New Career For A 46 Yr Old

Good Morning,

First let me apologize if this discussion has been had previously. Over the past few months I have been diligently researching the trucking industry and the occupation of Professional Driver. I worked at a well established Travel Center catering to OTR Drivers and have had the opportunity to talk with many drivers as well as Trainers. I was told everything from "Don't do it" to, "You will enjoy the freedom you have and make good money." I live in South Central PA, near Breezewood PA. Currently I am a Part Time Police Officer (Low pay no benefits), and small business co-owner. I have absolutely no Trucking or mechanical experience at all, which makes me wonder if I am able to do this. After some research I feel that if I take the plunge a Company Sponsored CDL training is the path to take. I have researched and continue to research Swift, Prime, Pam and Roehl. Watching YouTube videos, reading this forum., etc. They all have their positives and negatives, as with any job in any industry. It was suggested that I do a "Ride Along" if I knew someone in the industry to see if life on the road would be something I could handle. I am reaching out here in an attempt to gain further knowledge about training, see if anyone one here has experience with the above mentioned Companies, and can maybe give me their honest opinion., or suggest a Company that I may have over looked for CDL training. Thank you in advance for your time reading this and your answers. Roll Safe!

Welcome Jeffrey!

In my opinion people waste way too much time researching companies. The major carriers are all run in a very similar fashion and they can all be fantastic places to get your career started. There is no "diamond in the rough" to be found, which seems to be what everyone is looking for when they're new to this industry. They're all elite companies with a variety of offerings. Just focus on the items you can quantify:

• Types of freight
• Pay and Benefits
• Type of equipment
• Various opportunities they may offer in other divisions
• Home time options

That's about it. Anything beyond that is a waste of time. The quality of your dispatcher and the reputation you develop as a driver will have 10 times the impact on your career than the company you choose. I've said many times that if you let me choose my dispatcher I'll go to work for any major carrier in the nation without hesitation. But as a new driver you need to learn your trade and develop that great reputation first, and that's going to take 6 - 12 months to really start getting the hang of.

Go through our Truck Driver's Career Guide. That's essential reading for anyone considering a career.

At the same time, stop wasting time worrying about companies and spend that time preparing yourself. Use our High Road Training Program to prepare for the written tests and then beyond that to all sorts of things you'll need to know to do your job, including the logbook rules, loading cargo, calculating fuel burnoff, and all kinds of other stuff.

We also have a very short application that will allow you to apply to numerous company-sponsored programs at one time and you can find it here:

Apply For Company-Sponsored Training

I always recommend that people apply everywhere they can, find out who is going to actually accept you, and then choose from the available options. People assume every company they qualify for will hire them, but that's not the case at all.

So there's no sense spending a lot of time researching companies when:

A) You should be preparing yourself instead

B) You have no idea who is actually willing to hire you

Hope this helps!

And I'll add...we could all have HUGE arguments here about "my company is better than your company". Our experienced drivers can go anywhere but many choose to stay at the so called " starter companies ". There's a reason for it. Some have left one company and found a final home at the next company. Its a sorta personal preference.

I went to Prime and love it. We have many members here that drive for Prime. I thought of it as a starter company until I got there and saw halls and halls of gold plaques on the walls of all the " Million mile safe drivers". When I talked to the drivers many had been with the company ten to twenty years. Some had left and found the grass isn't always greener and returned.

Guess what? G Town loves Swift just as much. And we have a ton of other Swift drivers here as well as most other larger carriers. We all have reasons for loving our companies.

When it comes to dispatch, a FM said to me "drivers either hate their FM and change or they are so loyal they would go through hell for them." I found him to be correct. Kanelin and I had a "disagreement" of my FM is the best...then we realized we have the same FM lol. As crazy as it sounds, if my FM changed companies I just MiGHT consider following him. Worst case scenario I could return to Prime with my great track record.

One year goes by VERY quickly. Stay the year at a company that seems like a good fit and decide later.

One thing Brett didn't mention is pet and rider policies. Some want their spouse on board and not all allow that. I was in no way giving up my cat and had no one to care for him. These things do limit your choices,, but for people those are vital.

Oh and I was 41 when I hopped the bus to prime lol

Check out the CDL diary section of those going through training.

Hello Jeffry, and welcome aboard. The idea that people waste a lot of time researching their first company is something that Brett and I share. It is comical at times to witness the futile efforts some folks put into this by developing spread sheets and pouring over all sorts of data just to relieve the angst they have usually developed due to the very research they have so diligently been doing.

The problem is that there is so much really bad information online concerning this career. Most of it produced by the many folks who tried it and failed. There are some valid reasons for this disconnect from reality, most of them being based in unrealistic expectations concerning the training process and the sheer difficulties involved in adjusting to a completely new and different lifestyle. This is way more than just switching jobs or careers, it is a total makeover as far as the way a person spends their time and energy.

Brett gave you some excellent links to read. I hope you'll do just that. I'd like to point you in the direction of the Podcasts he's been doing lately. Follow that link, then scroll down and select the various ones that interest you. They are well presented, concise, and very informative. They will help to dispel many of the falsehoods concerning this career that you have, no doubt, already been exposed to.

By the way, your age is right there in the average age of most professional drivers, so don't give it a second thought. I myself started this grand adventure at the age of 53. Incidentally, the day I got hired into the industry, the same company hired another gentleman with me who was 73!

