Could Use Some Input On Whether Or Not To Join The OTR World

I imagine similar questions have been posted for years but here it goes anyway. I'm 60 years old and lost my corporate telecom job 4 months ago and have faced nothing but rejection after rejection trying to find another job. I've had several phone interviews that all resulted in nothing and a few in-person interviews where I heard nothing or received a thanks but no thanks email. On my last interview the interviewer asked me how would I feel working with people whose average age is 25? I think that sums it up.

So as a safety net I signed up at Chattahoochee Tech College CDL program. The catch is I have an old 160 pound dog with bad legs that I've owned since he was 8 weeks old and know he's too large and fragile to travel with me and there's no one at home to take care of him. I realize making a career decision based around a dog sounds crazy to some but it's just the way I am.

Ideally a local CDL job would be a good compromise but I've been told 95% of CDL graduates need to be OTR for at least 12 months before landing a decent local job. Is it worth the gamble to spend $1600 on the CDL course and search for a local job? I was thinking a local CDL job would still pay better than trying to find work in a retail store like home depot. By the way if you're curious about the breed he's an Anatolian Shepherd. Any positive input/advice would be appreciated.

Thanks

Welcome Mitch! Yeah, that's a tough situation with the dog. I live by myself with a dog so I get that.

It's really impossible to say how much luck you would find landing a local job. I mean, there's always someone that will hire you but whether or not it would be a decent job with a decent paycheck is hard to say. Have you tried speaking with any local companies about getting hired on there straight out of school?

You might try speaking with some dump truck companies and any companies that haul dumpsters like Waste Management. Also check with local logging companies (if there are any around that area) and local farms.

You might even have to settle for some lower paying Class B straight truck jobs until something better comes up.

Even a few months of OTR would likely open up a number of doors for local work but I totally understand you'd have to pawn the dog off on someone and that's unappealing for sure.

I think you're just going to have to make a bunch of phone calls and find out if anyone would be willing to give you a shot once you get your CDL.