Straddling The Fence....

First I guess I should say hello. So, hello. Second, thanks to all who have posted/commented on this site. The info here has blown my mind and has been very helpful. Ok. So I'm on the fence trying to decide to make a leap of faith or not. Here's why. I have been with my current employer for over 13 years. I do grounds maintenance/landscaping for a very large gated community. Pay is ok, benefits are great. Until recently, I loved my job. Loved working outdoors. Not sure the exact reason why I'm considering a career change. Part is financial. Getting older and want to lighten my debt load. Part is the hot summers are starting to really get to me. Not sure if they're getting hotter, I'm getting older or both. And the last part is, the work ethic (or lack thereof) of this younger generation is just depressing. No pride, no motivation, ect. I'm almost maxed out in my pay grade so not much more to be had without taking the next rung on the ladder. It's currently salary and not going there for the politics involved. Which brings me here. The money seems to be there to make, I love to drive, I like challenges (to a point) and am open-minded. I have been studying the training materials here and doing the research to prepare myself should I decide to do this. I'm trying to time all this to take place starting the new year. My ideal thought is to be regional then maybe local. I realize there is some OTR involved especially during training, but with a home to maintain, not ideal for me to be gone for long periods. Would prefer to do schooling close to home, either co. sponsored or private. There is a private school within driving distance that does weekend classes should I need to keep working . Haven't gotten to checking on co. sponsored in area yet. Need to make sure I could financially swing having at least a month of no income for this option. In a nutshell, starting over has me a little on edge. I loose all my benefits like 4 weeks of vacation, personal days, sick time and seniority. I'm pretty secure in my position having survived 7 management changes. But I'm losing my passion for what I do and getting to where I don't enjoy it. On the other hand, maybe something new is what I need. A new challenge. An adventure of sorts. I can definitely use the money and of what I've seen and heard, jobs are plentiful. I do have a couple of questions. Should I / can I, take my DOT exam 1st to make sure I pass before spending money on permit test/school, ect.? If a company offers tuition reimbursement, how does that work? Does it affect my pay? I know this is probably tough to answer, but, as a newbie/rookie, are there companies I should stay away from?

I guess that's all for now. Sorry so long. Thanks again for all the info. I still have a lot of reading to do.

First I guess I should say hello. So, hello. Second, thanks to all who have posted/commented on this site. The info here has blown my mind and has been very helpful. Ok. So I'm on the fence trying to decide to make a leap of faith or not. Here's why. I have been with my current employer for over 13 years. I do grounds maintenance/landscaping for a very large gated community. Pay is ok, benefits are great. Until recently, I loved my job. Loved working outdoors. Not sure the exact reason why I'm considering a career change. Part is financial. Getting older and want to lighten my debt load. Part is the hot summers are starting to really get to me. Not sure if they're getting hotter, I'm getting older or both. And the last part is, the work ethic (or lack thereof) of this younger generation is just depressing. No pride, no motivation, ect. I'm almost maxed out in my pay grade so not much more to be had without taking the next rung on the ladder. It's currently salary and not going there for the politics involved. Which brings me here. The money seems to be there to make, I love to drive, I like challenges (to a point) and am open-minded. I have been studying the training materials here and doing the research to prepare myself should I decide to do this. I'm trying to time all this to take place starting the new year. My ideal thought is to be regional then maybe local. I realize there is some OTR involved especially during training, but with a home to maintain, not ideal for me to be gone for long periods. Would prefer to do schooling close to home, either co. sponsored or private. There is a private school within driving distance that does weekend classes should I need to keep working . Haven't gotten to checking on co. sponsored in area yet. Need to make sure I could financially swing having at least a month of no income for this option. In a nutshell, starting over has me a little on edge. I loose all my benefits like 4 weeks of vacation, personal days, sick time and seniority. I'm pretty secure in my position having survived 7 management changes. But I'm losing my passion for what I do and getting to where I don't enjoy it. On the other hand, maybe something new is what I need. A new challenge. An adventure of sorts. I can definitely use the money and of what I've seen and heard, jobs are plentiful. I do have a couple of questions. Should I / can I, take my DOT exam 1st to make sure I pass before spending money on permit test/school, ect.? If a company offers tuition reimbursement, how does that work? Does it affect my pay? I know this is probably tough to answer, but, as a newbie/rookie, are there companies I should stay away from?

I guess that's all for now. Sorry so long. Thanks again for all the info. I still have a lot of reading to do.

Hi and welcome ;)

First you could take the DOT physical to make sure you'd pass but understand the company will make you take another during pre hire. They'll pay.

Second.,. Most company sponsored that I know of are going to require a year to two of employment most companies want a year of OTR. My company requires a year of employment and I pay nothing at all for school unless I leave the company...which is so great I have no intention of leaving for a very long time. My year is almost up it went so fast.

Third...many of the larger carriers who have company sponsored also have regional but understand that regional might get you home more often but not more time. For example. You get home two weekends per month..which is four days. I go hone once for four days straight.