Welcome Jeffrey! You are more fortunate than you might realize right now to have received the responses above from professionals who can and will help you with your new career. This site is so rich with content...explore, think and ask questions. If you really, really want this (and it's AMAZING) you, sir have landed right where you need to be for advice and encouragement, and sometimes tough love.

Read, re-read and consider all things discussed by the professionals who are succeeding.

I learn from this site every single day...and have for some time. These folks will help you.

Thank you for all the replies.

This is my experience thus far finding the right training. I completed the short form from this site and within a few hours I started to receive information from Companies, with an application attached. I have also down loaded the Pennsylvania CDL Permit info and have been reading that nightly., only got 4 wrong on the Hazmat Portion. Yeah!!

To continue, yesterday 8/22/2017I spoke with a recruiter from C1 Drivers Solutions, he was very cordial and I thought honest. Driver Solutions recruits exclusively for PAM transport (this is what the recruiter told me)., and should I decide to attend the training school there is one 3 hours away from my home. I was provided with a website to visit which explains the whole process, costs, lodging, etc. So I wanted to post this as information for any one else considering Driver Solutions.

My first impression from the phone call, very professional...A++++. Aaron explained everything to me.

Now the website is very informative so I will try to break down the costs that I would have to pay to attend Driver Solutions Training.

* First you are not guaranteed a job with PAM until you pass your CDL Test, they will sponsor you through training, however you are responsible to pay back $1,995.00 of the training costs once you are hired on with PAM and start receiving a pay check. (I do believe that is covered on this site, so it is no surprise) again A+++++

*Second the Training school is called AAA School of Trucking in Philadelphia PA. Students attending this school are responsible for their own transportation to and from the school. There is no on site parking for the students vehicles, however there is free street parking.

*Third accommodations are provided for you, however they are 12 miles away in New Jersey at Motel 6. You can expect to share the room with one other student. If you want your own room you have to pay an additional $496.00 up front, not sure if it is refundable or not. You also have to pay a $5.00 fee Round Trip Daily to cross the bridge from NJ to PA to attend training, I figured that out of pocket expense to be right around $150.00 plus your gas. Food is not provided so you will have to pay for 3 meals a day. The hotel does provide a mini refrigerator and microwave however I would still figure 150.00 to 200.00 a week for food multiplied by 4 weeks (maximum) $800.00.

*Fourth you have to pay for your DOT physical and Drug Screen which is $100.00 due on the first day of training.

To conclude if I were attend Driver Solutions Training in Philadelphia I would have a total out of pocket expense of approximately $3,045.00 this amount includes the pay back of $1,995.00 to PAM for their Sponsorship.

All in all from the information provided on the website it looks to be a good school, I just wanted to post this so other people can see what costs are associated with obtaining your CDL.

Jeffrey...

Considering you stated Swift is included in your short list, I want to share what I know of their training process and contractual obligations.

Swift Academy cost is $1995.00 if you work for them a full year once promoted to solo status. That's the discounted cost, double that number if you choose to hire-on with another carrier before the full year is up. That cost includes room & board (double-occupancy hotel room) and a daily shuttle to and from the school. In your case I am almost positive you will be bused to their Richmond VA location because unless something has changed, Richmond handles students from PA, VA, NC & SC. Similar to PAM, once you have earned your CDL (and barring any unforeseen non-disclosure issues) they will invite you to orientation and then pair you with a mentor for 200 hours of "you driving" during road-training. During training you are paid an hourly rate of ($9.65) for driving and the PA State Minimum for on-duty not driving.

Once solo, a deduction of $37.50 will come out of your weekly check for 52 weeks. After that period, you have no further contractual obligation to Swift and can move on without any money owed. However if you choose to continue, Swift will deposit the same amount; $37.50 each week for the next 52 weeks back into your check. Point being, after 2 full years the schooling/training is virtually free. I have been with Swift over five years now. Not only was my training free, but current my pay is at the top tier of compensation levels for TL carriers like Swift (Schneider, Prime, Werner, PAM, etc.).

Please do not misunderstand me,...not trying to sell you on Swift or dissuade you from PAM, offering additional information so that you are able to quicklymake the best decision. Please take time to thoroughly understand the crux of what Old School and Brett suggested; beyond basic research, searching for the perfect fit; it's futile. From the time I decided to take this path as a career. my mind was made up in about 3 days. You really cannot go wrong with any of the companies represented in Paid CDL Training Programs link. Once you have settled on a short list of three...this link will help understand any remaining details - Trucking Company Reviews Good luck!

Jeffrey, I changed careers into trucking a few months ago at age 58 and I'm enjoying it. I don't earn as much money as I used to, not yet anyway, but I like traveling the country and enyoing the scenery.

Another type of training option that you might consider if you have a few grand to invest would be to graduate from an independent school and then go to work for a trucking company. Most of the trucking companies that hire students will reimburse you for your tuition expense over a period of time. If you do things this way, you will have a greater number of companies to choose from.

I'm driving for Pride Transport and love it. I tried another company at first but that didn't work out. Pride provided the training that I needed with no problems. It was easy for me to make the change since I already had my CDL. Pride does have a program for those needing to get their CDL , but I don't know the details of it.

In any case, I agree with Brett and the moderators that have said that too much emphasis is on the company. Most of the companies will treat you well if you do your job well.

Best wishes to you.

Dave