Training Location Vs. Home Location

Anywhere big enough to fit a tractor-trailer. Strip malls, box-stores, rest areas, etc. You may have to get creative. The key is to obtain permission to park at that location.

How do you go about getting permission to park? Do you talk to the store manager or do you have to contact the owner or management company of the shopping center?

Reason I ask, There is a Lowe’s a few blocks from me and I see the same 2-3 trucks/trailers there some weekends. Would be a convenient spot for me if I was to bring the truck home for a reset

Definitely ask the main store manager about parking. Offer to help keep the lot clean by volunteering to pick up trash.

We get a bad reputation from a few that wear out their welcome: running over the vegetation, cracking the concrete islands, leaving trash behind, blocking traffic by parking incorrectly, etc.

Knight has a drop lot in Joliet, IL that I used to drop trailers at, or grab a relay trailer from.

Why would you move to Illinois? I can see leaving California, but then to Illinois...? Personally, I'm of the "less government is best" mindset, but that's just me.

That is convenient to be in Joliet.

I have a 4 month old (first) and my partner and I are from Manitowoc and Milwaukee respectively. Buying a house in the Bay Area is out of the question..a fixer upper is $550k. Respectable is about $700k. Good mobile homes are $225k. Condos $400k. Housing and rent prices are just out of control. I pay $1700 to rent a studio currently. Not necessarily conducive to a 3 person family. I could pay about a third of that for a decent sized place in the midwest. That kind of was the long term plan the whole time when I moved out to San Francisco originally in my mid 20s. I'd prefer Wisconsin personally, more to do with proximity to family than anything. She is an engineer and works at a start up and likes that environment. There are just more startups in Chicago. We'll see where she lands. The older I get, the less I care about government and politics. That is not a deciding factor.

At Roehl if you live within 50 miles of a terminal you have to leave truck there on home time. If not you can take it home as long as you have someplace legal nearby to park it. A friend of mine works for Schneider and he always has to leave his at nearest terminal which is 3 hours from home for him. So it varies by company.

At Roehl if you live within 50 miles of a terminal you have to leave truck there on home time. If not you can take it home as long as you have someplace legal nearby to park it. A friend of mine works for Schneider and he always has to leave his at nearest terminal which is 3 hours from home for him. So it varies by company.

So, Brandon, are drivers able to leave their personal vehicles at those terminals while they're out on the road?

Let me jump in for Brandon, who had taken more than 43 minutes to answer! :-)

Truck companies have parking at terminals, usually secured (guard gate, etc.), for their drivers. I have seen cars at Swift parking sitting for months!

As for parking at big box stores, Walmarts, etc. You always have time to park and immediately go in and ask. Start with cashiers or Checkout Managers (senior cashiers), as they will probably either know store policy or can get the manager over for you.

I have never had problem with Walmart parking for 30 minute stops. But unless I already know from experience, I always check for overnight or longer parking policies. Get the Trucker Path app, they list Walmarts "everywhere" and have comments by drivers about parking conditions.

Thanks for that info, Errol. At this point I'm asking more questions and adding to planning lists. That Trucker's Path app just landed after "hard hat", lol. It's getting a little more real for me.

An aside - with respect to your presence here, trucking's gain is education's loss, and I'm kinda sorry the world works this way...... I taught in middle school, too, and I don't disagree with the sentiments you've expressed about your experience and reasons for seeking change. I learned as much, if not more, than I ever taught during those years and will forever be intrigued by how much and how! a human changes between the time s/he enters and leaves middle school...... what an unparalleled and glorious, even age of development.

Prior to that I worked on Wall Street and often thought that many hot-shots from those days would never cut it in a teaching environment, especially substitute teaching.

Let me not assume that past exposures to anything else necessarily pave the way to the trucking life, however! I'm looking forward to it.

Moving to illinois is a bad idea not because its more than California with costs but because there are better options really nearby.

I grew up in illinois on the south side of chicago which was ....... Interesting, lol.

When i got of home buying age the options for someone looking to stay near chicago are not great compared to outlying areas. Indiana is a great bet, 3/4 less in property taxes, less income tax, etc. Short commute downtown as well. Not to mention a 2k sq ft home is probably 1/2 the cost of chicago and chicagos nothern and western burbs.

Wisconsin is also a better option. Costlier than indiana and the commute can be worse.

The good news is there are terminals all over the chicago area for you to be based out of. I have schneider, swift, rhoel within 15 minutes of my house. Theres a us express nearby and up in Wisconsin north of Milwaukee is a Millis terminal im based from that has a school.

Moving to illinois is a bad idea not because its more than California with costs but because there are better options really nearby.

I agree with everything you stated, it's just that, as I mentioned in my other post, my partner enjoys working at innovative startups. They are just more prevalent in Chicago. Ideally, it would be a peach if we could land somewhere between Milwaukee and Madison or Milwaukee and Green Bay. Unfortunately those areas are a ghost land for what she's into for work. Indiana doubles commute time to Milwaukee compared to Chicago. It's just closer to our extended family.