Future Driver Needs Input

Hey everyone,

I've been getting really serious about starting a career as a driver for a while now. I live in Sun Prairie Wisconsin which is near Madison. What I would like to do, is tell you my intended path and then I would really like some honest feedback on whether my goals are realistic or not. So, here it goes.....

I'm 47 and have been at my current job (factory) for nearly 22 years and I need a change. I currently make $20/hr. and generally work 40 hour weeks. I plan on taking four weeks vacation in November and attending the Diesel Truck Driver Training School in Sun Prairie (anybody have any experience with this school?) for four weeks. As a side note, not sure if it is helpful, I worked in the shipping department at my place of work a while back and moved hundreds of trailers for a couple years with a "yard dog" and got good at backing up to the dock, but that was at least 13 years ago but I guess maybe it's like riding a bike? Anyway, I have plenty of time to study the CDL manual, get a physical for the DOT , save up for tuition and get my permit and hopefully find somebody to allow me to practice driving before I even attend school.

I'm leery about the big companies like Roehl, Schneider, Swift etc. Ultimately, I'd like to find one of those home daily and weekends off kind of gig but I know that I have to get that experience first. OTR would be awesome if I was in my early 20's, but now, not so much. I'm recently married again and I have a thirteen year old son who is with me every other weekend.

I guess I want to have a career path clearly laid out before I jump into anything. I see a lot of places that will hire students with no experience or will hire with 3, 6 or 12 months experience. I would really like regional or local over anything else. If I'm home at least every weekend, that would be ideal.

Another issue (please leave feedback on this) is that I had two dui's in my past. One in 1990 and one in 1992. I can't imagine that they would be relevant considering that they were a quarter century ago, but I think they may be. I've pretty much had a pristine driving record since then and haven't had a so much as a speeding ticket since 1999. I know J.B. Hunt say that they will only hire one dui per lifetime, but do they consider how long ago it was?

So, I guess what I'm saying is that I really have my mind made up about driving, but I really need some input (especially anybody living in the Madison area) on how to land that ideal balance of income and home time as a new driver.

I think this site is amazing and I look forward to hearing some advice from you guys.

Thanks

Welcome Tim,

First lets get the elephant out of the room. The good news is your DWIs are quite a long time ago, you shouldn't have any problem getting a start in the industry. The bad news is it really will limit the potential company's that will be interested in you services. Some companies allow 1 others 2 but 3 seems to be the kiss of death.

I'm the past it was almost impossible to find regional or local driving gigs without at least a year OTR. Now it seems the demand for local and regional drivers is opening up in some areas of the country. In fact the Midwest seems to have quite a few listings for jobs you may consider appealing. Some of the LTL companies like OD and others just might fit the bill for you.

There are quite a few OTR company's in your neck of the woods that consistently advertised regional gigs. I believe Roehl is one that comes to mind. Good luck in your quest

Roehl has quite a few regional jobs and even if you do have to do otr with them they can still get you home every other weekend.

Thanks Brian and Jakebreak. I spend most of my free time researching companies in Wisconsin and have a pretty good list of places that some day would be a good fit. I talked to a truck school guy and he said going OTR isn't a requirement anymore.

Hey everyone,

I've been getting really serious about starting a career as a driver for a while now. I live in Sun Prairie Wisconsin which is near Madison. What I would like to do, is tell you my intended path and then I would really like some honest feedback on whether my goals are realistic or not. So, here it goes.....

I'm 47 and have been at my current job (factory) for nearly 22 years and I need a change. I currently make $20/hr. and generally work 40 hour weeks. I plan on taking four weeks vacation in November and attending the Diesel Truck Driver Training School in Sun Prairie (anybody have any experience with this school?) for four weeks. As a side note, not sure if it is helpful, I worked in the shipping department at my place of work a while back and moved hundreds of trailers for a couple years with a "yard dog" and got good at backing up to the dock, but that was at least 13 years ago but I guess maybe it's like riding a bike? Anyway, I have plenty of time to study the CDL manual, get a physical for the DOT , save up for tuition and get my permit and hopefully find somebody to allow me to practice driving before I even attend school.

I'm leery about the big companies like Roehl, Schneider, Swift etc. Ultimately, I'd like to find one of those home daily and weekends off kind of gig but I know that I have to get that experience first. OTR would be awesome if I was in my early 20's, but now, not so much. I'm recently married again and I have a thirteen year old son who is with me every other weekend.

I guess I want to have a career path clearly laid out before I jump into anything. I see a lot of places that will hire students with no experience or will hire with 3, 6 or 12 months experience. I would really like regional or local over anything else. If I'm home at least every weekend, that would be ideal.

Another issue (please leave feedback on this) is that I had two dui's in my past. One in 1990 and one in 1992. I can't imagine that they would be relevant considering that they were a quarter century ago, but I think they may be. I've pretty much had a pristine driving record since then and haven't had a so much as a speeding ticket since 1999. I know J.B. Hunt say that they will only hire one dui per lifetime, but do they consider how long ago it was?

So, I guess what I'm saying is that I really have my mind made up about driving, but I really need some input (especially anybody living in the Madison area) on how to land that ideal balance of income and home time as a new driver.

I think this site is amazing and I look forward to hearing some advice from you guys.

Thanks

Hey Tim. Not trying to burst your bubble or being judgemental, but JB Hunt is one of many companies that has a lifetime limit of one DUI as a prequalification policy. There are also many companies that do not accept any. Like Brian suggested it will limit your opportunities. But you do have some options.

The below link includes information on many, many companies and their DUI policy. Might help you come up with a list of candidates that will give you a chance.

Trucking Company Reviews.

There is a lot of detail in each review but you will get some answers.

Good luck.!

Hey Tim, going OTR isn't your only option but without experience it's not easy to find a local job. I'm not saying you can't start local, it's just not an easy thing to find. Just my 2 cents here, Roehl is a very good company and they have a lot of dedicated fleets with weekends at home. I have been with them for almost 6 months now. No complaints. Best of luck to you.

Thanks guys. In my research I have found a few companies that allow only one DUI in a lifetime but a lot of them say "none in the last 3, 5, 7 years etc". But none really specify anything about having more than one. I've seen a few that no more than two in a lifetime. I have looked at the dui list here on this site and I noticed, for instance, it says NFI allows none, but the recent job listings say "none in the last 5 years".

Joseph, I noticed Roehl has a 7/4 7/3 Hometime Plus schedule. How easy would it be for a new driver to move into something like that?

Tim, not sure if they are hiring in your area but McElroy Truck Lines hires right out of school and guarantees home every weekend. You'll get home Friday and leave out on Sunday. Flatbed company and I don't think the DWI's would be a problem being that old.

Thanks Parrothead66! I'll check them out

If you can get into Roehl the home time plus fleets are open to new guys as long as you live close to a terminal or a drop yard. The 7/4 and 7/3 fleets are all slip seating and 3 people share 2 trucks. If your really lucky you may end up not having to share. Even if you don't decide to go that route there is the dairyland fleet which is all upper Midwest regional and some other dedicated stuff. The dairyland fleet might keep you close enough that you can take a 10 hr break at home.