Profile For Elizabeth M.

Rainy D - I am aware that I would almost certainly work at OTR as a newbie. If I face moving out of my area where I don't know anyone, I have a choice between living in the truck and renting a motel room for a night. Living in the truck is certainly a way to save money. Let me read the links before I make any more comments or ask any more questions. Thanks so much for the information that you provided and your patience.

Thanks, Shiva. I don't know what the future will bring. I may end up living in a truck, at least temporarily.

Rainy D - I know about the 34-hour break. A day, day-and-a-half. That's why I don't want to rent an apartment to live in for four days a month.

I'm moving out of my apartment this month to literally sleep on a friend's sofa temporarily. Another friend has a little house in her backyard that is in the process of being renovated. Still another friend lives in a house in Sussex County, closer to Allentown, with an unused bedroom. If I drive a truck for Werner, I can move my personal furniture and possessions into the bedroom (no need for outside storage). Plus, my cat will get more attention before she's underfoot. I know, Rainy D, that you bring your cat along.

It is nice to be able to request a trip to a particular location: I have friends out of state and want to see them. That's one of the appeals of trucking - the opportunity to travel. We live in a beautiful country and I don't want to deal with the TSA. Heck, with the all the driving to job interviews and recruiters, I might as well as get paid to drive!

Too busy packing, so I haven't perused through the links that you forwarded. Brett's book is free - Yeah Thank you!

I don't know what the future will bring. I may get a good office job and this discussion with be moot. If I go into trucking, I might work for another company. Thanks so much for your assistance. You're a good bunch of people and I appreciate it.

Dear Old School - I am process of giving up my apartment and moving in with friend. That got me to thinking "what if I earn the cdl and work for Werner? Where would I live?" I'll buy a copy of Becoming a Truck Driver by Trucking Truth's one and only Brett Aquila. The reason that I didn't buy it already is it's 10 years old - how has trucking changed since then? One obvious change is that it is harder to get a CDL now than it was when he wrote the book. Other driving rules have changed, as well. Thanks so much. Elizabeth

Thanks so much, Chris EMT. All the moving around! I assumed that I would just go to Allentown to be trained and that it would be it!

Shawn - I can see that you are in Massachusetts and the Allentown terminal is the closest to you, as well. Hmm. A truck from Omaha. Thanks for relating your experience.

G-Town & Rainy D -

Thanks so much for clarifying the issue.

I figured that if I was hired by Werner, as an example, I would go to Allentown for classroom work first and then go for over-the-road training from there.

I also wondered about parking a truck at a local mall. No truck stops around here in Essex County. I did notice a tractor-trailer often parked at the far end of a mall parking lot in beautiful West Orange, NJ. Maybe the trucker lives nearby and has permission to park it there. The mall isn't so popular that the parking lot fills out completely and a bus drops off many shoppers.

Thanks again.

John M - Wow. I just assumed that Werner would train me at the nearest terminal. Thank you.

Who knows what's going to happen. Maybe an asteroid will hit the Earth and finding a job will be a moot point because the world will come to an end.

Again, thanks.

Rainy D & G-Town - I'm still looking for an office job (called NYC agencies yesterday), but am in the process of moving out of my apartment in order to move in with a friend. The thought crossed my mind that I might have to move again if I go into trucking.

The State of NJ will subsidize cdl and forklift training by Winsor and I applied while at the seminar. I still haven't been contacted and not everyone will. Legally, I still must look for a job in order to qualify for unemployment benefits. If I am not chosen, I could apply for a training subsidy via WIOA (Workplace Innovation and Opportunity Act). I would prefer to train via a private school because they will stick with me until I pass my cdl tests and there is lifetime job placement.

I attended a seminar with Smith & Solomon last winter, so I am looking around. I also talked to a friend of a friend who drives a school bus and whose parents own a bus company about earning a cdl. I will speak to her again for more tips. Our mutual friend stressed that the money is in gaining experience and then becoming a trainer.

I would need a big parking area to park a tractor.

I may end up working in an office, after all. Perhaps a trucking company. They need office personnel, too.

Thanks so much for your assistance.

Thanks, ChefsJK. That's a drive, too. Oh, well, so I'll move.