Consider going home every other weekend, you might only have time to wash clothes, sleep, stock the truck, then feel like you're headed back out.

Fourth I totally understand your decision. I worked at the USPS for 18 years. Six weeks paid vacation. Overtime, great benefits, tons of sick leave. I lovd it at first but in time it was going to kill me or I'd kikk someone else. I don't have any regret except not doing this sooner....but I'm not you.

Fifth...understand making the money will take time. I went to school in sept...got my solo truck in Feb and it wasn't til about June or July that I was taking home $800+ per week clear. It was hard and I come from NJ so was paying a $1200 per month apt...$400 for car...$200 car insurance. I made deals with the creditors to pay less but consistently. Til I start doing well. Now I'm doing really well. ;)

Sixth... I looked at local jobs and in my area they pay much less than OTR so keep that in mind.

Also...I did this at 42...no kids..single. Never drove stick. Hope that helps

Without expierence in the industry finding a local job that gets you home every night is tough, not impossible, but unlikely. The toughest part for me when I did OTR was the lifestyle and being away from friends and family. When you start driving the pay won't be all that great. But after sometime it gets better. Everyday is an adventure when your an OTR driver. It's not just a job it's really a lifestyle. It has great challenges and rewards, the learning curve is tough but if it is something your interested in start researching companies and see if you can find one that offers what works for you.

Thanks for the replies.

Spent a lot of time today researching companies and reading reviews. Wow. A lot of negatives on most of them. Granted, I know a lot are unhappy employee's, but still. I also noticed the low income for at least the 1st 6 months (thanks Rainy for sharing that point), which has me concerned. Add that to sitting idle a lot for various reasons, chasing down empties and every other scenario where you're not making miles. It doesn't paint an inviting career. Especially after investing around $5000 for private school. Which adds another monthly expense if unable to pay up front. If I calculated right, say an average of 70 hours of work (driving, loading, unloading, and any other task not on my own time), say, $800.00 for the week, that's only about $11.00 per hour. Am I missing something?

Any input appreciated.

Brian, one of the biggest mistakes newbies make is to try and break this job down to see how much they are making per hour. You really need to focus on how much you can make in a month, or even for the year. We teach people all the time that this is not anything like any other job you've ever had. We don't punch a clock, and we are responsible for how much time we spend getting it done out here. We liken this whole career to a lifestyle choice, and not a job choice.

Everything about this career is performance based. When you see or read the reviews about companies that are accused of being bad places to work, or places that are taking advantage of their employees, you have to read those with the understanding that the person who wrote those comments was a person who did not understand how you thrive in this career, and they did not measure up to what constitutes a top performer among their peers. We don't get paid for how much time we spend working, but rather we get paid for how much we get done. It's as simple as that. The folks who can "git er done" out here are the ones who are making the big bucks, and are treated the best. You can take two different drivers who are making the same rate of pay (CPM) and their results may very well be drastically different.

Here's a real life example for you to consider. I want you to do some research and try to find some online reviews on Western Express. See what you come up with. I'm betting you wouldn't want to go to work for them for anything after doing that. They have nothing but really bad reviews online. Now, I started my career with those guys and I was a top producer in their fleet. They treated me like a king, and I made some serious money for a rookie driver. All I ever heard was new drivers complaining about how they were being treated, and it was like a revolving door over there with approximately 150 new drivers coming in each week just to keep up with the ones who were quitting each week!

Does that make any sense to you? How could I have done so well and been treated like royalty when it seemed as though everyone else was jumping ship all the time? Almost all these companies who hire rookie drivers have this same vicious cycle going on. The new folks coming in just don't take the time or make the effort to adjust to this being a lifestyle, and not just their job. They do not take on the performance based mentality required to succeed at this. They think they worked hard all week, and then they look at the results on their pay check and they throw up their hands and start blaming the company for treating them like slaves!

It really takes almost a full year to get yourself acclimated to this career choice. It is a lot like being self employed. Your decisions that you make can make you or break you out here on the road. Most people just aren't cut out for this stuff, and it's hard to say who will make it or not. But let's just say that any rookie drivers pay is going to be sporadic. Some weeks he might do well and some he's going to almost starve. That is because he doesn't have what it takes to consistently perform at the highest levels each and every day or week. That is why I try to get people to look at their pay over a period of time like a month, or maybe even a quarter. I made almost fifty thousand dollars my rookie year at Western. Now I am getting letters from a lawyer trying to get me to join a class action suit against the company for not allowing it's drivers to make minimum wage during the time that I was employed there! I wonder what that lawyer would think about his pending litigation if I showed him my W-2's?

