I Really Need Advice About My Future

Please tell me you weren't doing 17 over IN A CMV?

Second conviction for this is a 60 day suspension under 49 CFR 383.51.

Hope you DID get a lawyer to fight the ticket. You get a lawyer to FIGHT EVERY TICKET. Your CDL is your life. Defend it as such.

A re-hire anywhere else, if convicted for this first offense is unlikely - especially if it happened in a rig.

So, if you still have your job at your current employer - I'd suggest really getting my head back in the game. Otherwise, it might be GAME OVER for a few years.

Rick

Everybody else gave you real excellent advice so I'll just comment on this:

Even, worse... God forbid if I lose my job... I've driven nothing but, automatics since joining the fleet. My license says I can drive manual but, I can't...

That's not much of a problem, nearly all the major companies are transitioning to a fully auto fleet. Many are already there. There are companies such as Old Dominion (LTL) that are sticking with manuals but they're one of the few I'm aware of.

Matt one thing you've probably noticed is once you start feeling like you're on top of the world or get too complacent is when bad things happen. Please stick around the forum. We're not here to judge you. If you're having problems let us help. That's what we're here for. What's done is done, learn from the mistakes you've made but dont focus too much on the past as its bound to take your attention off what you're doing and result in a serious accident. We see this play out quite frequently here. If you're having trouble with this new companies policies or understanding the way they do things please post the company you work for. We have members that have found success at a wide variety of companies and are more than happy get you to that point. If you're worried about being able to be identified based on company or anything you say change your name. This site is a wealth of knowledge and our members are more than eager to offer assistance.

Maybe you should consider a regional job you mentioned ny i can assure you there are **** tons of regional jobs around here that pay as good or even much better than otr(drivers in northeast regional get paid well cause many hate the northeast)im home once or twice a week and every single weekend and still average 3000-3400 miles a week and make around 90k a yr gross give or take you get alot more opportunities to reset and clear your head of any bad mojo from one week to the next. Just something to consider but def dont be a ****y driver in northeast my first 6 months i thought i was perfect then trucking i mean real trucking grew on me and i started seeing the big picture as well as a few well placed words put on me by i believe old school and a few others i even quit coming here for months till the words spoke to me sank in and i stoped acting like a big baby while i dont agree with everything every one here says id still say that its the best schooling you can get without actually doing it. Best of luck to ya bud this can be a rewarding carreer

To give you an idea (I'm 31 by the way)... My entire life I never even so, much as been pulled over by the police... About a month ago, Got a speeding ticket in New York (17 miles over the speed limit)... Yikes!

IF it hasn't been said - if they keep you on board, don't leave your current company! 17 over speeding is going to prevent you from getting on with most decent companies for 3 years! 15 or more is the bench mark you never want to cross!

The thing is, in life there is always something new to learn, a new challenge you haven't faced before, and things you will forget.

As a manager, I can tell you jumping ship after a short time ( less than a year) doesn't look good and isn't enough time to reap the benefits. Even in your comfort zone you chose to leave.

We all have reasons for making the choices we do, but you left a place too soon to actually be noticed for your Legendary efforts. As the old saying goes, the grass isn't always greener on the other side.

Managers and companies want to know you can handle anything they throw at you. Doing that doesn't mean being the fastest guy out there and it never leads to a Legendary title !

Also, now that things are tough, your almost ready to give up.

Giving up isn't dependable, Being unsafe is dangerous, Being a Legend doesn't teach you anything !

Take a deep breath and focus on what you want to achieve, don't be shy to ask for more training.

These lessons learned over time will make you an experienced professional truck driver who will become highly needed in this industry !

Good luck and God bless !