Wanting A New Career!
Topic 14298 | Page 1
Hey Casey. Depending upon where you live it's normally not that difficult to find a regional job coming out of school that will get you home on weekends. It's far more difficult to find something that will get you home every night, and in fact we encourage people to get some experience out on the road first before attempting a local job anyhow because they tend to be rather difficult jobs. You're often backing into tight spots and negotiating heavy traffic on a pretty tight schedule. It's best to get some experience on the road where you'll find a little more forgiving circumstances to learn how to handle that rig.
Take a look through our Truck Driving Jobs and you'll get a better feel for the type of opportunities there are in your area. We also have a ton of awesome resources to help you understand the trucking industry and what it takes to get your career off to a great start:
- Truck Driver's Career Guide
- Brett's Book: The Raw Truth About Trucking (free online version)
- High Road Training Program
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.
Regional:
Regional Route
Usually refers to a driver hauling freight within one particular region of the country. You might be in the "Southeast Regional Division" or "Midwest Regional". Regional route drivers often get home on the weekends which is one of the main appeals for this type of route.
Casey,
It sounds like you & I had similar circumstances. I'm 33 & also have a 3 year old. I managed a movie theatre so was working crazy hours...but was home every night.
Although I'm eventually looking for something local/regional...I headed Brett's advice & signed on with a primarily OTR company. They are making contributions towards my schooling (which I completed about 2 weeks ago) and I sit in Orientation as I type.
It's gonna be a major adjustment. My wife is taking it a bit harder than I am, but fortunately my daughter (being very young) is easily distracted while I'm away. This (to me) seemed like a terrific opportunity to get my year of OTR under my belt so when my daughter is a bit older, I'll have better opportunities available & leverage (in the form of experience) for increased pay when I do look for that local gig.
Whichever path you choose, expect to folks @ TT to give it to you straight. I was well prepared for the changes I'm experiencing and have reasonably managed my expectations solely as a result of the staff & member's guidance.
Best wishes. -Charlie Mac
Regional:
Regional Route
Usually refers to a driver hauling freight within one particular region of the country. You might be in the "Southeast Regional Division" or "Midwest Regional". Regional route drivers often get home on the weekends which is one of the main appeals for this type of route.
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.
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.
29 years old engaged with a 3 year old. I've been a chef in a casino for the past 5 years. Working a crazy schedule (days,swings,Graves in the same week) and am definitely looking for something new. Looking at the truck driving institute in gpt MS, a 3 week course in which I'll obtain a class a cdl with no obligations to any company. I was looking at doing regional or local but am hearing that is next to impossible without OTR experience. Even with the crazy casino schedule I was still home daily, being gone for weeks at a time worries me. The quick training, decent money, high demand for the job and benefits are a pull to me. I've always loved driving and have crossed the country several times, not in a big ass truck though. Am I being realistic in a pursuit in this field? Or am I becoming paranoid from the heresay?
Any and all advice is greatly appreciated
Thanks for reading
Casey,
I went through TDI Milton, FL. It was perfect for me.
Schneider (I drive dry van for them) has tanker operations out of Reserve, LA and I think it gets you home weekly. There are other positions (regional and OTR) Schneider has.
Go to Schneiderjobs.com and you can search jobs in your area.
Good luck and I hope this helps.
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.
Regional:
Regional Route
Usually refers to a driver hauling freight within one particular region of the country. You might be in the "Southeast Regional Division" or "Midwest Regional". Regional route drivers often get home on the weekends which is one of the main appeals for this type of route.
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 am at TDI right now in Indiana.it's a good school and very fast paced. There are plenty of jobs that can get you home weekly, just talk to all of the recruiters when they come to the school. If your wondering about how the classes are, I have a thread in the diaries category that will give you a little bit of insight of how my days go.
Thanks for all the advice! Didn't expect such honest and prompt responses, really cool. Seems like I'm gonna have a rough 1st year (family life wise) but getting that out of the way while my son is young, gaining the experience necessary to obtain a local gig dosent seem like a bad idea. Honestly. ....getting away from the house is sounding like a MAJOR plus right now anyway haha. I currently have to wait till July for MS to get funding in the workforce investment act and I'll get started. Any suggestions on study material or mental preperation before school starts? Getting more and more excited each passing day.
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.
Didn't mean to hit the android app.
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29 years old engaged with a 3 year old. I've been a chef in a casino for the past 5 years. Working a crazy schedule (days,swings,Graves in the same week) and am definitely looking for something new. Looking at the truck driving institute in gpt MS, a 3 week course in which I'll obtain a class a cdl with no obligations to any company. I was looking at doing regional or local but am hearing that is next to impossible without OTR experience. Even with the crazy casino schedule I was still home daily, being gone for weeks at a time worries me. The quick training, decent money, high demand for the job and benefits are a pull to me. I've always loved driving and have crossed the country several times, not in a big ass truck though. Am I being realistic in a pursuit in this field? Or am I becoming paranoid from the heresay?
Any and all advice is greatly appreciated
Thanks for reading
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
Regional:
Regional Route
Usually refers to a driver hauling freight within one particular region of the country. You might be in the "Southeast Regional Division" or "Midwest Regional". Regional route drivers often get home on the weekends which is one of the main appeals for this type of route.
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.