Baby Step #1
Topic 32197 | Page 1
Contrary to what one would normally think, companies actually prefer older, more mature and grounded drivers over the young whippersnappers. Older drivers aren't as prone to whim or fancy, and are typically the most dependable.
As long as you continue to produce an efficient profit, and do it safely, the company will continue to feed you the miles.
Congrats on the permit!!
Howdy!
Last year at the age of 70, I ran 139,000 miles. Not sure what I'll run this year cuz I was off the road for 5 weeks in May and June and then went with the new company. First four and a half weeks out I ran just shy of 13,000 miles. Did home time for my birthday on July 26 and I'm back out here running crazy again. My company loves me. So, no, companies don't cut back on us older people.😁
Laura
Passed the written permit exams today!!! Got to give credit and thanks to the online training found here. Been working on it all week and tested today. Anybody who hasn't tested yet... read up and do all the practice test questions on this site. You'll be fine.
49 yrs old and finally getting started into driving. Been talking about it for years. Needed a kick out the door from my previous career, and a nudge of encouragement from the Mrs. Start the driving training in a week and been working on pre-hire applications and interviews. Excited and anxious to see what 'next' is gonna look like.
Thanks to all the posts I've been reading up on... especially about the Dollar Store accounts. Of course those jobs are going to catch the interest of a noob. Think I'm gonna go a safer route and see about making it 20 years or so...
Which I guess leads me to a question I haven't thought too much about or seen an answer to yet... is there an age where companies start cutting drivers back on miles or just moving them out completely? Just curious.
Congrats on the written/CDLP, Jason! Welcome to Trucking Truth, too!
We are in the 'upper club' at my house, as well; and ditto what the above professionals have stated. Heck, still in your 40's, you're a youngster, haha! Yes, the HRTP is the best; glad it got you where you needed to be.
Have you decided what's next? Here's something to think of: Apply For Paid CDL Training.
You could also prepare for the 'next step' .. here:
- Pre-Trip Inspection Study Guide
- Daniel's Pre-Trip Inspection
- Pre-Trip Inspection Checklist
- Pre-Trip Inspection Practice Questions
Stick around, and ask away. Honestly, the cutoff age at many companies, is BELOW 25. That's not a joke! I would 'guesstimate' the mean age in the mid 40's, personally.
Best to you, going forward;
~ Anne & Tom ~
Pre-trip Inspection:
A pre-trip inspection is a thorough inspection of the truck completed before driving for the first time each day.
Federal and state laws require that drivers inspect their vehicles. Federal and state inspectors also may inspect your vehicles. If they judge a vehicle to be unsafe, they will put it “out of service” until it is repaired.
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
- Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
- Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.
Pre-hire:
What Exactly Is A Pre-Hire Letter?
Pre-hire letters are acceptance letters from trucking companies to students, or even potential students, to verify placement. The trucking companies are saying in writing that the student, or potential student, appears to meet the company's minimum hiring requirements and is welcome to attend their orientation at the company’s expense once he or she graduates from truck driving school and has their CDL in hand.
We have an excellent article that will help you Understand The Pre-Hire Process.
A Pre-Hire Letter Is Not A Guarantee Of Employment
The people that receive a pre-hire letter are people who meet the company's minimum hiring requirements, but it is not an employment contract. It is an invitation to orientation, and the orientation itself is a prerequisite to employment.
During the orientation you will get a physical, drug screen, and background check done. These and other qualifications must be met before someone in orientation is officially hired.
HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.
I began my trucking career well into my 40s and I have established myself as a runner. As well as my company is able, they keep me running. There are quite a few drivers at my company who are well over 50 and beyond. Many of these guys (and gals) run hard and the company will keep any driver moving who wants to run. Any decent company will have load planners who pay attention to how individual drivers run and plan accordingly. There is a high demand for safe and reliable drivers, so once a driver establishes him/herself as such, that company will work to keep that driver happy.
Just adding another affirmative response to those who have already basically said, "Don't worry about age."
HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.
Contrary to what one would normally think, companies actually prefer older, more mature and grounded drivers over the young whippersnappers. Older drivers aren't as prone to whim or fancy, and are typically the most dependable.
As long as you continue to produce an efficient profit, and do it safely, the company will continue to feed you the miles.
Congrats on the permit!!
Hi Turtle, and thanks for the reply. The people at my CDL school have said the same thing about some companies preferring older / mature / grounded type people. Makes sense, and it's good to hear the same thing from a different voice. Especially being new, trying to soak up as much information as I can, and then have to learn how to filter through it.
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
- Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
- Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.
Howdy!
