Profile For Decoy

Hello TT community!

I've been lurking unregistered for about a year now, finally decided to register and ask my burning questions. Seems like the most friendly and best trucking resource for people considering the lifestyle, and my hats go off to the moderation team and all that make it happen.

I've been mostly overseas since I've been 19, and I think it's about time I come back stateside for good!

The turning point for me was a videogame called American Truck Simulator. As nerdy as it sounds (my field is IT), it really changed my perspective to trucking and driving in general. I have logged over 500 hours and lost many a sleep to "just one more route". I'm sure the game is nothing like true trucking but... it's how you get your fix when you can't afford a truck, right?

I started renting vans and campers, going on 1-2 week long excursions when I had the chance, living out of the van and just exploring all the places. Now that I've seen most of SE Asia, I'm ready to turn my hobby into a career and see the roads of my home country. I'm pretty young compared to most in my late 20s but this is something I hope to at least dedicate a year to!

Hello TruckingTruth community!

I am a US expat, who has been employed with the Marine Corps for 8 years now, both active duty and contract work.

I've been itching to get into trucking for almost 2 years now. I am a semi-van dweller, renting vans every other month to just try out the lifestyle of living in a cabin for 1-2 weeks at a time. When I'm at home, I spend a lot of time on American Truck Simulator on PC (500+ hours now!), in my makeshift cabin of a plastic driving wheel, and office chair.

The question that stops me from moving back to the US and contacting a recruiter is the plausibility of employment. I don't want to move back to the states, unemployed, and be told that nobody's hiring drivers. My only home of record is my parents home in SC, but I don't want to impose on them for too long. My dream is to get my CDL, get the training, hit the road, and be a nomad.

What's the reality of being picked up? There are so many ads out there for new truckers, paid training, guaranteed paychecks, but they all ring "too good to be true". I have the funding (GI Bill), the willingness to learn the trade, the mindset to be on the road, but what is the possibility? I have no foreseeable issues passing the DOT physical, am more than willing to do the training involved, but how do I know it will lead to employment?

I want to talk to a recruiter, but I don't want to move back to the states unemployed. Does the TT community have any advice or even recommendations on paving the path?

Thanks, and be excellent.