Thank You Trucking Truth!

Just wanted to express my gratitude to the founder, moderators, and members of this site. It has been and will continue to be an invaluable resource for this future trucker.

A little background on myself. I'm 42yrs young and have always wanted to drive these rigs. I have uncles that drove when I was a young lad and I have generally been attracted to all things requiring fuel to make it go! The reason I am getting started so late in life is due to some choices I had to make at a younger age.

First I was fortunate enough to find the perfect woman for me quite young and married at 20yrs old. So we decide to start our family right away. I decided to leave this as a pipe dream in order to be home for my family. Mind you I have never been one to want to stay put in one place. But it's something a family needs. I was moved around a lot as a kid and because of that I have very few true friends. Friends you consider family that would be there at a drop of the hat if needed. I didn't want my kids to experience that. So I did what needed to be done. I worked a loading dock and eventually worked my way into management. Eventually I went into IT be testing into a company as a helpdesk support technician and again worked my way up.

Eventually things went south for the company I was with and I was laid off. I did have the option to relocate but decided against doing that to my young family. So I took what ever I could find. I was a locator and marked utilities for a large company here in Minnesota. I have been an armed private security supervisor, as well as a Parking and Communications Coordinator for a private college. Kind of weird how none of these things seem related. That is the thing. These are all jobs. None of them pulled any passion from me.

So now I find my kids are grown and about to enter the world on their own two feet. Actually one already has lol. My wife has gone back to school and is looking at going back to get her bachelors degree and has established a professional career for herself and is rediscovering who she is now that she is not required to be Mom 24/7.

So one night my better half and I are sitting up and discussing things. She knows I loathe my current place of employment and it has been effecting my home life for the past couple of years. She looks at me and says. So what do you want to do with your life? What will make you happy? There I sat. Quiet. I had not thought about what I wanted in a very long, long time. I answered her honestly. I told her I had no idea. I knew I didn't want to be trapped in a cubicle again. But other than that I really didn't know. So I thought about it for a few days. One night on my way back into work I passed a couple of trucks that were making their runs. I thought to myself I wish I could get behind the wheel of one of them again(I had done so briefly on a Sod Farm back in '89) Then it hit me. Why can't I? I have the best wife in the world. She would support this! Well I broke it to her. She wasn't expecting this at all. But the more she thought about it the more she realized that it was better suited to my personality than the average 8 to 5 work routine. So we had some serious discussions about how to make this work. As I will always choose "Us" over anything else. I needed her to understand that and that I needed the same assurances and support from her in this. I can't start this journey and be worried about what happens the next time I come home.

Needless to say we are both committed to this change in our lives and I will be testing for my permit today to get started. Thanks to all the posts and materials that have been made available to us on this site I am able to go in feeling confident in what I have learned. Thanks again! You all have no idea how you have helped ease the feelings of anxiousness and self doubt that have creeped up on me during this time. Normally I am pretty quiet so you may not see much from me in the posts but be sure that I am on hear reading them and taking lessons from the stories you are all willing to share!

Thanks again!

Thomas, that's a great story you have there! Me and you have many things in common.

I'm currently 22 and got married at 20. Found that perfect girl and said to myself "I better get her before someone else does". Never really planned on it, but couldn't pass up having an angel by my side through life.

It does sound like a good fit. Ever since you can remember you've always been working hard to support the family and its never been about you. This job will be your peace. You'll drive down the road and won't have to take care of someone else. I see you being a driver 100%.

So since I guaranteed your success, come back often and keep us updated so I don't look bad with my guarantee

Welcome aboard Thomas.

You will find that you have a lot in common with many of us. I'm 45, and you came pretty close to describing me. I married at 21 when my wife was 18. She became pregnant on our honeymoon so our family started right away. Can't believe she is still with me 23 yrs later.

Only difference is I have mentioned trucking to my wife many times over the years. But still I was shocked when she said maybe its time. I have one daughter left in school and the other two kids have moved out.

Good luck on your tests today. I'm sure you will do fine. Especially if you've been working on the High Road Training Program. Let us know how it goes.

Woody

Welcome aboard Thomas! That was a great story - thanks for sharing that!

There are a lot of situations, and yours is one of them, where my perspective on it is simple - why not try trucking??? I mean, it's not a life sentence. Heck, the schooling only takes a couple of months, it's fun, and it only costs a few thousand bucks. You could drive a rig for three months, pay back all of the schooling, decide it isn't for you, and walk away free and clear like you were never there.

