Making The Decision To Get My CDL And Switch Careers

Hi Guys,

Just joined TT after a year of lurking and looking for some guidance.

First about myself: I am a 32 year old Ohio transplant currently living in the San Francisco Bay Area working as an IT professional for a multinational company. I started with them while in Ohio and when the offer came up to move out to SF, I jumped for the adventure, packed what I could fit in my Ford, left my folks, and drove the 2500 miles to the west coast in less than a week. From a professional stand point, this has been a great decision, but personally and slightly financially a bit of a disaster. So, after about seven years in IT I have been feeling like I am in need of a major change. I was already planning a move back to Ohio at some point by mid-2016 in order to move back in with my folks (I know, 32 years old and living with parents ... Again!) to cut down my cost of living and start really paying back my old student loans.

Now, I have never been much of an office worker and swore up and down when I was younger that I would never become a desk jockey working in cubicle. That was not the life I envisioned for myself and really still is not despite the fact that it is what I am currently doing (on the plus side, between the two places I support, I do have my own office to myself and my boss is located in AZ). In fact, I worried my dad when I was little by aspiring to be a garbage man because I was in awe with the truck ...what kid isn't? I started looking into trucking around this time last year which is when I found this site. But, at that time I really was not personally ready for a career change. As 2015 went on, I kept thinking about it, weighing the pros and cons until these past few weeks. I feel like I am ready and that this is the right path for me to take at this point on my life's journey.

This site has been an insurmountable resource and thank you all for it even being here!

I have looked at my options and decided that I really want to go to a school/community college program to obtain my CDL instead of a company sponsored program. The reason for this is mostly financial since my current situation with my apartment lease and the already high cost of living out here slightly dictates how I go about this. And as with starting out with any new career, I am expecting to take a huge hit to my pay. I have been there before and know how hard it is to adjust and climb back up the ladder. I also still plan to change my residency to Ohio at some point this year. So, this has led me to two options:

1. Acquire my CDL via a school in the Bay Area such as Area Trucking School, relocate officially to Ohio, transfer CDL and find a starting job driving out there.

2. Relocate to Ohio, acquire CDL via school or community college and use their placement to find a job.

I have looked into companies ...a lot ...and really do not think that at this point I am ready or even need to make a decision on that, correct me if I am wrong. But, I have already reached out to Schneider (since they have locations in Marion and Columbus, Ohio) for more info and may send in their pre hire card when I begin the process of getting the CDL. I am still leaving that option open.

I know that this is not much to go on and as with any life-changing decision, this is ultimately on my shoulders and only I can make the call. But, any guidance is appreciated.

A couple of questions:

Is it better to wait on acquiring the CDL if I know for a fact that I am planning on moving to another state? How hard is it to transfer the CDL which I assume varies from state to state?

Glad you signed up WCBuckeye!

It would probably be easier to move first and then get started in trucking.

1) You won't have to worry about transferring the license

2) You'll likely pay less for the schooling in Ohio than you would California

3) There will be a different set of companies hiring out of California than those hiring out of Ohio

4) Once you get the ball rolling on your trucking career your plate is going to be fuller than full. I mean, you're going to be overwhelmed with driving challenges, learning materials, paperwork, background checks, drug tests, written tests, pre-trip inspections, and all kinds of other stuff. It would be far less hectic and stressful to get the move and license transfer out of the way before making that deep dive into trucking.

Hello WCBuckeye,

I'm actually in a similar situation myself except I'm a 55 year old machine shop manager / manufacturing engineer that's just plain tired of working in an office / machine shop setting and is ready to hit the road. That and I'm pretty much burnt out on living here in Southern California as it is right now any way. LOL!

I was planning on moving out there in a few years but I guess now is as good a time as any. I'm actually going to be taking a huge cut in pay myself but I figure the cost of living out in AZ is quite a bit less than here in So Cal and my general sanity and piece of mind at this point is somewhat priceless... LOL!

I'll probably start classes here in So Cal in a couple of weeks, get my CDL here in California and transfer out to and then hire on out in AZ or NV. I've actually talked to a couple of recruiters at the companies I'm interested in and they didn't see any problem with it except that they want an actual address in the state I choose before finalizing the hiring process. Give them a call at Schneider, explain what you are thinking about doing and see what they say.

Good luck by the way and maybe we'll run into each other out on the highway some day. LOL!

Later, JJ

I'm in a similar situation as you guys. I am about to make a career change after spending too much time in hotel management. Both of you have brought up a drop in pay. Remember, if you're OTR , then your going to be living mostly in your tractor, which means it will probably be cheaper to live. At least it will be for me.

If you haven't, yet, read Brett's book, and also start on the High Road training course. It is an excellent leanring tool. Great way for us wanna be newbs to learn the basics.

Buckeye - as a couple guys mentioned, in a very similar boat. With the decrease in DoD budget (contractor for the Navy), I decided mid-last year to prepare for a career change effective new fiscal year (OCT). A few weeks ago, I was informed that the Navy pulled my funding and as I result my career change decision has been expedited.

I currently have a home here in San Diego, and after weighing the "numbers" decided that Cali is just too expensive to live in as a truck driver. So as of Saturday, my home is on the market (already have some offers), relocating to UT, going to earn my CDL and get on the road.

As Brett, slightly mentioned, would probably be less-expensive for you to earn your CDL in another state. Costs for school, endorsements, etc I figured to be $5,000-6,500 here in Cali whilst in UT $3,000-3,500. You also wouldn't have to worry about transferring license and paying whatever fees, every penny counts in the first year particularly when taking a major pay-cut.

Good luck dude and keep us up to date

~scott