and places for that....

To Jopa, I just took a look at Bill Wittle's web site and found a keeper. Thanks for the insight. I signed up for his newsletter.

Unlike most businesses, there is no barrier to entry in the IT world. You don't need a fancy education. You don't need a license. You don't need office space, bureaucratic approval from corporate big wigs, or even your own physical hardware anymore. You can write your own software for free. You can build websites and rent server space for a few bucks a month. You can offer web-based services to the entire world by simply buying a $10 domain name, renting a $30/month virtual server, and writing code in the comfort of your own living room. And there is no limit to how big you can get other than your own knowledge and talents. If you have the knowledge and talent, there's no stopping you.

Hey Brett, I know you are a very busy (and productive) person and I admire your efforts here at TT. There is a guy (not Guy - a guy) who has a website I think you would very much enjoy. He's a political animal and I don't know your politics but I can gleam from what you say that you are a sober thinker and a person who makes up his own mind. He started out on the internet as an essayist and had his own blog. His ability to inform and persuade was uncanny and he got picked up by a larger website, one of the "online TV" sites (PJTV) that was doing such a thing long before Glen Beck started his. The guy's name is Bill Whittle and his website is www.billwhittle.com. He really gets the reality you are talking about in the part I quoted from your last post. (This reality is effecting all aspects of our society/culture, not just the IT world). I think you would enjoy his political rants (he is very conservative) even if you don't agree with his view points. I would encourage anyone who reads the posts here at TT to check him out. It's not going to help your truck driving career in the least so don't waste your time if you are not interested political commentary as that is what the content is all about. However, I have been following his stuff for over five years and he is very insightful, funny and poignant. And entertaining.

Jopa

The company benefits by not having their matching portion of the taxes as high as if there were no per diem. The tax code allows a standard deduction of $59/day for those of us that are away from home for periods of time. The standard can be used or the exact amount can be used if you keep good records to back it up. The major difference between normal persons away from home and DOT regulated persons is that the DOT persons can take 80% of the amount as a deduction and the normal person can take only 50%. As a driver I would suggest all to take a look at the option if you have that choice and do your do diligence and of course the math. If you explore Trucking Truth's training companies there is one that offers per diem and you can see the differences in pay and benefits on their web site. On the surface there seems to be a substantial difference, however, when you figure the whole picture, there will be a surprise.

why do trucking companies PAY per diem in the first place? Is it a regular thing or a rare, special circumstance thing?

Since truckers get a lot of tax write-offs each year they give you a choice. You can either:

1) Get some of your income tax-free each week (getting per diem). This way you'll take home more money in each paycheck but you'll get a smaller tax return at the end of the year.

2) Get none of your income tax free each week. This way you'll take home less in each paycheck but get a huge tax return at the end of the year.

In the end it makes no difference really. You make the same amount of money. The only difference is in how they distribute it to you. They either take out the full amount of taxes and you'll get a huge tax return or they take out fewer taxes and you get a smaller tax return.

The going rate for per diem is in 2013 and 2014 is $59.00 per day standard deduction, if you go out of the US into Canada and Mexico it is $65.00 per day and as a DOT regulated person, as driver are you can take 80% of the total as a tax deduction.

I know what Per Diem is. My question is:

Tons of companies offer it. But since newbies don't really know how it works, which is better.

Is it better to take per diem if your company offers it, or stay away from it?

I myself, like a big tax refund every year. But I read somewhere that almost always a driver makes out if the do take per diem.

Also. What is the going rate for per diem?

Keep it safe out there. Joe S

After doing some research I have some numbers to report. If you are a DOT regulated person as commercial drivers are the per Diem amount in the US is $59/day if you drive into Canada or Mexico it is $65/day. You would have to file an itemized return but, the days you are on the road times $59 times 80% is the deduction you can take on tax day. As a company driver you would have to keep track of your days away from home (logs). So lets say we drive away from home 5 days a week for 51 weeks. 5 days X 51 weeks X $59 = $15045 X .8 = $12036 deduction on your taxes. (The 80% is for DOT regulated persons only) 50% for all others. Not peanuts at all!!

Yep the difference probably is peanuts. But not necessarily. I just used $1,500 as a random figure. That's why I say talk to a tax professional. And I agree that using the system as a savings account works for most people for exactly the reasons you said. But people should try to use a more efficient system, sadly though most people don't have the self control to not spend the money.

Oh yeah the photo I posted was when I was 19 and the QB for the U of MD.

I have been retired for a number of years, and still have my CDL class A. I have 2 years OTR and 2 years driving a transport tanker. I am bored and have been thinking about driving again for 2-3 years until my girlfriend retires. I am 69 and in pretty good physical shape. I liked the dedicated over the road driving I did, but hated the hauling gasoline in the Washington DC area. The companies were great, hated the traffic. I am fishing for comments, Two years ago, I was hired as a part time short haul driver, but I had some issues with the system and never went to work. I know there is a lot of advice in this forum, thanks ahead of time.