Last year at the age of 70, I ran 139,000 miles. Not sure what I'll run this year cuz I was off the road for 5 weeks in May and June and then went with the new company. First four and a half weeks out I ran just shy of 13,000 miles. Did home time for my birthday on July 26 and I'm back out here running crazy again. My company loves me. So, no, companies don't cut back on us older people.😁
Laura
Hi Laura, thanks for the reply and that info. Good to hear I should be able to stay as busy as I want to be for as long as I can.
Congrats on the written/CDLP, Jason! Welcome to Trucking Truth, too!
We are in the 'upper club' at my house, as well; and ditto what the above professionals have stated. Heck, still in your 40's, you're a youngster, haha! Yes, the HRTP is the best; glad it got you where you needed to be.
Have you decided what's next? Here's something to think of: Apply For Paid CDL Training.
You could also prepare for the 'next step' .. here:
- Pre-Trip Inspection Study Guide
- Daniel's Pre-Trip Inspection
- Pre-Trip Inspection Checklist
- Pre-Trip Inspection Practice Questions
Stick around, and ask away. Honestly, the cutoff age at many companies, is BELOW 25. That's not a joke! I would 'guesstimate' the mean age in the mid 40's, personally.
Best to you, going forward;
~ Anne & Tom ~
Hi Anne/Tom, and thanks for the reply and info. I was in the glass trade since 1999, so it's been a long time since I've been the new kid. Kind of exciting but also a little anxiety about all the yet unknowns. Definitely will have lots of questions..
Next, i'm doing a private local cdl school (4 weeks) that starts Aug 22. Figured that might get me into a wider variety of work options and also more time to sort through all of it. Getting started on prep for that including all the pre-trip stuff to learn.
Got a couple of pre-hire opportunities that I'm excited about too. It's good to start seeing how some of the pieces might wind up fitting together.
Pre-trip Inspection:
A pre-trip inspection is a thorough inspection of the truck completed before driving for the first time each day.
Federal and state laws require that drivers inspect their vehicles. Federal and state inspectors also may inspect your vehicles. If they judge a vehicle to be unsafe, they will put it “out of service” until it is repaired.
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
- Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
- Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.
Pre-hire:
What Exactly Is A Pre-Hire Letter?
Pre-hire letters are acceptance letters from trucking companies to students, or even potential students, to verify placement. The trucking companies are saying in writing that the student, or potential student, appears to meet the company's minimum hiring requirements and is welcome to attend their orientation at the company’s expense once he or she graduates from truck driving school and has their CDL in hand.
We have an excellent article that will help you Understand The Pre-Hire Process.
A Pre-Hire Letter Is Not A Guarantee Of Employment
The people that receive a pre-hire letter are people who meet the company's minimum hiring requirements, but it is not an employment contract. It is an invitation to orientation, and the orientation itself is a prerequisite to employment.
During the orientation you will get a physical, drug screen, and background check done. These and other qualifications must be met before someone in orientation is officially hired.
I began my trucking career well into my 40s and I have established myself as a runner. As well as my company is able, they keep me running. There are quite a few drivers at my company who are well over 50 and beyond. Many of these guys (and gals) run hard and the company will keep any driver moving who wants to run. Any decent company will have load planners who pay attention to how individual drivers run and plan accordingly. There is a high demand for safe and reliable drivers, so once a driver establishes him/herself as such, that company will work to keep that driver happy.
Just adding another affirmative response to those who have already basically said, "Don't worry about age."
Hey Ryan, thanks for the reply and encouragement. I'm hoping to wind up with one of the 'decent' companies and figure out how to get started running.
HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.
I began my trucking career well into my 40s and I have established myself as a runner. As well as my company is able, they keep me running. There are quite a few drivers at my company who are well over 50 and beyond. Many of these guys (and gals) run hard and the company will keep any driver moving who wants to run. Any decent company will have load planners who pay attention to how individual drivers run and plan accordingly. There is a high demand for safe and reliable drivers, so once a driver establishes him/herself as such, that company will work to keep that driver happy.
Just adding another affirmative response to those who have already basically said, "Don't worry about age."
Hey Ryan, thanks for the reply and encouragement. I'm hoping to wind up with one of the 'decent' companies and figure out how to get started running.
Hey again, Jason!
The above posts are so 'spot on.' One of the guys that did NOT reply to this thread (yet) like Grandpa Clark (over in the diaries section) is in a VERY similar situation as yours; I highly suggest you read it. He's joined with the ranks of Maverick. There are many more that went the private route, doing okay!
