P&D At 63?

Okay...I've been off the road for 1.5yrs, kept my CDL , recently renewed my medical card. Now I'm considering a return to driving, as a P&D or regional refrigerated driver. I'm a little older, but consider myself in great health. I'm no Adonis, but I did lose 45lbs as an OTR driver and I've kept that weight off. All of my health numbers are great, no meds.

So, my question is; what do you experienced drivers think? I'm asking those of you that have stuck with driving. I drove for 8+years and did enjoy it. I'm just finding that I have some great skills that nobody in my area is willing to pay for. So, maybe I should go back to driving.

Thank you all in advance. I got my CDL Permit strictly from the Trucking Truth training and STILL feel like this is the place to come for rock-solid advice. I'll always cherish the advice from Old School.

Please be open and honest, I can take it. :)

I think you should he able to do it, we have some older P&D guys and they can handle it. The amount of physical work all depends on the company and routes they have.

Some of our guys bump the dock and don't even touch the freight, the customer takes it off or on. Sometimes, they might bump the dock and move the freight themselves. That could range from a single pallet to a trailer floor loaded with boxes.

We have lift gate trailers so, some places require you to move the freight onto it and lower it to the ground. From what I've heard residential lift gate deliveries are the worst. You have to navigate a residential neighborhood and then deal with a customer who isn't used to freight deliveries and may have unreasonable expectations.

Steve, I think you're just the kind of guy who could handle it. You're in decent shape, you've got a great attitude, and you probably know your limits.

I had a P&D driver who picked up freight from my sign business almost weekly. He worked until he was 67. We would hear him groan on occasion, but only because his body was starting to let him know it was wearing down.

To be honest, most of the time we loaded the freight, and I think that's common at most stops. It's not "no touch freight," but you won't touch it as much as you think.

Thanks Bobcat and Old School! I have so much respect for both of you, I just can’t express. I’ve applied for two positions and, as much as I enjoyed the road, I really wanna be here until my Daughter graduates from high school next year. Big Thanks to Brett, Kearsey and of course you guys, for keeping Trucking Truth THE place to go to for solid advice. 🙏💪

Steve, I think you're just the kind of guy who could handle it. You're in decent shape, you've got a great attitude, and you probably know your limits.

I had a P&D driver who picked up freight from my sign business almost weekly. He worked until he was 67. We would hear him groan on occasion, but only because his body was starting to let him know it was wearing down.

To be honest, most of the time we loaded the freight, and I think that's common at most stops. It's not "no touch freight," but you won't touch it as much as you think.