Comments By Alex H.

Hi, I am in the very early stages of looking at making a change to a truck driving career. I really have no idea how serious I am about it at this point, but can say I have enjoyed reading the stories and blogs on this website quite a bit. I never realized there was such a varied group of people in the trucking industry and it has been really interesting reading about your experiences. I'm a 43 y/o social worker right now. I can see from reading the forums that the first year can be difficult from a salary standpoint for OTR drivers. I am single and could withstand a few rough years financially while I gained experience. I was wondering how much the pay could potentially increase by the 5 year mark. I'm sure there could be greatly varying experiences with this and would love to get some input from the OTR veterans about how they were doing around the 5 year mark compared to when they started. Thanks.

I would also like to know this. I know pretty much everyone starts out at around the $35,000 mark. But I wonder how much one would make after a few years of driving.

We should take the original poster at his word and just assume that he wears a three piece pin striped suit and fedora at all times.

On a side note, how much can i expect to earn as a rookie first year driver? PAM Transport says around $50,000 a year whereas Stevens Transport says closer to $30,000 a year. What can I honestly expect?

Never mind, just read an article on here saying its between $30,000 and $40,000 a year. Still, not sure how PAM is figuring $50,000 in the first year. Sounds like false advertising.

On a side note, how much can i expect to earn as a rookie first year driver? PAM Transport says around $50,000 a year whereas Stevens Transport says closer to $30,000 a year. What can I honestly expect?

Be sure to look at Company Sponsored Training. I just finished training with Swift in Phoenix AZ. I had an Excellent experience. $3900.00 tuition with ZERO % interest, no money down. Virtually guaranteed a job after training. You sign a contract to work for them for 13 months. Payments on your loan are $37.50 per week, Swift matches that. After 13 months your tuition is paid in full. (you paid $1950.00). Stick around for an additional 13 months and they pay you back your $1950.00 (at $37.50 per week). It was a no brainer for me. $11,000.00 sounds like a complete rip off to me.

Good luck which ever road you decide to take!

(p.s. I go to Orientation next Monday)

I know that company sponsored training is a lot shorter...I worry that I would be fully prepared to drive a big rig after 20 or so days.

Be sure to look at Company Sponsored Training. I just finished training with Swift in Phoenix AZ. I had an Excellent experience. $3900.00 tuition with ZERO % interest, no money down. Virtually guaranteed a job after training. You sign a contract to work for them for 13 months. Payments on your loan are $37.50 per week, Swift matches that. After 13 months your tuition is paid in full. (you paid $1950.00). Stick around for an additional 13 months and they pay you back your $1950.00 (at $37.50 per week). It was a no brainer for me. $11,000.00 sounds like a complete rip off to me.

Good luck which ever road you decide to take!

(p.s. I go to Orientation next Monday)

That's another good option! Thank you.

Hello!

I plan on going to CDL school soon. There are three different schools that offer to train me in this area, two private and one from a public trade school. Private school "A" takes 20 weeks but their tuition is $11,000. Private school "B" is 5 weeks and $5,000. Finally, the public trade school is 16 weeks and $1,600. I was pretty much planning on going to the trade school since it is the most affordable and because I think I will need more than 5 weeks of training to feel ready to drive a diesel.

Anyways, the trade school starts August 22. Should I start applying to companies now? Will they know that I am applying for pre-hire letters and not employment, since I do not even have my CDL yet?

Should I apply to companies all over the country? Or just companies that are in my area? In your experience, do companies let you take your truck home? I ask because I would hate to spend most of my "home time" driving from the terminal just to get to my house. I live in an area that doesn't really have a lot of companies, most are hundreds of miles away.

Hello Alex, and welcome to the forum!

Hey, by the way, where are you in Louisiana? I pull flat-bed loads for the SAPA plant in Delhi, Louisiana exclusively - I am a dedicated driver with Knight Transportation for that account.

Alex, that's a great question - one on which we've already done some work for you. Take a look at this section of the web site for Questions to ask a recruiter.

Thank you so much. I live in Northwest LA, about twenty minutes from Shreveport.

Hi,

I am considering a career as a truck driver. One question that comes to mind is what are some good questions to ask recruiters for the different companies. I have read Brett Aquila's book and heard that for the most part, they are like salespeople for their companies. How would I make sure I don't get taken advantage of? Are there certain questions that would really help me glean some information about the company? Also, are there any questions you wished you would have asked before signing with a company?