At 58 Now I Want To Do Driving But Have Stipulations That May Hinder Me And Am Asking For Advice From All Of You Please

Well I live in Glendale Arizona now for 8 years from St Louis all my life and am 58. I have a perfect driving record, normal guy 5 ft 8 about 185. I am married 26 years no kids but have a cat that is part of the family for 6 years no way will the wife give her up period. My wife would never ever and I mean ever drive a truck but would go full time with me as long as the can and her are allowed.

I need to find the following and is this even a possibility at all?

1. I need company cdl training as I dont have the funds for a private school now

2. I need a company that will not have a forever training period before I can go solo

3. I need a company that will allow not only my wife but my pet to go with me full time once I go solo driver.

So I guess what I am asking is there such a company at all that has fast sponsored training, has fast trainer time, and will allow the wife and pet to go with me right away once I am solo driver.

What my wife and me would love to do if possible is to esentially live on the road no home base for quite a few years and save as much as possible.

And suggestions would be greatly appreciated as my wife is one that would not go for me being gone for four months at a time but would be one that could be with me with our pet 365 days a year.

thanks Ron and Kathy

Ron, you will be able to have all of those. You will just need to do some searching. Not every company allows a pet and not every companies training is fast paced. However, the company that I currently work for fits your criteria. I work for Central Refrigerated.

They have their own company sponsored training school. It usually consists of about two weeks of classroom and yard time. Then 4-5 weeks with a trainer. The requirement to graduate is 200 hours or 5 weeks, whichever comes first. My training was only for a month.

They allow a passenger to come along, you can sign up at any terminal and the cost is 150$. They also allow pets but the cost is 500$ take out in payments of 50$ per paycheck.

But definitely don't just look at Central. There's other companies that have what you need. Just don't lease with Central. They push it hard and if you want to feed yourself and your wife and cat then don't lease. Also, don't rush this. Sometimes the shortest training time is a curse. This is a very difficult job and shouldn't be rushed. Mistakes can end lives.

Before you even begin training you need to complete our High Road Training Program. This is critical and a must. It's totally free.

Also, since I been through Centrals training you can read about my experiences. I wrote a diary at the end of each day and compiled it into a thread on this forum for all to read. You can learn a lot from it.

Daniel B.'s Training Diary

I want to make it clear that I'm not trying to recruit you to Central. Doesn't make a difference to me. Make sure you explore all your options. Call each company and talk to the recruiter and find out their policy. Find the company that fits your needs. But did want to let you know that you do have Central that qualifies for your needs.

You should know that wherever you go, you won't be seeing your wife for a while. There's no hometime between yard training and being with a trainer. So prepare to be spending a few weeks learning the basics of driving then spending about a month on the road with a trainer. So your wife will have to accept the fact that she probably won't see you for roughly 6 or 7 weeks give or take. And then you'll upgrade and be able to go home.

Ronald....I don't mean to be rude, or disrespectful...but haven't you posted these same inquiries, worded differently, multiple times, on this site ?

Sounds like you are in a hurry to get things rolling. I hate to say it, but it will not come that quick. Daniel has given you good advice and information. We can't tell you which company will fit best for you. That will be something you have to decide. You can apply through this website to all the trucking companies and have them begin to call you, but that will not look good on your part.

You will have to take the time to research those that will allow pets, then accept the procedure the company has for your training. It will not take as long as you think, but it will not be quick either.

Having a good driving record helps, but is not the only determining factor in getting a job. You are! Be firm with what you want, but don't expect them to hand you the silver lining in the clouds. That's not going to happen.

Check out the links that Daniel has given you, then if you have further questions, let us know.

Good Luck.