Profile For Blackandgold

Owned a pizza shop from 2010-2018. Been driving for Lyft since then. Got my CDL 2 weeks ago and currently looking for a local driving job. Excited to start my new career.

Bruce K. thank you for your feedback from your experience. The school I visited is $8,000. I was expecting it to be in the 4-5k range. Theres another school I want to check out also. I'm hoping they come in at a lower cost.

BlackandGold,...not sure if you had a chance to read the links Old School sent you; especially the one about local running. If local is your only option best to prepare your mind for the rigors of this type of job now, better than later. I urge you not to underestimate how much more difficult the learning curve is.

I have not read those yet, but I definitely will. I did read a good portion of Rob T's diary and that provided excellent insight to the demands of that type of job. Thank you Rob for that. Yes I know it will be more demanding and I dont believe I am underestimating it. I know its not the recommended path but its the path I need to take right now.

Though most will be for over the road jobs. You might luck out and find a regional job, or flatbed seems to get you home for the weekends. If home time is important check Maverick, Roehl, and Melton, for starters.

Local is my only option.

So I just got back from my first school visit at Rosedal Tech. It is alot more expensive than I was anticipating. Everyone was very professional and nice, which is expected when they're giving a tour to a potential student, but I felt it was genuine. I got to talk to an instructor. He actually got out of a truck and talked to me for a couple minutes so I know it wasn't scripted. He was able to tell me about a decent amount of companies in the area that hired students from the last couple graduating classes for local driving jobs. I'm having a hard time getting past the price though, wondering if its worth it or if I should start calling some companies and asking about on the job training for my cdl.

The local jobs offered at school were either overnight or you would be working from early morning to 8, 9, maybe even 10 PM.

Doesn’t leave much time for a home life. And almost all the local jobs want a years experience first.

I put a lot of hours in at the pizza shop every week, I'm not afraid of the grind. Anything under 60 hours a week would be a break plus there are many weeks I don't take a day off.

I was talking to the driver from the food distributor for the pizza shop and he said there are guys there who attended the schools that I'm looking at. That is not my dream driving job but I could do something like that for a few years, he said they are always hiring. I would love to do OTR for a few years but like I said, that is not an option right now while my kids are still in school.

G-town thank you for the links, I will check them out tonight.

What area are you in?

Pittsburgh area

I've heard its better to go to school than to be trained by a company whose only concern is training you for the way they want it done. Also I'm looking to drive local.

Where did you hear that? And why do you believe it to be true?

I've read that on forums. Never said I believe it to be true, just said that's what I've heard. I am open to any and all advice. I am selling my pizza shop in a couple of days and I want to drive a truck. OTR and regional are not options for me at this point. I am a single dad with 3 kids (13, 15, 17) living with me. I need to drive locally. I know that is drastically limiting my options but I'm ok with that for now as I will be somewhat financially secure for the near future.

Are there local companies that do training or is it mainly for OTR? Excuse my ignorance regarding the industry. I don't know much about it but I have a desire to drive and I am excited to learn all that I can. I am, however, not pursuing it until January or February. In the meantime I will be catching up on things around the house, spending time with my kids and driving for Lyft.

I've heard its better to go to school than to be trained by a company whose only concern is training you for the way they want it done. Also I'm looking to drive local.

There are 2 schools near where I live that I am considering going to. I will be taking a tour of one on Monday. I am obviously new to the industry and was wondering if you guys and gals can give me some advice on what questions I should be asking.