is now the time?

[oldslowchevy]

i have been a carpenter for the last 12 years and noww that the "boom" has slowed to a crawl i just wonder if now is the time to make the jump and get my c.d.l. and go over the road. is there still any freedom in it? how long does it take to start to make any "real money" is d.o.t. as bad or worse than i hear? i have the plan to go to a driving school that has job placement, is this a good idea?

i love to drive i always have,i also like to see the "real america" you know the small towns no one has ever heard of or have forgotten all about.

so the real question here is this, what do you love about driving, what do you hate about driving, and if you you had to do it all over again would you pick trucking again?

to help you out some i am 34 male married(for 11 years now) and i have been unemployed for the past few months and constution does not apear to be picking back up, also i did apply to m.s. carriers a number of years ago right at the time swift was buying them out so all applcants were put on hold for a while and i just never went back to it so the interest has always been there.

[pro1driver]

Originally Posted by oldslowchevy

i have been a carpenter for the last 12 years and noww that the "boom" has slowed to a crawl i just wonder if now is the time to make the jump and get my c.d.l. and go over the road.

well first, what would make you think that trucking doesn't have any slowdowns either..?? just about any trade will slow down, not just carpentry. have you tried just going on your own as a home handy man and do odd jobs here and there to keep you busy..? from what i've been experiencing, finding a home handy man to tackle the small jobs for me is a real pain, seems like no one is interested in being thier own boss.

is there still any freedom in it?

in a word, no.............you are
"tethered" to the company at all times via GPS/satelite.

how long does it take to start to make any "real money"

as long as it takes you to gain your experience, about 6 months to a year

is d.o.t. as bad or worse than i hear?

i don't know, what are you "hearing" these days, that i am not hearing...??

i have the plan to go to a driving school that has job placement, is this a good idea?

yes

i love to drive i always have,i also like to see the "real america" you know the small towns no one has ever heard of or have forgotten all about.

it ain't the same thing driving your little 4 wheeler. its a JOB...........
as far as the small towns, most times, trucks are not allowed.

so the real question here is this, what do you love about driving, what do you hate about driving, and if you you had to do it all over again would you pick trucking again?

i DON'T love trucking. its a JOB...PERIOD...

and if i could, i'd be doing something else, ANYTHING ELSE. in fact, i always wanted to be a Proctologist.

to help you out some i am 34 male married(for 11 years now) and i have been unemployed for the past few months and constution does not apear to be picking back up, also i did apply to m.s. carriers a number of years ago right at the time swift was buying them out so all applcants were put on hold for a while and i just never went back to it so the interest has always been there.

don't care how old you are, its a matter of what you want to do at any age you are. i find it very hard to believe that an experienced carpenter CANNOT find a job, anywhere. you must either want too much money for what you think you are worth, or you just really ain't satisfied in nailing 2 boards together. think trucking is for you...?? wait till you get a pile of crap like we get now...............

you'll be "unemployed" from trucking too.......

oh and by the by, your location is Florida....?? and you can't find work...?? c'mon now, with all that hurricane damage still down there from 1-3 years ago, you can't find a job....?? BS.........

[oldslowchevy]

pro frist thank you for your cander, but maybe i should make my self alittle more clear about my work. i did all my work in the southern maryland area(calvert st marys and charles co.) all of witch is wood framing and yes i was doing well at 16 an hour, but when my dad passed alittle over a year ago i moved here to help my mother (witch passed last month) so now i am kinda stuck here and yes there is work here but i am not a mason and most work here is either block or poured walls(99% is block though) also i am not a roofer and i know nothing of tile or metal roofs, so now i would have to start at the very bottom of the ladder and learn all over again in a trade that i thought i knew some thing about so yes pro it kinda was bull but at this point i have no desire to make $7-8 dollars an hour when at this point i can do something i have wanted to do for a long time. i know there are point of trucking that relly suck but that is with any job.

as far as dot i have heard that there tend to really mess with some companys and try to put them "out of service" as long as they can and generlly mess with drivers just because they can. is this true or is it just those stories you hear becauce some one doesn't want to own up to there own mistakes?

[SevenOfNine]

as far as dot i have heard that there tend to really mess with some companys and try to put them "out of service" as long as they can and generlly mess with drivers just because they can. is this true or is it just those stories you hear becauce some one doesn't want to own up to there own mistakes?

The DOT have a strict set of rules and regs that they enforce. In other words they simply do their jobs.
They aren't out there to make driver's lives miserable and they aren't out there just to hassle certain companys because they can.

If you are hearing how miserable the DOT treated a driver it's because that driver didn't pass the DOT regs for some reason and got thier tit caught in the wringer and now are pissing and moaning about it.

If a driver has all his i's dotted and his t's crossed and his equipment is right then he has nothing to fear from a DOT inspection.

[sparky]

Just get familiar with DOT regulations. Ask around about the company you consider working for. If you are pressured by the company to break serious DOT regs (such as hours of service) quickly start looking for another company to pull for. Most companies do not because they do not want the DOT to park at the entrance of their service centers. Understand your equipment and your permit book. If there is a real safety issue with your equipment notify the company they should agree to quickly repair it. If permits are missing or expired in the permit book the company should be notified and a reasonable explanation made to you. Sometimes a company may OK you to pull with a slightly over weight axle or a missing or out of date permit. In those cases they should agree to pay the fine. It takes a long time to completely understand the regs. For instance some States will fine the driver but let them pull the trailer if it is slightly overweight, some permits can be purchased if yours are out of date or missing. Most companies are fair to their drivers. If they agreed to pay the fine they will reimburse the driver or mail the payment to the state. and the DOT though complex is beneficial to us drivers in the end. If not for them we would be expected pushed past our limits.

[Dirtball]

The problem when dealing with DOT inspectors is attitude. If you give them an attitude then expect for them to find things you ain't never heard of. I learned a long time ago to just say OK and yes sir (weither you agree with them or not ) and they (most of the time) just let things go with a verbal or a written warning. Most states allow axle weights to run but stop you with over gross weights. Just try to stay as legal as possible. Remember things happen so if you run illigal then expect to pay the piper sooner or later. Dispatchers by nature are always trying to get drivers to do just a little more than requird.You are the captain in that truck , so you are the person (along with the company ) they go after when things are wrong. Good luck if ya decide to go driving. Go to our sister site ( Over the road company/And Owner operators for over the road drivers and check out some of the companys there.