Profile For Robert M.

Greetings all,

I've been lurking a couple of weeks. The community seems great and I'm glad I found you.

I was laid off from a desk job after 34 years and I'm considering a career change to the transportation/trucking industry. I've seen the posts about age and such and at 55 I'm confident i'm not too old.

I'm considering a Class A CDL class in Massachusetts at Parker Driving School. The state is involved with grants now and I can probably secure a large chunk of the $5,500 tuition so that seems like a no brainer. I didn't see a lot of opportunities for getting a cdl on the job as most of those are in midwest locations. Parker has excellent reviews online and the admissions rep said they have job placement. From reading and researching its clear the first couple of years at least should be OTR to gain experience.

I'm worried about the DOT physical requirements. I have diabetes type II and high blood pressure but I take medication for each and both issues are under control. My doctor does perform DOT physicals and he says i'm okay for passing but I wanted to ping this group for any helpful info on the health requirement and for tips and advice on breaking into the industry by going to a Driving school first and any general advice going forward.

My youngest is a senior in high school so no young family at home. I don't mind being alone lots. I've driven some smaller trucks in the past and was comfortable with them (apples and oranges I know ) and I have the support of my wife going forward.

I think an ideal plan is to get the CDL license through grant money from the state, find a job hiring new drivers and work one to two years of OTR to gain experience and then move to a regional or local gig.

I know you've probably seen dozens of posts like this so I thank you in advance for your input and insight.

Robert.