Hi Everyone New Here, Intro And A Few Questions

Hi everyone, I'm Dave and I must confess I've been lurking here for a couple months since I decided to look into trucking.

Little background on me, I'm 36, from RI and I've worked in restaurants, sales and security over the past 15 years. I think trucking would be the perfect option for me as a career, bought Brent's book for research and the more I think about it the more I love the idea. I'm single with very little family, so being away from home for months at a time would be a non-issue for me, however being away from my cat is a deal breaker so I'm going to need a pet friendly company.

I'm registered to start trucking school at NETTTS in 2 months and have the cash to pay for it up front, but was also looking into going to a sponsored school, Prime, Roehl, Knight, Jim Palmer would be on my short list. I'm also Considering Reefer as a main option with Dry Box and Tanker not ruled out as of yet. Whatever company I do sign with I plan on being there for a year to get my experience and open up more options if I'm not fully satisfied.

That being said, I have a clean driving record for 10years plus, 3 speeding tickets over my first 7 years of driving and 2 accidents both 10+years back that I was not at fault for and both were unavoidable (got hit by a guy getting chased by the cops and a motorcycle trying to bypass traffic on the wrong side of the road while I was making a left). So I don't think my driving record would hinder me at all.

My employment history may be an issue, I've had the same job steady with no problems for the past 8 months and should get a good recommendation from my current employer, however I was out of work a year previous to that with shoulder surgery and rehab stemming from being out of work almost 6 years taking care of my mother while she was terminally ill, I know these go back 10 years, during the other 3 I worked for a company which is no longer around. How big an issue would this be?

But anyway nice to meet you all, and I look forward to joining in the discussion and keeping you up to date with my progress.

Questions.. forgive me if these have all been answered in one form or another before.

1.) Having stated my background above, What should I get before applying to companies or going to school? I've already applied for and received my Twic card and Passport. I'm also in excellent health so my Med card should be a non-issue. Should I apply for and obtain my permit and endorsements?

2.) When out on the road or in the yard, would I need to do any repairs to the truck myself? change tires? Other than applying snow chains? I'm not a very "handy" type person, was handed a baseball bat instead of a wrench at a very young age, I'm not completely helpless but I wouldn't feel comfortable touching the truck. (This is the main reason I have ruled out going flatbed)

3.) How much noise from a reefer actually gets through into the cab? Enough to upset your sleep? Disturb a pet? or is it just a low hum.

4.) Can I take the truck home, who foots the bill for the fuel, how does that work? Can I take home time not at my home (Visiting friends/family in other states or going to a destination I'd like to visit)? I know these are probably more company oriented than specific driving questions but I'm curious what your experiences are in these areas.

5.) Which Cell phone/Internet providers and data plans do y'all use? I'm thinking of getting a verizon jet pack so I can have access just about anywhere as my laptop is my main source of information and entertainment.

6.) I want to get regular plugs in the cab so I can use an electric cooktop (nu-wave) is that an option?

Thanks in advance for any help you can offer me :)

David, welcome to the forum. All of your questions have been answered many times before. You can put your questions in the search bar at the top of this page and get all the information you need. With that said, there are many companies which allow pets. So taking your cat won't be an issue. As far as your work history, you will need proof of what you did while unemployed. Most companies only go back three years of employment for new drivers. All the applications ask for ten years. Also, have you looked here?

• Truck Driver's Career Guide
• Brett's Book: The Raw Truth About Trucking (free online version)
• High Road Training Program

• Trucker's Career Guide: Choosing A Truck Driving School
• Article Category: Choosing A Truck Driving School
• Forum Topics Tagged "Choosing A Truck Driving School"

• Trucker's Career Guide: Choosing Your First Truck Driving Job
• Article Category: Finding The Right Truck Driving Job
• Forum Topics Tagged "Choosing A Trucking Company"

I hope that helps.

The above links are great. Here is my personal opinions. 1) it wouldn't hurt 2) you will learn basic operation of the truck in school (pretrip). Any repairs are done by company. Mostly has to do with warranty. Most stuff I have done is change light bulbs on tractor or trailer. 3) I pull reefer. It becomes white noise that is constant. I sleep better with reefer on than dry loads. Plus, running reefer loads, I get longer runs. Growing season in cali is year round. 4) as an untested driver, the company probably won't let you take tractor home. Think about this. .... if you take it home and any damage occurs, you are responsible. If in the yard, the company is. I like the piece of mind that comes from leaving it in the yard. You can usually take hometime any where in the country. The key is asking. 5) I have Verizon 6) get inverter and have company install correctly. 2000 watts should be sufficient. Folding table to cook outside cab. Let me know when dinner is ready. I hope the information helps.

Thanks guys, appreciate the responses, any opinions or things anyone can add are appreciated, Calkansan it's nice to know i won't be asked to change tires or some other BS with the truck lol. I'm determined to learn to put snow chains on properly however even if it's the only mechanical type thing I do. I guess I'll also need to add companies that accept inverters to my list as well as being cat friendly, I never thought of the folding table thanks for that idea.

I probably should have trimmed down my original post.. wall of text lol but I'm eager to start!