Profile For Old School

I'm curious how they plan on starting you off. Will you be with a trainer, or will they put you in a team driving situation with another driver from your orientation group?

I know they used to take drivers in a similar situation as yours and assign them another driver to team drive with. That way the two would kind of help each other until they were ready to go solo.

Let us know how it works out.

I am 59 years old so I doubt I am somebody people are going to be beating my door down to hire.

Don't sell yourself short sir. You are exactly the type driver trucking companies want. Your comment illustrates your lack of understanding about this career. You are right there in the average age of successful productive truck drivers.

I am 64 years old. My driver manager recently complimented me while offering me my choice of loads. He said, "I'm starting at the top of the pecking order. Which one of these loads would you prefer?"

Don't you dare think less of yourself because of your age. I started trucking for a second career at age 53. That same week the company hired another man who was 73! I've actually met several drivers in their eighties!

If you are responsible, motivated, and eager to excel at this, you will make an excellent truck driver. Roll on!

Hello Paul, and welcome to our forum!

It's a fair question you ask, and we understand how you might be concerned. The internet is a wonderful source of information, but most of the time when it comes to trucking, it's filled with a lot of misleading drivel and nonsense.

Let's take for example your concerns about whether a company wanting to hire you is "a good company to get on with." To understand why there is so much negative information concerning trucking companies, you have to understand the source of that information.

There is an inordinate amount of people who try trucking while having no understanding of what it requires of them. Trucking is a job that demands a lot of commitment and sacrifice. We do odd things like working very erratic hours, and sometimes never seeing anyone we know for weeks at a time. It's a bizarre lifestyle to some, and they blame this brutal interruption of their lives on the company employing them.

It's also a lifestyle with endless variety and adventure. If that appeals to you, there's hope you could thrive in this business. You have to get past the constantly nagging idea that the company is what makes you miserable in trucking. I know people who've been switching companies for years because they are dissatisfied with "the way they're being treated." The truth is, they'd be happier doing something else.

I really should be retired if you measured me by most people's standards. I keep trucking because I absolutely wake up everyday anxious and ready to get out here and accomplish the day's goals and needs. It's a most rewarding experience for me.

I loved it from the very beginning when Western Express was the only company to give me a shot at it. The overwhelmingly alarming internet reviews said to "don't just walk away from this company, RUN!" It was all bogus information from foolish people who didn't have a clue about this career. They tried it, got their arse handed to them, and then had the audacity to declare how unfair the company was to them. Does that sound familiar?

Many people start their first struggles with trucking during the fast paced training. Don't let it trip you up. Roehl is a great place to get started. They know what they're doing and they have a lot of different opportunities for their drivers. You're in good hands.

We have a great series of podcasts here on our website. Take the time to listen to some of them. You'll learn a lot that way. Here's a link to one of them about training at a company like Roehl. I hope you learn a thing or two from it, and I hope you do really well as you get into trucking.

The Fast Pace Of Training In Trucking

You could even disconnect it so air isn't even going to it. Just tell the buyer what you did. It's not something that has to be working. That way you don't have an obvious air leak when someone is looking at it.

Dion, that is the way you pass the physical while having monocular vision. That is considered the Alternatve Vision Standard. Congratulations on navigating that process. This discussion about color blindness is a little different process. I'm not that familiar with it, but I know it's different than the Alternative Vision Standard.

What is AMD?

They're talking about age related Macular Degeneration.

Welcome to our forum Malena!

Those do not automatically disqualify you. If both your eyes can read the 20/40 line on a standard eye chart, your vision is acceptable.

Here's a link to some helpful information about the vision requirements for a CDL.

Vision Exam Requirements

Try looking to see if Waste Management hires in your area. That's a well run company that pays decent. It's not your traditional freight hauling, but it is a job that might work for an interim time period.

Hang in there Tiki Dave!

Starting this career is a huge challenge. None of us ever felt up to it when turned out on our own. You will go through all the same stress.

The good news? If you hang tough, be extra careful, and don't hit anything, you'll slowly start to realize, "Hey, I'm actually doing this!" That moment will come sneaking up on you, and it is a most rewarding feeling.

I'm very sorry to hear this Greg!

I can tell it is just tearing you up inside. You have got a long row to hoe at this point. It is very tough getting back in this career after a roll-over. I've seen it happen, but it usually takes a few years of working a less than desirable job for a while. Keep on pressing your way back to where you want to be.

I completely agree with Kearsey on all points. I let this guy say more than we should have. His story was so full of holes it was almost amusing just waiting to see what he would say next. At one point he describes the trucks engine revving up high as if this were all done at high speed, and then when we point out how ludicrous it is to pass in the median at such speeds, he says they were barely moving at all.

I honestly have no idea why he came in here other than a good chance to put on display his disdain for truckers. We get it. We know there are people who don't appreciate sharing the road with us. Yet... they keep on buying stuff!

Be safe drivers, and make sure you know how to go through a zipper merge point. There's a new sheriff in town, and he is armed with a dash cam. He's dangerous and his eyes are on you. Be aware - Be afraid! If you can't get it right, the law will be called.