Trucking Gadgets, GPS , Telephone Headset, Music ???

Gtown and Brett,

I appreciate your concern and information but I think you are not really understanding me. I have never even been in a semi but I have the drive to want to drive. I have studied the practice test on the truckers report and feel confident I can ace it with all endorsements. I have drove big straight trucks, I pull big airplanes in and out of a hangar with just inches of wing tip clearance. I have worked on flight lines around million dollar airplanes using big manlifts etc..... I know there is a lot to learn but I have total confidence in myself to be able to learn to drive a truck. I took flying lessons for 7 hours and did my solo flight then at 9 hours did a 300 mile cross country so I know what it is like to need to learn all the tricks of the trade.

Carter works with Sage driving school and will reimburse me @$50 per week.

As soon as I graduate they will put me with a trainer for 6 weeks and then solo. They run the nafta routes running car parts. No touch freight , and 50 miles from my home with week ends off and home through the week sometimes.

The days will be long and only pays $0.375 per mile and a little extra for other things but its not just about the money,

I have watched a lot of training videos , backing etc... , driving through big city's, bad weather, hooking up and un hooking trailers, and doubles , pretrip / post trip already know how to work Qualcom / people net. Have a truckers atlas and been reading and trip planning. fueling, adding def truck stop parking and all the crazy videos. I can drive a manual tranny but prefer auto for these old knees and Carter has all Automatics.

I don't take short cuts in anything I do and I totally understand the commitment.

I don't think for a minute that I don't need good training. For some reason I just have a passion to drive BUT if I can find something that suits me then I will just stay home and enjoy retirement :)

And if I can find a straight truck job that would maybe be okay too.

Dennis not to be negative; but truck driving requires 100% full time commitment as you are learning. It seems like you want to short cut this...

The learning curve for everyone is about 1 Year. Although Carter has part time drivers, I have some doubt they’d allow an entry level driver to perform in a part time; 1-2 day per month job until you prove yourself a safe and efficient driver. This requires time and experience. No substitute.

I just don’t believe your expectations are realistic.

Somebody please correct me if I'm wrong, but companies don't want their equipment sitting idle while the driver assigned to that truck spends a lot of time at home. You have all your stuff in that truck and it's not practical to have another driver take over when you are on home time. Now, I do know there are part-time driving jobs, but I don't think there are many in OTR trucking.

Roehl sounds like it would fit Dennis home time desires with their flexible schedules such as 7 on 7 off, 14 on 7 off etc. HOWEVER with that type of scheduling your pay is going to substantially lower at the end of the year due to working less. Schneider also has something they call "jet set"where they fly you to where you're needed then 3(?) Weeks later fly you home for a week. Downside to both is you do not have an assigned truck and I'm guessing you'd need to live near a terminal for Roehl's flexible hometime.

More interested in time off than pay, maybe I will check into this.

I know there is a lot to learn but I have total confidence in myself to be able to learn to drive a truck.

Oh I'm not concerned about that in the least. What I'm saying is that trucking is far more demanding than most people would ever imagine. For starters, you can legally work on duty 70 hours every 8 days. Add in all of the off-duty responsibilities you'll be taking care of and you're looking at the equivalent of two full-time jobs.

Not only that, but you're living in a walk-in closet and dealing with tight schedules, heavy traffic, terrible weather, erratic sleep schedules, and a million other challenges along the way.

Driving the truck is the easier part. It's the exhausting schedule, the solitude of the road, and the total change in lifestyle that becomes overwhelming for people.

You said you're semi-retired, you don't need the money, and you don't want to be away from home very much. I'm almost certain that if you get into Class A driving it's going to require a far greater level of commitment than you're expecting.

Unfortunately, there are very limited opportunities to get home daily (or almost daily) when you're new to the industry because the local jobs are far too difficult for the limited skill set a rookie has. So most local companies require one year of regional or OTR driving before they'll hire someone. There are exceptions, but starting out in local work is exceedingly difficult and risky, and they often require 60+ hours per week.

I'm certain you can learn to drive the truck. I'm just concerned that the very long days, the stress, the time you'll spend on the road, and the complete change of lifestyle really isn't really what you're looking for. I honestly don't know of a 40 hr per week Class A job that gets you home every night and is hiring students out of school. Heck, I don't know of a Class A job like that anywhere. I'm sure they're out there, but they're pretty rare.

That's why I think you might be better off looking at something like propane delivery, school bus driving, convenience store routes, or something of that nature might be more in line with what you're looking for. But hey, if you're ready to take a shot at Class A we'll certainly help you get there.

More interested in time off than pay, maybe I will check into this.

Yes, you've just completely acknowledged what I was saying. I don't think Class A work is what you're looking for.

Shuttle services for hotels, Uber driver - things like that would be much more to your liking. Far less commitment, far more flexibility.

I have a Cobra CB with 2 great antennas, a SiriusXM radio, and a Rand McNally TND 740 truck GPS (and a spare backup for each) , and a RM trucking atlas that I use. I do not have a headset, nor do I use Bluetooth while driving as I feel it’s too much distraction. Knight uses a GPS built in the ELD system for company navigation. I also use Google Maps satellite view almost daily.

Sounds like a great set up !

It works for me.

I retired from the USN after 20 plus years in Naval Aviation.

I have a Cobra CB with 2 great antennas, a SiriusXM radio, and a Rand McNally TND 740 truck GPS (and a spare backup for each) , and a RM trucking atlas that I use. I do not have a headset, nor do I use Bluetooth while driving as I feel it’s too much distraction. Knight uses a GPS built in the ELD system for company navigation. I also use Google Maps satellite view almost daily.

