Profile For Aaron

NO dude i wasn't joking the whole time - just about the "greedy suits" and junk that old school had quoted me on. come on now. sheesh.

I am wiser than i sound, and i understand that trucking "is what you make of it." i was mostly just being silly and sarcastic by the way. i know a lot of companies do indeed treat their drivers like machines rather than humans who are sleepy or scared of bad weather, etc, so i still think there's plenty of truth in what i said. but, was i being completely serious? no, not really. : ) thanks for sharing your wisdom with me old school. i don't mean to upset you or disrespect you in any way. i'm genuinely on here trying to understand trucking in general, the lifestyle, the work, the details. if i ever become a trucker, i would go into it knowing that having a good attitude and being respectful of everyone is key. don't worry about it/me. if i go into trucking, and i pass you on the road, i'd be one to kindly wave at you. sorry i joke around too much, and thank you for helping me understand this life. i really do appreciate it. take care.

Don't be discouraged there are all sorts of different driving jobs, you can choose to run casual if you want but you won't get to keep you truck when you're not in it. You can run OTR, Regional, Local the possibilities are endless.

thanks. yeah, maybe in a year i can drive "casual." but the way i understand trucking is like this: "go here, be there by ***". then i have no choice but to run as hard as needed. i see now that i have little choice in terms of how much or little i work for the company. they own my ass, and that's it. maybe AFTER a year is over i can have a jolly good time driving local or something, but the first year i will have no choice but to bust butt (if they even give me miles), and deal with stupid greedy suits 1000 miles away.... : )

quick question, anyone know anything about Watkins Shepard? i've heard both really positive things and really bad things. and yes, i'm sure the experienced driver reading this will say something very wise like: "all trucking companies are *******s sometimes, and other times, you are treated properly and professionally. sometimes you get ****ty miles, sometimes they are organized and give you miles that were planned appropriately."....or something to this extent. i just wanted to ask if there was anything anyone wanted to say about them.

Thanks everyone!!! Very helpful information, and it was very much appreciated. And Old School, there's no need to think too hard about why I ask what I do! I just ask because I want to know. I know that trucking is one of the most demanding and difficult career paths that there is on this friggin' planet! So I KNOW it's not some quest for magical sparkly unicorns frolicking through heavenly pastures made of skittles. I ask what I ask because I want to hear the answers to my questions from experienced truck drivers. I want to hear the truth, and I want to understand the job better. I want to understand what the freedoms versus limitations are when it comes to this trade/lifestyle. I am not "just an artist", I'm an INFINITE BEING (as are you). I've worked pulling heavy branches, using chainsaws, digging and bleeding, for 10-13 hours a day--- I understand "demanding." I am considering trucking because I HONESTLY want to travel, earn an honest living, meet unique people, and take on the demanding challenge of a hard****ingcore job like trucking. If I have not yet explained myself clearer I don't know how I can further. I understand, I'm a bit of a paradox. But don't worry about it. Just don't judge me based on the "vibe" you might get from my questions. I know how ****ty trucking can be, so I'm asking what I'm asking so I can try to see the picture just a little bit bigger. That's all. And I am NOT upset at you for being confused. I am confusing sometimes to people. I'm just saying all this in case I post a new post with similar questions (or completely different questions) and you think to yourself "why is he asking these questions he sounds like an idiot?!?!" Now you can know that I did it because I want to hear replies from DIFFERENT drivers. Just trying to level with you! Thanks again everyone. I learned new things from your replies : ) Take care, stay safe out there.

Thank you all for the honest feedback. It's exactly what I wanted - honesty. I knew that the kind of response I would receive would be the kind it was, because I understand that I sound ignorant. The truth is, I've done hours and hours of research, and I've seen lots of youtube videos from people detailing the truth about the industry, and it's corruption (in certain ways). I understand how hard it is, because I've thought long and hard about it. Obviously though, I can only truly know what it will be like for me if I try it out. I just don't want to spend thousands of dollars on trucking school, or worse yet, regret my choice but stay anyways because my company is paying my tuition off or something. Anyways, basically, I was just asking the questions my heart wanted to find out about (the adventure aspect, the freedoms available, etc.), because my mind already knows that trucking is one of the most difficult careers there is! I'm still considering it though. I honestly am a harder worker than my post appeared to be, and I'm built to be a self-employed individual. I desire solitude, I desire travel, I just desire to find a freaking company (or type of trucking) that will respect their own offer of home time scheduling as best as possible to me, and one that will be the most "easy-going" on me, since it will be a shock to everything I've known before. I just want to get my first year over with as smoothly as possible with not a lot of random bs (yes, I know, "that's just trucking") and then stop OTR to be a dump truck driver or something and make 17-24 bucks an hour..... I do not think I could not handle the job's demands. I just think I'm gonna be ****ed off because I was told "just get your first year over with and then the doors of opportunity are blown open" everywhere on the internet, but I was being misinformed greatly..... I wish I you could see who I am instead of reading my text, because I understand how easy it is to judge me by the words I type. The truth is, I just need to find out what I need and truly want in my life, then the choice will become clearer and clearer. Thanks to everyone for replying to me. It touched me. Much love, peace, and respect for you guys. It's because of you that this world keeps on buzzing. I humbly bow to you all. : )

1. Which companies hire someone with a 3 year-old Negligent Driving Charge (reduced from a DUI). What I got the charge for essentially was that I accidentally drove down a (very short) one-way street the wrong way.