All of these companies have a core group of drivers that they can depend on to make things happen. Nobody holds your hand out here - it is sink or swim, and I'm sorry to say that there are a lot of folks who sink. When considering what you can earn in this career, keep in mind that the ones who get it, and take whatever steps are necessary to make things happen out here, those are the ones who enjoy success. We work long hours, and we make considerable sacrifices that few folks would be willing to make for their jobs. We also are passionate about what we do, we don't back down from a challenge, and we know how to "git er done." I'll earn close to seventy thousand dollars this year. I don't know anyone who is earning eleven dollars an hour who can say that. The math is based on performance, not on hours. I don't even know how many hours I work each week - it is a lot, but it is my life, it is what I love to do. I measure it with the end results, not with an hourly rate. That may not be for you, and there is no shame in that, but it is the way it works out here for the successful professionals who put it on the line each and every day.

Thanks for the replies.

Spent a lot of time today researching companies and reading reviews. Wow. A lot of negatives on most of them. Granted, I know a lot are unhappy employee's, but still. I also noticed the low income for at least the 1st 6 months (thanks Rainy for sharing that point), which has me concerned. Add that to sitting idle a lot for various reasons, chasing down empties and every other scenario where you're not making miles. It doesn't paint an inviting career. Especially after investing around $5000 for private school. Which adds another monthly expense if unable to pay up front. If I calculated right, say an average of 70 hours of work (driving, loading, unloading, and any other task not on my own time), say, $800.00 for the week, that's only about $11.00 per hour. Am I missing something?

Any input appreciated.

Link to my Prime experience

First.... I paid NOTHING for school. Only would have had to pay if I did not stay one year. $155 upfront for permit fees and paperwork that is it.

Second, realize low pay is subjective to a persons location. In NJ $25 per hour is nothing.,.in AL its quite a bit. So determine the source and cost of living for where you live.

In training I cleared about $400 to $500 per week after taxes and my insurances. My guaranteed gross in training was $700 per week.

Consider I threw out there the number of $800 per week clear....after taxes after insurance etc. That is MORE than I made at my federal govt job. With NONE of the stress. (Withoit overtime) Some weeks I make more some less. Because last week I had a big load that delivered after the payroll cut off I cleared $580. But those miles will go on this week so I'm looking at about $1200 clear.

The running for trailers comment...you DO get paid for driving empty or even without a trailer. As far as sitting idle...sometimes you need to. By law you can only run 70 hours per week. Which means if you max out your time early in the week you will need a reset. Sometimes the customers take forever...I'm at Tyson now and got a full 10hr break in waiting for the load....but that means I can run all day and get the load in on one drive shift. Also, because they did not have the load ready on time, I will be getting detention pay which will be about $150 or so by the time I'm done. So I just got paid to sleep and post on here.

For me, this job is about my own personal freedom. They tell me where to go and when. I decide what times I want to drive. Where I want to park, when I want to sleep. If I feel like booking a hotel room I do. If I feel like driving four hours then napping two hours i do. I have no boss in my face barking orders. And I'm only responsible for MY job. There are no bum coworkers, stupid managers interfering. Its all on me. I can take my home time anywhere in the country and use the company as a travel agent. If road conditions are unsafe I shut down without pressure. I love my FM who keeps me running.

Now I could still be going to that prison I worked in, getting aggravated by stupid visors I could still be getting turned down for vacation requests....I have yet to be denied a home time request and get hone one day earlier tha I request in most cases. I could be so depressed I cry going to work. But I don't.

Its not for everyone. People who are more take charge alpha types, control freaks seem to do better than others people who need other people constantly won't do well because we are alone most of the time. Although we do call each other.

Thanks Old School and Rainy for the honest comments. I can see now it's how you look at the big picture. Leaning more toward co. sponsored than private. Was really looking at Knight but they don't have co. schooling. Still have to work on covering my financial obligations while in school/training.

I believe knight has their own school, or I thought they did. It's in Phoenix at their home terminal.

Our CDL program is located in Phoenix, AZ and is currently available to the residents of Arizona, California, Colorado, Kansas, Nevada, Oklahoma, Oregon, and Utah. Please call for more details.

They do, if you live in one of these areas. But call a recruiter, it may be possible for people in other areas as well.

Also remember, review sites need to be taken with a grain of salt. Generally, people do not go to review sites to post their positive experiences, but they will almost certainly go to a site for a negative one. Point is that, for every bad experience you see, there are probably 100 good ones that nobody bothers to tell anyone about. It gives companies a bad name because all the general public sees are the bad ones.

Oh, I work for knight, great company. No bias here, I promise!

I believe knight has their own school, or I thought they did. It's in Phoenix at their home terminal.

Our CDL program is located in Phoenix, AZ and is currently available to the residents of Arizona, California, Colorado, Kansas, Nevada, Oklahoma, Oregon, and Utah. Please call for more details.

They do, if you live in one of these areas. But call a recruiter, it may be possible for people in other areas as well.

Also remember, review sites need to be taken with a grain of salt. Generally, people do not go to review sites to post their positive experiences, but they will almost certainly go to a site for a negative one. Point is that, for every bad experience you see, there are probably 100 good ones that nobody bothers to tell anyone about. It gives companies a bad name because all the general public sees are the bad ones.

Thanks for info. I live in Florida and would prefer to do school/training here. Live about hour from Tampa so would be perfect