Is This Right For Me?

I am a 35 year old mom of 3 kids about to be divorced and desperate for a good job that I will be able to provide for my kids and have health insurance for them. My soon to be ex husband is a truck driver and said anyone can do this job and says I should just do this. I don't have my cdl license but he said companies will train you and I could do local so I can be home every night? Is this true? and if so how do I find these companies? I have been applying for tons of other jobs but not getting anything back so now I'm just very desperate for almost anything. Any suggestions or help I would be so grateful for.

Welcome Taylor. Yes, totally doable. What's your closest city?

YRC Driving Academy

Welcome, I’m sorry to hear your situation. Breakups are never easy. I hate too throw cold water here but I believe your ex is very wrong, not anyone can do this proffession. It is very demanding.

Going through any training with your current situation will be difficult, espically something like this. It is doable but will be very hard.

Some of the LTL guys can share some of the training/driving opportunties in that realm. I’m not sure going to an OTR training company would be your best option with 3 kids.

Taylor, you might consider checking with the community colleges in your state. Some states offer CDL programs and there are usually grants available from the state that would cover the cost of tuition.

I just got my Class A CDL from the community college in my area. It was free, I didn't have to quit my part time job, and the schedule was flexible so getting a CDL didn't interfere with other responsibilities. They also offered training for Class B.

There may be similar options available with private schools in your area but those would require you to pay out of pocket.

PJ is 100% correct- going to an OTR training school is not something you'd want to get yourself into. It would require you to be away from your kids during the duration of the CDL training, they will require you to sign a one year contract in order to offset the cost of schooling, and then you'd be doing OTR for weeks at a time. After signing their contract you're liable for the cost of the school if you decide not to drive for them.

I'm not sure what industries are big in your area, but here in western Virginia and WV, logging and paper production is the mainstay of the economy. For that reason my school had us learn on 10 speed Freightliners and Internationals.

There is no automatic restriction on my CDL which means I can drive a logging truck or carry pulp to the paper mill. This opens up more options for me. Those companies that hire drivers from my school still only use 10 speeds.

Many schools, particularly the OTR schools, will train you on trucks with automatic transmissions, you will test on one of those trucks, and when you get your CDL it will have an automatic restriction which might greatly limit your options if you want to drive local routes.

Just a thought. I think it's doable in your situation but you'll need to do a lot of research. You might also consider doing something that would only require a class B, such as driving a school bus. Often you'll get hired for one of those jobs and the state, municipality, or company will have you trained at no cost to you. Best of luck!

Check out XPO Logistics. They're one of the biggest LTL companies out there. You can go to their site and see what jobs they have available in your state or area. I'm pretty sure they have schools and will hire people with no experience.

First off, how old are your three kids?

Second, local work tends to be 12 to 14 hour days. Do you have a support system that can handle watching your kids that long?

Third, driving a big truck is no way like driving your 4-wheeler. In reality, many people fail at driving a big truck and going local tends to be harder, so they wash out quicker.

I tell many women this is a good job for women and old people and I'm both, but it isn't an easy job. If your kids are of an age that you have to worry about them, regardless of how much you want to support them and give them a good life, a Class A CDL may not be for you. However as someone suggested above, school bus or anything that uses a Class B license might be better suited for you.

I'm just very desperate for almost anything.

Desperation isn't a good place to be emotionally for taking on major decisions, so I'd advise you to do your best to approach this as rationally and realistically as possible.

My soon to be ex husband is a truck driver and said anyone can do this job and says I should just do this.

I would agree that nearly anyone can do this job, in that it doesn't require exceptional intellectual ability or physical gifts. If you approach it with the right attitude and don't sabotage yourself, you should be fine. The fact that your driver husband, who presumably knows you pretty well, thinks you have what it takes is a good sign.

he said companies will train you and I could do local so I can be home every night? Is this true? and if so how do I find these companies?

Yes, there are companies that train and hire inexperienced drivers for local work. Whether there are companies that are local to you and are currently hiring is something you'd need to research. A metro area as big as Las Vegas should be a pretty good place to find these opportunities. I started by doing linehaul for an LTL company, and I just found the job on indeed. You could also go to each company's website and see if they're hiring in your area.

Is This Right For Me?

That's one you have to answer for yourself. I would say it depends on the specifics of your home situation. What other adult caregivers would your kids have? Is your oldest child responsible enough to take charge of getting younger siblings fed, or out the door and to school, for example, in your absence? Is there a friend or family member who can step up in an emergency when you're 250 miles away (local in the trucking world is anywhere you can get to and back in fewer than 11 hours of driving)

Expect to work long and possibly erratic hours, especially at first, and know that being delayed in finishing your route is a constant possibility. You might not always make it home when you expect. And you'll be physically and mentally drained when you do until you get in a groove, and will need your rest. Linehaul is, in my opinion, a great first driving job, but it's often on an overnight schedule.

YRC Driving Academy

I'd avoid yellow. Their restructuring isn't going great and their stock price is free falling. I think it's at 1.70 now.

Check out XPO Logistics. They're one of the biggest LTL

I'd avoid them too. Their equipment isn't great and they rack up a bunch of DOT fines at inspection stations.

You're going to have a hard time trying to get in LTL right now. The business needs aren't there and any company that says they're currently training is adding to their candidate pool with no intentions of hiring right now, with very few exceptions depending on location.

You're also going to have steep competition with the amount of local drivers that were laid off, are on furlough or just looking for something that has consistent work.

You, like many others right now are desperate. That means it's an employers market and you don't have anything to offer a local company that's in need.

A perfect example is FedEx Corp. They announced this morning they're merging FedEx ground and FedEx express because there's no need for both and they're expecting the economy to get worse.

I'd like to be optimistic for you, but right now you're not going to find that home daily job that will train you. It's not a realistic option.

It all depends on where she lives.

I'd like to be optimistic for you, but right now you're not going to find that home daily job that will train you. It's not a realistic option.