Where to start?

[Coverman]

I am currently working in a factory and I'm thinking about making the jump to something else. What are realistic numbers for pay and home time for a new driver? Where would be the best place to start? Any info would be great. Thanks.

[prezars]

What kind of driving are you looking into doing, otr or local, ltl or tl? I can tell you my perspective, i'm a linedriver for an ltl company. I work at night but at least I get home everyday and everyweekend. My nights are long I average 13.5 hrs a day but the money is good ,85k last year. I enjoy truckdriving its not what I went to college for but its been rewarding. I been doing this for 16 yrs now and I really cant think of anything i'd rather be doing. Do you have any experience? If you dont several companies have training programs where they'll train you and help you get your liscence. Now i'll tell you this when you start out you are going to be on the bottom of the board that means you are going to get all the sh@# runs that nobody else wants but you dont stay at the bottom forever. Things get a lot better when you start geting seniority. I hope I helped.

[HeadRush]

Along with the questions that Prezars asked, things to ask yourself are:

How's your driving/criminal history? If either one is spotty, you could run into some minor or major problems.

How's your work history? Most trucking companies want a 10 yr. work history, so if that's spotty, it could hold you back from working for the good companies from the start.

How are your finances? If you're living paycheck to paycheck now, chances are it's going to be a rough road for a little while. It's not impossible, but the better your finances are, the better off you are.

Are you looking for company sponsored training or can you afford to pay for school out of pocket? It's better to pay for your training out of pocket, because you won't be obligated to work for a company for a certain length of time.

Last but not least, what I always tell people looking to get started in trucking. Go down to your local DMV, get a CDL study guide, and start studying for your CDL permit on your own. There are links to online study guides on this forum to help you. Having your CDL permit in hand with endorsements before you go to school is a big plus. Good luck to you!

[patrick]

Depending on where you live most likely you"ll have start out over-the-road. Most companies keep you out around 2 weeks "average". Some less, some longer. You'll put in around 70 hrs a week unless you figure in your time away from home than its 24/7. Average bring home for someone starting out is around $35,000 to $45,000 a year. If you like hard work look into flatbed. It usually pays alittle more and alot of them can get you home on weekends.

[pro1driver]

Originally Posted by Coverman

I am currently working in a factory and I'm thinking about making the jump to something else. What are realistic numbers for pay and home time for a new driver? Where would be the best place to start? Any info would be great. Thanks.

pay around $30,000 to $40,000 per year for about the first 1-3 years.

home time....?? home time...?? don't make me laugh. you get home when your company let's you get home. never believe the recruiters. EXPECT to be away about 2-5 weeks at a time.

best place to start would be the yellow pages under perhaps schools/trade/business/trucking. or check the classifieds in your local newspapers for schools as well in the employment section, i believe.

[brodemoyer]

I would recommend going to a truck driving school, they can place you with a company. That will allow you to put in applications to local LTL companies. They generally pay well and you are home daily. You work hard but if you want to be home daily then that is the place to look. Since you are in KY look into Averitt, Old Dominion, and I do not know if South Eastern is in KY but look into them. When I drove for them I made approx 42,000 year but that was back in the late 90's.
Hope this helps.
GOD Bless