2. Which companies have the best home time options for new drivers? I live by Portland Oregon, and am looking to just get my first year completed as "easiest" as possible (by this I mean, working a schedule in which I can be home for 7 days after working 14, for an example).

3. I am looking for companies known to provide ACTUAL emotional and mental respect for drivers. By this I mean, helping them out when they are screwed with an issue regarding hours, sleep time changes, other scenarios that make this job the reason the turnover rate is so high, and helping them out if they request anything at all (if it's reasonable of course).

4. Which companies allow cigarette smoking while driving?

5. Do I HAVE to drive OTR to get my first year under my belt, or are there any (western) companies that let you learn by doing something with more home time (regional, ltl)? I might do OTR anyways just because I want to travel, but at the same time, I do not want to be stuck out in the NE because I didn't know of a company that provided HONEST home time.

Thanks to whomever reads this. I understand not every question will have perfect answers, so any general advice would still be greatly appreciated. About me, for what it's worth: I'm 26, I live by Portland, Oregon, I'm very chill and down to earth, I'm an intelligent artist, photographer, musician, filmmaker, philosopher, and I love to see new places. I've realized that I will never work fast food, or deal with customers at somewhere like Walmart all day because people get on my nerves quickly. This is largely why I'm considering trucking. I am looking for peace and quiet, and I'm looking for self-discovery. I don't need a million dollars right now, I need to find a trucking company out here that will not completely treat me like **** as a person, respect the home time agreement that I signed up for, allow me as much "freedom" as possible to decide how I get to my appointments (in terms of routes), allow pets and ride-alongs, and simply, just be the most understanding and helpful as possible to new drivers. I don't think I'm asking too much. There has to be at least one company, or type of trucking that will be best for me. I keep hearing LTL is good to start at? Whatev. Thanks all!

Hi, internet. So I'm thinking of trying my hand in trucking. I understand that every company is different, and many things depend on many things, so I know my questions may not have definite answers. I have many questions, but I'll try to keep this list short and to the point. These questions are mainly directed at OTR trucking specifically. Last note: Do not judge who I am based on my questions. I am not a lazy worker, I am just someone who honestly wants to know the truth, and am someone who knows what he wants. Alright, so here goes nothing....

- Is 70 hours a week a rigid and mandatory amount of hours every driver must work no matter what, or is that just the legal cap? In other words... How much control do I have in deciding my hours I work? Can I be "lazy" some weeks and not care how much money I earn?

- Typically, how long will I be training for? By this I am referring to sleeping in the truck out on the road with a trainer for a month.

- Which companies / schools do NOT require you to sleep in the truck out on the road with a trainer for a month?

- Are there any companies that will allow brand new CDL graduates to be hired for regional or local work, or does every company pretty much make the new guys go OTR for a year? I want to get my first year done and under my belt, but I would prefer to have a company that let's rookies choose a schedule like 7on/7off or 14on/7 off "right out of the gates." I hear that Schneider and Transport America allow this???

- Typically, how much could I realistically expect to earn in my first year (after deductions)? This is assuming I did not work extremely hard or extremely bad, but just did the job well or "average." I keep hearing that the pay is not "good," but for me, I don't need more than 100k a year to be happy. I've heard that the average first year salary is around 20-25k, and that sounds just dandy to me right now in my life.

- If I get in an accident that was not my fault, do I or the does the company pay for damages?

- Typically, do companies respect truckers' requests for time off?

- How much individual control do I have in taking breaks and/or naps? Can I pull over whenever the hell I damn well please? This is assuming of course that I am planning to make up for lost time if need be.

- Do new drivers get to pick what type of truck they want to drive? By this I'm really asking, will I be able to choose a truck in which the interior is designed in a way that I will enjoy sleeping in it more than a different choice (i.e. larger size, refrigerator, storage closets, tv hookup, etc)?

- What is the best company to work for, for someone like myself who just wants the first year under his belt so he can progress to higher pay and higher flexibility afterward, wants to see the country but not be completely disrespected from ******* dispatchers, wants lots of home time (unless this screws up the experience needed for better work after a year?), wants to bring a pet on deck (cat or dog), wants to be able to smoke cigarettes while driving, wants as much freedom as possible to choose how I plan to drive my routes (in terms of hours and roadways), and in general wants to work for an honest and professional company, but one that truly is more laid back and less strict and uptight about everything (professionally, personally, emotionally, mentally)???????

I understand this has been a lot of questions. As you can tell I am strongly interested in this, but that I also have fears involved with being able to work long hours without any personal freedoms, and fears involved with emotional stability as well. But, I already understand a lot about what drivers deal with so I won't ask you about the mental stuff. I've actually done lots of research already, but I need to hear the wisdom of real people, not just watch youtube video bloggers. I am thinking I might do this, and just see if I can make it through my first year. I always hear the first year is the absolute roughest. Any additional advice or wisdom you wish to share would be greatly appreciated. Thank you kindly. Peace and love.

~Aaron