Reinventing Myself (My TT Introduction)

My name is Keith. I am a husband to an amazing wife and father of three amazing kids!

I spent my whole life chasing an idealistic dream of being in law enforcement so I could help make the world a better place. After 12 years of law enforcement, where I served in Patrol, K-9, SWAT, Investigations, and Instructing, I realized the life I chose would never live up to my idealistic expectations.

Before law enforcement, I had a CDL. I hauled fuel in the Army NG for 10 years and did truck recoveries/towing for a company called Bolster's Towing. I also hauled U.S. Mail and grain for a company called BJ Trucking. All out of Kalispell, MT. In addition, I hauled Magnesium Chloride, Water, Dirt/Gravel, and Equipment for various companies there. I always enjoyed driving but I was too blinded by my focus on law enforcement to realize how good of a fit it was for me.

In 2013, I let my CDL go because I overlooked needing a medical card to renew it. It was the last day my license was valid and I had to start my work week the following day. The DMV person told me I didn't have time to get my medical card before they closed and I couldn't be a police officer with an expired license, even for a few days. It's not that anyone would have known, but I would have known and that was enough for me.

My last day in law enforcement was February 22nd, 2017. It was like the weight of the world was lifted off my shoulders! However, there soon was a new weight. How was I supposed to reinvent myself? How was I going to keep my family from losing everything to get by until things stabilized again? I was making $50,000.00 a year with full benefits. Nobody wanted to hire a longtime cop for a "normal" job and most of them wouldn't pay enough anyway.

I decided that truck driving would be my best chance at breaking free law enforcement's grasp. I arranged to pay $2,400.00 for a CDL Refresher Course at a private school called 5 Star CDL Academy in Grand Junction, CO. I will start the 40-hour course on March 13th, 2017 and will have my CDL, once again, by the 17th.

I know I will have to do OTR for a while in order to bridge the gap between a police work history and a "normal" work history. My only concern is being able to be there for my Son's high school graduation in May. I will do whatever it takes to make this transition a success and I feel fortunate to have this site for support. It has been invaluable during this process! I have really enjoyed reading all of your stories and doing days of practice tests.

Greetings Keith and welcome aboard. I'm pretty new here myself, but like you have found this site to be an excellent resource for considering a new career (retired LEO myself). There's a few former LEO's on this site looking for their next career. Thanks for your service and good luck on your new career path. Don

Good luck! A lot of us are in trucking because we reinvented ourselves :)

Greetings Keith and welcome aboard. I'm pretty new here myself, but like you have found this site to be an excellent resource for considering a new career (retired LEO myself). There's a few former LEO's on this site looking for their next career. Thanks for your service and good luck on your new career path. Don

Thanks, Don! Good luck to you as well.

Good luck! A lot of us are in trucking because we reinvented ourselves :)

Thanks!

Best wishes Keith to you and your family! One foot in front of the other :)

Dan

Best wishes Keith to you and your family! One foot in front of the other :)

Dan

Thanks, Dan!