So what do you have to lose, right?

And there are opportunities to take your wife with sometimes if she would like, or you could find a job that gets you home every night, every weekend, or whatever you like. Heck, some companies like Roehl Transport even have pretty amazing home time options. Here's a quote from our information on Roehl:

7-On/7-Off Fleet

Exclusively from Roehl, our 7-On/7-Off Fleet drivers drive seven days and then they are home for seven days at a time. If you choose a 7-On/7-Off Fleet, you’ll have 26 weeks a year off. You must be fully rested prior to dispatch. Space in the 7-On/7-Off Fleets may be limited in some areas of the country.

7/4-7/3 Fleet

Getting more miles is a key feature of our 7/4-7/3 Fleets. When you join a 7/4-7/3 Fleet, you’ll drive seven days, then be home four days, then you’ll drive seven days followed by three days of home time. That’s an average of 120 days off and mileage goals between 95,000 and 105,000 per year. You must be fully rested prior to dispatch, and space in the 7/4–7/3 Fleets may be limited in some areas of the country.

14/7 Fleet

Roehl’s 14/7 Fleets are unique options that combine the mileage goals of a 7/4-7/3 Fleet (between 95,000 and 105,000 per year) with the extended home time of a 7/7 Fleet. You’ll drive fourteen days and then be home seven days. Space in our 14/7 Fleets is available in limited areas, and you must be fully rested prior to dispatch.

So there are a lot of options for you, but nothing that says you're locked into trucking. Give it a shot and see what you think. You never know where a path will ultimately lead.

Thanks for the warm regards. I did pass the GK, Air, and Combination tests easily thanks to the training program on this site. I missed a couple here and there so I wasn't perfect but was well above failing. Of course I probably should have made the attempt when I hadn't been up for 26 hrs. Oh well. Water under the bridge right?

So I have decided to explore the company sponsored CDL training if I can be accepted somewhere. I already talked to Roehl Transport (still waiting on more information from them.) But am exploring Knight and Prime as well. I'm looking at refrigerated to start. I simply can't afford the upfront costs of a private school right now. Wife going back to school and Daughter getting ready to graduate HS and move on to college.

I have already discussed going national in general as we think we will be good for the first year being apart 2-3 weeks at a time due to how busy we all will be anyway. That and we will be forced to appreciate the time we have with each other more.

So regarding the a fore mentioned companies. Any suggestions or concerns that I should be open to? I have read the training and back grounds of ALL the companies listed on this sight that provide CDL training and would like to hear about any personal experiences with these companies. Unfortunately I have not been able to make it out to a TS to try and find a driver passing through as things are quite busy and my work schedule conflicts with everyone in my house so I get very little sleep as it is.

Again thanks for all the comments and suggestions thus far. Still excited to get moving!

As far as choosing between those companies, you could almost flip a coin. You can't go wrong with any of them. If they meet your criteria for things like home time, pay, & benefits then it's really just a matter of applying to each of them to see who is willing to give you a shot. If you have options, speak with their recruiters and find out if there are any little perks one might have that you really like.

But really, it doesn't matter a whole lot. You can do great with any of them.

As far as choosing between those companies, you could almost flip a coin. You can't go wrong with any of them. If they meet your criteria for things like home time, pay, & benefits then it's really just a matter of applying to each of them to see who is willing to give you a shot. If you have options, speak with their recruiters and find out if there are any little perks one might have that you really like.

But really, it doesn't matter a whole lot. You can do great with any of them.

Thanks Brett,

Looks like I will have to shootgun them and see what sticks. At least to get started. After researching a lot of these companies I pretty much have an idea where I would like to end up. I was just hoping to start and stay rather than jump from one to another. BTW Heard back from Roehl. I had an accident this past April that was unavoidable. They decided to pass on me since it was not a year old yet. So for now I will apply to many and see what happens. Like I said I have my permit and a friend that will let me use his yard and trucks to practice in for the meantime. I just would hate to use up this six month permit because of something I couldn't do anything about and have to start over.

Oh well something will come through. Gotta stay positive!

Ghost...when it all comes down to it...it is basically a gut feeling you have about which company you feel will fit you best. After a year with them, if you're still happy you can stay or go...