Profile For Mark L.

Atraeu,

First of all, welcome to the board. I've been a member here for awhile, but just recently started posting. As you've already learned, there are some very interesting posts on here.

For some people, the call to be a truck driver seems natural, perhaps they grew up in a trucking family. Others, such as myself and probably you, never thought we'd ever even consider a career in trucking. I remember when I was growing up, I'd always be fascinated whenever my mom got on the interstate and then whenever we'd pass one of the big trucks, I remember just looking up at it and smiling. Maybe the idea of trucking should have been a natural consideration for me, but it wasn't. Now, so many years later, I'm finally about to start CDL training as long as this recruiter calls me, which will probably be tomorrow. If not, I will contact other companies and find a way in to the industry.

I bring up that story for a reason. You actually have an advantage over some of us. You've taken what seems to be a serious interest in the industry before you're old enough to have a job in the industry. You're also going to college. As somebody above said, you can get your CDL at 18, but you won't find a job until you're 21+. So my suggestion would be for you to keep going to college. You'll get a couple years in anyway and then when you're old enough for a trucking job, you can still go for it if you want.

Friends of mine that are or have been truckers have always told me that driving the truck is the easy part. When you become a truck driver, you get a completely different lifestyle. You're away from home for extended periods of time, then go home for a couple days, and then back on the road again. You live in the truck, have to take showers at truck stops, eat in the truck or in truck stops/fast food places. You do get to see the country......at 60mph. If you keep the truck moving, you can make some really good money, especially at your age where your bills are pretty minimal.

I will end on this note. No matter what you decide right now about whether to pursue truck driving, the desire won't go away. I'm sure all of us in this forum have felt this way. I know people that wanted to be a trucker when they turned 22 and didn't get their CDL until they were in their 50s. Things like this happen because life gets in the way. I say this because even if you decide not to be a trucker when you turn 21 or 22, I still believe that at some point, you'll try it out. Maybe it won't be the career for you and there's nothing wrong with that. On the other hand, maybe it will end up being the best job you've ever had and you'll kick yourself for not doing it sooner (assuming you don't do it right away).

Anyway, best of luck to you.

Aaron, did you have any trouble getting them to send you to Jim Palmer in Montana instead of Wil-Trans in Missouri? I ask because I live in Indiana and applied for Jim Palmer and a recruiter contacted me from Wil-Trans and has been trying to tell me that because of where I'm at, I have to go with Wil-Trans instead of Jim Palmer.