Profile For Paul T.

Outside of freight trucking, I was thinking my CDL could be useful if I wanted to get into large vehicle operations such as cranes or other. Do you know how common automatics are in other vehicles?

an automatic exemption will have virtually no impact on your career.

I have a paid CDL opportunity with training options in two different locations. The effective cost of the programs is the same, but one location is for automatic transmissions and the other is for manual. The automatic transmission course is a week shorter. It is also closer to my home. Am I shooting myself in the foot by excepting a paid CDL commitment they only teaches me automatic transmissions? It seems like I would be, but I need some opinions.

Hi everyone, I thought I would ask the forum for their opinion on finding a good fit for myself. I have been working as a graphic and web designer for the last 25 years. With the COVID-19 downturn in the economy and favorable unemployment terms, I’ve decided to seek my CDL-A and find a “good fit” for someone like myself. I really want to drive and get out from behind a desk. Thankfully, I am not just book smart but handy, mechanically inclined with great hand eye coordination and spatial reasoning skills. I’m pretty well spoken and good with technology. I also have a good driving record and no addiction problems. I really hate saying all of that out loud, but I am trying to see if there are some companies that are looking for customer facing drivers. I’m still researching all my options, so I really want to avoid putting my foot in my mouth. In short, is there a company out there that favors “2nd career” types like myself? Does anyone like myself have some years behind the wheel and an opinion?

I don't mind starting from ground zero. My first year goal is something over 50K. I'm excited to see the gross pay numbers you all posted. I understand that you're probably busting your butts to do that well. I'm too new to know if that means you've got great driver managers or dispatchers behind your success, or you've managed to stay out of traffic jams. I'd ask what constitutes 'skill' in the job, but it's probably too many things to list.

I'm currently looking at paid training options in addition to two driving schools in the Atlanta area. This site (and forum) have been very useful. With the COVID slowdown, do you think it's likely that LTL shippers or big companies will offer "free" training? I'm going to make some calls on Monday.

2 to 3 years in Atlanta. I’m considering moving to the coast. Norfolk, Charleston or Savannah.

I'm just getting into researching CDLs with a major interest in short route port work. Airports, seaports, rail, etc. I'm on a path to get a CDL, TWIC, possibly a crane, hazmat, and refrigeration certification. I want to earn good money and leverage my reliability and a good driving record. I'm not that interested in long-haul OTR but I might have to suck it up to get some experience.

Are there any port crane operators or port drivers that can recommend a path for me? I'm jumping on a CDL-A because of it's overall usefulness, but I'm very curious about container handling cranes or heavy vehicles used in ports.

I know this is kind of an open ended question, but I'm just getting started and looking for a quick path to 65K or more.