Also, what Ryan speaks of, re: 'decent' companies, is the fear of the "too good to be true" 1099 gigs. They're popping up a lot lately, but have always existed. Look at Z.M.'s thread, for example. (Put 1099 in the white 'search bar' above, for more.)
Another thing to watch for, re: 'decent' companies, are those that will try to shove leasing down your throat, out 'the gate. I've noticed that more lately, myself as well. It's something we highly frown on here on TT....but it happens. Texas Tim went that route with Wilson, and according to his Facebook page, he's doing alright. Pretty sure Ryan didn't mean anything about the 'name on the door.' At all. We don't care about that here, just the safety and integrity of 'said' company!
That explained, I'd recommend this, too: Apply For Truck Driving JobsAnd grab all the pre hires you can!
Keep us in the loop, and ask as you need! Best to ya;
~ Anne & Tom ~
Pre Hire:
What Exactly Is A Pre-Hire Letter?
Pre-hire letters are acceptance letters from trucking companies to students, or even potential students, to verify placement. The trucking companies are saying in writing that the student, or potential student, appears to meet the company's minimum hiring requirements and is welcome to attend their orientation at the company’s expense once he or she graduates from truck driving school and has their CDL in hand.
We have an excellent article that will help you Understand The Pre-Hire Process.
A Pre-Hire Letter Is Not A Guarantee Of Employment
The people that receive a pre-hire letter are people who meet the company's minimum hiring requirements, but it is not an employment contract. It is an invitation to orientation, and the orientation itself is a prerequisite to employment.
During the orientation you will get a physical, drug screen, and background check done. These and other qualifications must be met before someone in orientation is officially hired.
Pre Hires:
What Exactly Is A Pre-Hire Letter?
Pre-hire letters are acceptance letters from trucking companies to students, or even potential students, to verify placement. The trucking companies are saying in writing that the student, or potential student, appears to meet the company's minimum hiring requirements and is welcome to attend their orientation at the company’s expense once he or she graduates from truck driving school and has their CDL in hand.
We have an excellent article that will help you Understand The Pre-Hire Process.
A Pre-Hire Letter Is Not A Guarantee Of Employment
The people that receive a pre-hire letter are people who meet the company's minimum hiring requirements, but it is not an employment contract. It is an invitation to orientation, and the orientation itself is a prerequisite to employment.
During the orientation you will get a physical, drug screen, and background check done. These and other qualifications must be met before someone in orientation is officially hired.
HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.New Reply:
New! Check out our help videos for a better understanding of our forum features
Preview:
Why Join Trucking Truth?
- The High Road Training Program
- The High Road Article Series
- The Friendliest Trucker's Forum Ever!
- Email Updates When New Articles Are Posted
Apply For Paid CDL Training Through TruckingTruth
Did you know you can fill out one quick form here on TruckingTruth and apply to several companies at once for paid CDL training? Seriously! The application only takes one minute. You will speak with recruiters today. There is no obligation whatsoever. Learn more and apply here:
TT On Facebook
Passed the written permit exams today!!! Got to give credit and thanks to the online training found here. Been working on it all week and tested today. Anybody who hasn't tested yet... read up and do all the practice test questions on this site. You'll be fine.
49 yrs old and finally getting started into driving. Been talking about it for years. Needed a kick out the door from my previous career, and a nudge of encouragement from the Mrs. Start the driving training in a week and been working on pre-hire applications and interviews. Excited and anxious to see what 'next' is gonna look like.
Thanks to all the posts I've been reading up on... especially about the Dollar Store accounts. Of course those jobs are going to catch the interest of a noob. Think I'm gonna go a safer route and see about making it 20 years or so...
Which I guess leads me to a question I haven't thought too much about or seen an answer to yet... is there an age where companies start cutting drivers back on miles or just moving them out completely? Just curious.
Pre-hire:
What Exactly Is A Pre-Hire Letter?
Pre-hire letters are acceptance letters from trucking companies to students, or even potential students, to verify placement. The trucking companies are saying in writing that the student, or potential student, appears to meet the company's minimum hiring requirements and is welcome to attend their orientation at the company’s expense once he or she graduates from truck driving school and has their CDL in hand.
We have an excellent article that will help you Understand The Pre-Hire Process.
A Pre-Hire Letter Is Not A Guarantee Of Employment
The people that receive a pre-hire letter are people who meet the company's minimum hiring requirements, but it is not an employment contract. It is an invitation to orientation, and the orientation itself is a prerequisite to employment.
During the orientation you will get a physical, drug screen, and background check done. These and other qualifications must be met before someone in orientation is officially hired.
HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.