Ever To Old To OTR
Topic 12303 | Page 1
Frank D. wrote:
I want to get my cdl and drive OTR , I just turned 49 and I am ready to start a career that I always wanted to do. So am I to old?
Welcome Frank. No 49 is not too old. You are 4 years younger than I was when I obtained my CDL. As long as you are relatively healthy and have a clean driving record you should be fine.
As a suggestion reading Brett's Book and reviewing Truck Driver's Career Guide may provide further insights on truck driving as a potential career.
If you decide this is the directions you want to go, Trucking Truth as a comprehensive training program called: High Road Training Program. This is a learning tool designed to assist with passing the tests required to obtain the CDL permit.
Beyond that Truck Driving Schools and Company-Sponsored Training is worth your review because these links describe many options available for CDL training. How To Choose A School is also a valuable read and can help take the guess work out making a decision that best fits your needs.
Good luck and let us know how else we can help.
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
- Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
- Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.
OTR:
Over The Road
OTR driving normally means you'll be hauling freight to various customers throughout your company's hauling region. It often entails being gone from home for two to three weeks at a time.
Company-sponsored Training:
A Company-Sponsored Training Program is a school that is owned and operated by a trucking company.
The schooling often requires little or no money up front. Instead of paying up-front tuition you will sign an agreement to work for the company for a specified amount of time after graduation, usually around a year, at a slightly lower rate of pay in order to pay for the training.
If you choose to quit working for the company before your year is up, they will normally require you to pay back a prorated amount of money for the schooling. The amount you pay back will be comparable to what you would have paid if you went to an independently owned school.
Company-sponsored training can be an excellent way to get your career underway if you can't afford the tuition up front for private schooling.
OOS:
When a violation by either a driver or company is confirmed, an out-of-service order removes either the driver or the vehicle from the roadway until the violation is corrected.
I want to get my cdl and drive OTR , I just turned 49 and I am ready to start a career that I always wanted to do. So am I to old?
Frank, I agree with G-town on age. I too was 53 when I started. In fact, after studying the HRTP I took and passed the permit test on my 53rd birthday. Good luck.
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
- Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
- Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.
OTR:
Over The Road
OTR driving normally means you'll be hauling freight to various customers throughout your company's hauling region. It often entails being gone from home for two to three weeks at a time.
I want to get my cdl and drive OTR , I just turned 49 and I am ready to start a career that I always wanted to do. So am I to old?
Frank, I agree with G-town on age. I too was 53 when I started. In fact, after studying the HRTP I took and passed the permit test on my 53rd birthday. Good luck.
I have been using the CDL audio book when I am at work instead of listening to music so I should have no problem with the cdl exam. Just really curious on how the raid treats us as we get older. I do believe that it is something that I truly will enjoy.
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
- Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
- Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.
OTR:
Over The Road
OTR driving normally means you'll be hauling freight to various customers throughout your company's hauling region. It often entails being gone from home for two to three weeks at a time.
I turn 51 the Week I start orientation so you should be good
I turn 51 in March... I start CDL school on the 25th of this month.
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
- Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
- Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.
I want to get my cdl and drive OTR , I just turned 49 and I am ready to start a career that I always wanted to do. So am I to old?
Frank, I agree with G-town on age. I too was 53 when I started. In fact, after studying the HRTP I took and passed the permit test on my 53rd birthday. Good luck.
I have been using the CDL audio book when I am at work instead of listening to music so I should have no problem with the cdl exam. Just really curious on how the raid treats us as we get older. I do believe that it is something that I truly will enjoy.
How the road treats us as we get older is pretty much the same as if we were younger. Everyone's gonna have their own experiences. Patience is a key factor in doing well and I think age can be a benefit there. I find myself looking at the big picture more than I did in my younger days, so sometimes I'm willing to be more flexible than I was years ago.
Physically, again it's gonna vary for everyone. I don't think dry van is physically demanding and while I've lost 50lbs, I'm probably not in as good a shape as I was two years ago. I'm healthy, but just couldn't do the cardio I could do then.
Good luck.
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
- Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
- Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.
OTR:
Over The Road
OTR driving normally means you'll be hauling freight to various customers throughout your company's hauling region. It often entails being gone from home for two to three weeks at a time.
Dry Van:
A trailer or truck that that requires no special attention, such as refrigeration, that hauls regular palletted, boxed, or floor-loaded freight. The most common type of trailer in trucking.
I want to get my cdl and drive OTR , I just turned 49 and I am ready to start a career that I always wanted to do. So am I to old?
I pulled this on a similar questioner. I started my school about a year ago, and drive for Swift. I got my regular drivers permit when I was 15-1/2. That was in the year you were born!
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
- Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
- Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.
OTR:
Over The Road
OTR driving normally means you'll be hauling freight to various customers throughout your company's hauling region. It often entails being gone from home for two to three weeks at a time.
I sure hope not. I'm 51 and I start training on the 25th.
I don't remember where I came across it but fairly recently I saw a statistic that the average age for a trucker today is 50. I read that on the Internet, so it must be true.
Hey, that's funny. 49 too old? Nah. One of my instructors was 83 and withOUT glasses! He had 6 million miles of safe driving on his record. The only thing we had to watch for was to make sure he didn't fall asleep while we were driving. True story. He was definitely a knuckle-bumper. Ornery as hell, too.
Welcome to your new life-style.
-mountain girl
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I want to get my cdl and drive OTR , I just turned 49 and I am ready to start a career that I always wanted to do. So am I to old?
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
OTR:
Over The Road
OTR driving normally means you'll be hauling freight to various customers throughout your company's hauling region. It often entails being gone from home for two to three weeks at a time.