Comments By Mike S.

Hi folks,

To the point, I have been a in home appliance service tech for 19 years. Up until last year, I owned the company until I shut it down. Revenue was dropping and after laying off my last tech, I decided to get out. At 52, all that time on my knees is showing and dont want to be in a scooter at 80 with no knees.

Always loved the open road. I drive, rarely fly. If I could drive to Hawaii, I would.

Looking at OTR drving as a career change. I have been lurking here and other similar forums for a couple months now, and I am still not sure. I hear great things, bad things, and terrifying things. Elogs, hours of service, tickets, fines, trucks shutting down after reaching the HOS limit and having to tow the last 5 miles, and on and on. Great pay, bad pay, stolen trucks, great companys, bad ones, so much to take in.

Long hours alone, nights days, all kinds of weather, do not bother me. After 19 years of field service and some 800,000 miles of windshield time, I am used to it.

It's a big change. Have sold the house, no longer married [that went with the business], and two kids who are all grown up and moved far away, there is not much holding me down in one place.

So, I am thinking of training at a local vo-tech. $3300 and 10 weeks. Sounds reasonable. OR Company sponsored training. I think the school training would be preferable as would not be tied down to a year or better contract. How is hiring for trainees right out of school?

Of those of you who have come from jobs or careers with lots of human contact to very little, was it worth it?

I have to finish enrollment by July 20th, and need a little advise. Jobs for guys like me are few and far between. Other then welding, this is all I have been doing for the last 30 years, property engineering or appliance service. I love to drive. My last vacation consisted of 18 days, 6300 miles from WI to SD, to MT to WY to CO to UT to NV to CA to AZ up through new mexico, oklahoma, nebraska, iowa and back home. Was awesome! Seen things I have never seen [ mt Rushmore was WAY smaller then I thought], 4 corners, grand canyon and so many other things. I know driving would be a lot different as its a job not a sightseeing trip, but there are so many things left unseen.

Any words of advise or wisdom would be appreciated.

Thank you!

Mike.