English driver moving to Florida

[prichardson]

Hello.

I'm a British lorry/truck driver of 8 year experience with tractor trailer type units in the UK.

My wife is from Florida and wants to return, presumably because she misses the weather.

I would like to continue truck driving in Florida, as soon as I get the CDL & Hazmat, firstly for a company then possibly owner/driver. A few questions first if you don't mind....

If you were moving a family to Florida, where would you go? Taking in to account:
1) Driving jobs
2) House/living expenses
3) A nice area to bring up our child in

I would be interested to hear if the American economy is drastically effecting the availablility of truck work, especially within Florida. We have been hit hard by fuel prices here in the UK. Very few if any firms are hiring and daily we here of large haulage firms going bust.

My wife is originally from Fort Walton Beach which is a lovely place but I know of no large distribution firms in that area. We have been thinking of Orlando but house prices & rental prices seem very high in comparrison to many other areas.

As I said, any input would be greatly appreciated. We are expecting to move in January 2009 & have just finished all the paperwork needed for the move.

Thank you,
Paul.

[Cerberus_Kelpie]

WELCOME TO TRUCKINGBOARDS AND THE USA!!!

I'm sure there are some Drivers here that live in Florida that will be able to supply better answers to your queries.
Talking to a Friend in New Zealand, the Fuel price is $2.22 a Litre which equates to $8.88 (roughly) a Gallon here in these States barring the monetary relevance.

I would STAY AWAY from Orlando since it is rather pricey in comparison to other areas, unless you're really fond of Disney World.

There are quite a number of Trucking Companies not necessarily based in Florida yet have locations there as well as Florida based operations.
Most USA Companies (that I know about) don't use Cab Overs.

Do a Google search (or which ever search engine you prefer/use) for Florida and go from there. It should provide ample answers......or more questions.

I Hope The BEst uv WELLness 2-U-n-Urs-n ALL Adventures!!
~CK~

[Clem Kadittle]

Hello Paul,

I live in Florida, so perhaps I can provide some information to you that you'll find useful. First and foremost, I would avoid any of the larger metropolitan areas in Florida such as Orlando,Tampa-St.Pete,Miami,Jacksonville,etc.--especially if finding a nice place to raise your child is an important priority. The traffic congestion,endless urban blight,crime rate,and inflated housing prices make living in one of these areas less desirable.

I live in Ocala, which is in north-central Florida off I-75, a major freight lane into and out of Florida.It is approximately 90 miles northwest of Orlando ( still too close in my opinion ) and 100 miles north of Tampa-St.Pete. Although it is situated in the forest, it is still fairly close to either the Gulf of Mexico ( 50 miles west) or the Atlantic Ocean ( 65 miles east). Generally, most long-distance, non-refrigerated over the road trucking companies if they hire drivers in Florida at all look for drivers who live north of an imaginary line drawn between Orlando and Tampa. So, Ocala fits the bill nicely in that respect.I won't go into all the specifics,but a quick Google search will provide you most of the relevant details. Although sadly it is changing as more and more "refugees" from south Florida find their way up here it still retains some of its old-time Florida, small town charm. If it meets the famous actor John Travolta's standards ( a resident here of Marion County ) then I think that says something about its desirability. To summarize: relatively low crime rate, good schools,centrally located,pleasing topography( reminds people of the gently rolling hills of eastern Kentucky), nice change of seasons ( not the same old weather all the time--you actually might need a lightweight coat during the winter months to ward off the occasional chill), and a good place to raise children.

Now for the employment aspect: To get your Florida CDL, and thus be eligible to drive here for a living, you'd have to attend truck driving school,which can be very pricey. Fortunately this area also has several good options for you to pursue as well. First, there is a community college with a truck driver training program here in town. It's called CFCC or Central Florida Community College ( Google it ). Most community colleges have very good reputations in the truck driving industry and a well-established rapport with certain trucking companies they regularly send their graduates to. For quality of education, reputation and cost, you can't go wrong exploring this route. Secondly, if you can't afford CFCC ( it's about $3000 I think), there is also a major national trucking company ( Swift) that runs its own driver training program with a terminal here in Ocala. The benefit to you choosing that option is that you learn a particular company's way of doing business from day one and are guaranteed a job upon successful completion of the program. The drawback is that most of those companies require a contractual commitment from you to drive for them a certain length of time ( usually 1-3 years) or you will be stuck with a fairly hefty tuition bill ( some as high as $5000 )! If Swift or CFCC doesn't interest you, there is another company with a very good reputation in the industry ( Crete Carriers ) that will hire Florida drivers in this area. The caveat though is that Crete has a specific list of truck driving schools they hire from and unfortunately there are no schools in Florida that meet Crete's standards. Of course you could always go to one of their approved schools in another state just to get hired on with them.

Well, that's about it for now. I hope I haven't rambled on too much for you; but I sincerely wish you the best of luck. And remember that your pound is worth almost $2, so you will get a "lot more bang for the buck" as they say when you do decide to relocate, since the dollar has really gone down the tubes lately. You might just find that with the favorable exchange rate, our cheap cost of petrol ( by European standards ), and the depressed housing market in which buyers are calling the shots that your expenses might not be as much relatively speaking as you might think. Good luck, and if there's any more information you might need, feel free to email me.

Sincerely,

Clem Kadittle

[mildew]

The Ocala area is a very nice place. When I was an owner op. I used to find a place there to hang out and watch football and have a couple drinks. Lots of gator fans there. Jacksonville has alot of trucking companies to work for. The fernandina beach area is a good place. Naples is ok but pricey. Destin is another. I would stay away from Orlando. Disney World is an exellent vacation spot but Orlando is not a place to raise kids. St. Augustine is a great place also...Lake City, Gainesville.........Stay away from Miami..............Don't waste your $ on a truck'n school if you already know how to drive. Take your tests pass a road test getcha a good gps and always put saftey 1st. Lots of hyper truckers in this country that need to learn how to relax.

[prichardson]

Thank you all for your replies, they are well appreciated.

I won't sign up to a company for training but I will use a school as I am sure there is a hell of a lot of difference between the American and British trucks. The theory of driving them may be the same but coupling trailers, securing loads and the various rules/laws are likely to be far apart from what I am used to.

I'm going in February on my own to establish a rental home and work out where we will be living. I will make Ocala my first stop as it sounds very positive - so thanks for the advice.

The trucking industry in Britain is falling on it's backside at the moment. Operators are going out of business daily, drivers are unemployed and the people who have jobs are holding on to them, and those who leave are not being replaced. We hear on the news how bad the American economy is doing, and whilst it appears that we are having a slow housing crash in comparrison, the rest of our economy seems to be falling much quicker with everyone suffering from high fuel costs, falling wages, massive debt and impossible taxes. So to say that I'll be happy to leave this place would be an understatement. I understand that not everything is brilliant in the states but it can't be much worse than it is for the drivers over here.

Thanks again,
Paul.