Profile For Rite Turn

Wow, I guess I'm the old duffer of TT. I retired at 62 and after 3 years decided I did not like it. I just started OTR with a national company. Being ( and looking) 65 I get a lot of "looks" and many younger drivers calling me sir. But in the end I'm treated no different by them or the company. If you can do the job and do it safely that's all that matters. I will probably last longer than many of the younger drivers who are so overweight they can hardly fit behind the wheel. I would like to see more discussion on TT about what I see as a huge problem of trucker obeseity. Really enjoy all the threads.

Daniel, thanks for the reply. I have had the same thoughts as you about a different truck every month and all the problems that would go with that arrangement. I am still trying to decide and hope that someone on the forum might have some knowledge or experience doing this and would comment. I do have many years of driving and guess I could move on if it doesn't work. Thanks again for your reply. I enjoy your advice for new drivers and that of many others on the forum.

Daniel; a question about your difficulty leaving home and family. You stated you were sitting at the airport when leaving. Do you work out of an operation center that you need to fly to after home time? The reason I ask is that I have been offered an OTR job where the company flys me to one of their operation centers and I work out of there for a minimum of 3 weeks and then home for a week. Do you or anyone on the forum have any knowledge or experience with this arrangement? My thought was that maybe you are working with a similar situation. Any comments would be appreciated.

Joe, I just had to weigh in on your question about age being a factor. You're in you're mid 50ies; you really make me feel old. I will be 65 next month and have been accepted by two national companies to start work as soon as I can. I do have many years of OTR experience, but have been retired for almost 3 years. I now find myself alone and want to get back out there and be productive again. The only that could hold you back is personal circumstances or lack of desire to accomplish your goal but certainly not your age.

Welcome Jim!

Well, your age is no concern at all, especially with the driving experience you have. But truck driving schools graduate students in their 60's all the time so even without the experience you'd have no concerns with your age. But you said you've gone three years without driving and three years without working at all and those are both going to work against you.

Not having driven for three years means you'll likely have to take a refresher course of some sort before most companies would put you on the road. No big deal. Seems silly, I know. But you know how it is - truck drivers don't make the rules so we have to play along to make the pencil-pushers feel better. Now you can take one of two approaches with this:

1) You can land a job with a major carrier that has their own truck driving school. They'll "train" you and have you out there running solo as quickly as possible. It's in their financial best interest to do so. You can find those companies here:

Company-Sponsored Training Programs

You can also add Celadon to that list. They have a brand new driving school and I haven't put up the information on them yet.

2) You can land a conditional hire with a trucking company (called a pre-hire) and they will allow you to take a refresher course at a private truck driving school near you. The companies will likely have different requirements for the course as far as what schools they'll accept and how long the course needs to be. So continue applying at any trucking companies you're interested in and speak with each one about their requirements for a refresher course.

But that might be the easier of the two problems. The fact that you retired and haven't worked in three years is going to scare companies away more than your age or the fact you haven't driven in three years.

For whatever reason, a lot of companies shy away from people who haven't worked recently. Some companies even have no-hire policies for anyone that has been unemployed for one year or more. But of course as demand changes, so can these policies, and we're approaching the peak demand season - summer and fall. So that will work in your favor. There isn't anything you can really do to overcome this hurdle accept to try sweet-talking your way in with a solid reason for returning to the workforce and a strong emphasis on your experience.

And keep in mind - recruiters are famous for not calling people back. You really have to be incredibly persistent and call all of the companies back yourself, maybe every other day or so, until you know your application has been processed and you get an answer. Otherwise it may sit on a pile collecting dust.

So it's not your age that's the problem. It's your lack of a recent work history and the fact you haven't driven in three years. You're just going to have to be really persistent. Fill out a ton of applications and keep making phone calls. You'll land a job somewhere no doubt. It's just a matter of keeping at it.

We have an outstanding listing of truck driving jobs and you can find those here:

Truck Driving Jobs

Fill out all the apps you like.

Brett, Thanks for the reply. I thought my age would be the primary concern of any company, but I see that now I have to change gears so to speak (attempted humor). I am going to try all your suggestions and be a bit more persistent in contacting different companies. I'm sure it will take some time but I will let you know what happens. Your entire site is awesome.

Jim

I am 65, good health, with 33+ years experience as a car hauler, OTR and regional, excellent driving record, current medical card and all endorsements including hazmat, retired for 3 years and hate it. I want to get back on the road with a national company (not car hauling). Can anyone discuss age concerns companies have and what is today's true driver demand? I have spoken to two recruiters. One said he would call back after a background check, but never did, and the other would not discuss age and would only say, "just submit your application." Submitted other applications with only one response interested in a team driver only. Is it my age, the 3 year break in driving, a decreased need for drivers due to the economy, or something else? Having been employed for so many years, I am new to the job search routine and can use any suggestions.