Sounds like a great set up !

It works for me.

I retired from the USN after 20 plus years in Naval Aviation.

Thanks for your service Sir !

I have experience with one of the USA Company , that provide the emergency security alert system with the help of Beacon and that work perfect for me in terms of personal safety in emergency situation which consists of the GPS locator beacon and allows our loved ones to track your location.

Not to hijack the thread, but Dennis, if one wanted to get into working on/around/possibly piloting what sort of paths exist for that?

I'll also just reiterate what G-Town and Brett have said-- I just started a local position with my company after a year and a half OTR and the demands that get placed on A-Class drivers are incredibly difficult to convey verbally. It has to be lived, in your case at least getting through the first year is going to require every last scrap of your attention. It took all of mine, and this was my 2nd attempt to make the cut, I washed out my first time working for Knight after four months.

Not to hijack the thread, but Dennis, if one wanted to get into working on/around/possibly piloting what sort of paths exist for that?

I'll also just reiterate what G-Town and Brett have said-- I just started a local position with my company after a year and a half OTR and the demands that get placed on A-Class drivers are incredibly difficult to convey verbally. It has to be lived, in your case at least getting through the first year is going to require every last scrap of your attention. It took all of mine, and this was my 2nd attempt to make the cut, I washed out my first time working for Knight after four months.

Hello Keith,

I understand what you all are saying but when I go to Truckers Report Most say don't go with Knight and so many others have a bad reputation over and over and over. Most of these companies seem to put you out with a trainer and then on your own or team and maybe a little home time. I could be totally wrong maybe they are good, this is just what I see, often.

This is why I am looking for something different and it may not exist and I will never go OTR but I may be out a few days a week with every weekend off or most week ends off. I am in a position that I don't need to work just an interest in driving.

I have spent the last 14 years in South Korea and 10 years prior to that I worked as a contractor and traveled all over the world and although the money is great I am ready to move home and enjoy my life. If a driving job does happen to come up that would be okay and if not no big deal.

As far as Aviation goes , I always had an interest and attended a Aviation Training Academy in Indianapolis for 2 years and got a Associates degree in aviation Maintenance, Tested out and got my Airframe and Powerplant license (A&P) Hired by a company near Seattle Washington, worked there for a year then started contracting for different companies all over the world. Some people in the military that work on aircraft can also test for their A&P and if you can find a company that will hire you and train you then after so many hours of training the person with a A&P can sign you off with the FAA to test for your A&P.

They say there is going to be a shortage of pilots and mechanics and I have companies emailing me almost everyday offering jobs for maintenance.

Love flying my plane and any other small planes I get to fly but never wanted to be a professional pilot and fly for the airlines. I just like general aviation. Some good jobs out there ! And some not so good. I have been with my company now for 14 years and working in South Korea. I work 4 , 10 hour days and get 3 days off every week. Sometimes if you want overtime you can get it but I never work overtime :)

I have got about 4 months left to work here and I will be 66 and retire and I have over 6 weeks vacation left so I am slacking off pretty good lol

Over seas contracts are the best , like here I am tax exempt and can only be in the USA for around 30 days per year or then I will need to pay taxes for the whole year :( I go see family and visit my house there in Indiana every summer and we have a place in the Philippines we go for Christmas quite a bit ( Our retirement home for the winter )

Check aircraft jobs at JS Firm on the internet. There are a lot of jobs there and many other sites just google aviation jobs.

Most of my work overseas has been on military base's which usually includes housing allowance , cost of living allowance and over 6 figures tax free every year.

After you are a licensed mechanic for 3 years you can get your Inspection Authorization ( IA ) since I have my IA I can do the annual inspection on all the general aviation airplanes in the US. My hangar can fit a few airplanes and I will probably be doing a lot of annuals especially for friends and locals in our area of several small airports. Chance to make some good $$$ but a lot of responsibility.

As far as becoming a pilot , some start out with a introduction flight to see if they are interested and then start training with an instructor and you will need 40 hours to test to get your private license, most need more hours to feel comfortable.

There are places that will put you through training in a accelerated course of 2-3 weeks of flying every day several hours which I think is best.

If you fly one hour or two a week then off a couple weeks because of money , weather etc.... you have to sort of spend the next hour remembering what you did the first 2 hours. Just my opinion.

A lot of great videos on YouTube for pilots and A&P,s

If you have any other questions just ask.

I understand what you all are saying but when I go to Truckers Report Most say don't go with Knight and so many others have a bad reputation over and over and over. Most of these companies seem to put you out with a trainer and then on your own or team and maybe a little home time. I could be totally wrong maybe they are good, this is just what I see, often.

Dennis, there's a good solid reason we call this site "Trucking Truth." You are a victim of the rampant misinformation we literally fight against on a daily basis. You will find it next to impossible to jump into a part-time class A Tractor-Trailer job such as you seem interested in. Maybe at that point, you'll realize who was shooting straight with you all along. It's a crying shame how you are being misled by what you expect to be a reliable source of information on this career.

Each of the companies that you think are so "bad" are the best-managed companies in the business and are well represented here by long-time successful happy employees. Each of our Moderators have proven to be operating at the industry's highest levels of success while working for the companies that are so foolishly slandered online at the sites you keep frequenting. How can that make any sense to you? I'm a long-time driver at Knight - couldn't be happier!