Comments By David S.

Hello all, before I begin I would like to thank Daniel B. for suggesting that I post this in hopes of getting advice from multiple sources. And this is without a doubt the best source for information on the internet related to the trucking industry I've found, and I've done a lot of searching..

So, where to start? About ten years ago I met a woman on-line from Thailand. After talking to her for about a year and a half I decided to go to Thailand to meet her, the rest is history. Her family was involved in several businesses from construction to developing a rubber distribution business. I moved to Thailand in January of 2009 hopefully to semi-retire (I'm currently a healthy 60 year young guy) to possibly teach English as a second language and help out in the family business. The economy here has pretty much changed my direction and my mother's ( in her eighties) health is getting worse. I'm preparing to come back to the states to be closer to her. I want to finish out my retirement with a career as a truck driver.

All of my kids are grown and on their own, Due to financial reasons I will need to go to a company sponsored school and I'm not quite sure how to approach the companies who offer free training given the fact that I've been overseas for the last seven years. I have no permanent address other than when I was living with my sister in Oregon, nothing on my driving record....at all, that I can think of. I have a current Oregon drivers license which will expire in June of next year, and a current passport in very good standing which will expire in October of next year.

A little about me, I'm a strong healthy 60 year old. I was born in Frankfurt Germany where my father was stationed during the Korean conflict, Dad was from Texas, Mom is a California girl. I'm in decent health for a guy who is a hair over a century, I exercise daily, don't smoke, drink, do any drugs (legal or otherwise). My current BMI is about 30, I've never had high blood pressure in my life......it does however, hover around the high side. Ok, confession time, I've been overweight (non-hereditary) much of my adult life but, I ain't goin out like this. As corny as it may seem, I guess you could say that I'm "training" for a career in the trucking industry.

The TT site is my go to for getting in-depth information about the business, I guess I need to contact a few recruiters about how to make the transition. There's no room at the Inns currently in the States, so I have this crazy notion to just fly into whatever city has a school that will accept me. Pretty much hit the ground running.......at least it's one option I am considering.

So, I'm up for any ideas.

Thanks, Dave

Hello everyone, I'm still gathering information to make sure I have everything covered before I dive into this. I read a lot about people who get turned down because of their BMI rating. Can anyone tell me what the minimum requirement to NOT have to take the "sleep apnea" test? My current BMI is about 30.3. I have a thousand more questions for different issues related to my current situation. Thanks for any comments, opinions and advice.

Hey Dave. We have tons of information on Company-Sponsored Training Programs at that link right there.

Thanks Brett, I'm going to contact all of them.

Hello everyone,

I'm really anxious to begin a new career in trucking. I would like to ask any and all for contact information for companies who offer company sponsored training. My current life situation is not what you would consider, well, "normal" for a lack of a better word. I would be happy to tell the company who referred me.

Thanks a bunch. Dave

Thanks for the information guys. Is there any way to contact you privately? I think my situation is fairly unique and I would like to discuss it privately before moving forward with a career in trucking. Again, thanks for the information.

Hello all, I'm wondering if anyone can tell me what the hearing requirements are for getting my CDL.

I've been doing a great deal of research about getting into trucking in the last couple of months. I would like to apologize to all of the truck drivers that I have encountered on the road in the last 45 plus years that I have been driving. I've always had a lot of respect for the men and women who supply the country with everything we need in our lives. I always give way to the trucks when we share the road, flash my lights to let them know they are clear to move over, slow down to let them merge during heavy traffic......but, I will admit that I (and I'm sure many other four wheeler's) believe we can out run and out maneuver the big guys on the road. Now that I'm interested in a career as a truck driver I realize how ridiculous it is to make that assumption, and I am truly sorry.

I never cut directly in front of a truck to catch an off ramp I knew how incredibly dangerous and equally stupid it is to do. And I never closed the gap between the truck and the traffic in front of him/her, you don't need to be a truck driver to know how difficult it can be for them.

Dave

Hello, I'm still in the "thinking" stage for getting into the industry. I try to find anything and everything I can relating to driver safety at truck stops, rest stops and all other places to safely shut down and it just seem to be getting tougher to do. I can handle the different personalities drivers encounter in their day to day lives. I can handle surviving on the road, but the thing that concerns me the most is being able to shut down for the required rest times without having to worry about someone wanting to take what little I have. Any comments, suggestions on how to overcome this concern would be greatly appreciated.

I've been doing a lot of research into the industry and found that drivers spend a lot of time at shippers waiting to get loaded or unloaded. This may be an "out there" question but unless it's prohibited by the insurance companies is it possible to either help or unload/load by yourself?

Hello everyone, my name is Dave and I'm new to Trucking Truth.

I've been studying anything and everything I can in preparation for my CDL. I came across a trucking video where one of the comments was a two part question regarding enduring the relentless assault on a drivers body from the vibration from the road, and how is it possible to get any quality sleep from all the noise at truck stops?

I've been researching information from any source I can find. This site is the best source of that information I have come across and would recommend it to anyone looking to get into the industry.

Any comments, tips and hard knocks wisdom will be greatly appreciated.

Dave

Most trucks these days have air ride, meaning your seat has an infateable bag that can adjust the height and "bounce" from the road. A lot of chairs also have multi comfort such as lumbar.

As for sleeping in truck stops, 9/10 times you'll pass out with no issues. A full 14 he day whipes you out, but the trucks are pretty well insulated and noise isn't much of an issue. I can sleep between to big trucks with refer units going at the same time with no issues and I sleep lite.

Thanks for the info, much obliged.