Seriously Considering Becoming A Trucker!

I'm seriously considering becoming a trucker. I'm a forty-four yr old, single male, former military, I love to travel, and I love adventure. I do have a few issues though and I don't know if it will derail me before I start. I'm going to be completely honest and hope someone will let me know if this is just a pipe dream or if I should pursue it.

My partner died on 12 October 2008 after being together for twelve years; I was working for an internet provider in MD for four years and was finally let go in Jan 2009 because I was not ready to return to work. Anyone who does tech support knows how frustrating it can be dealing with angry customers all day.

I started my career as a professional poker player and did okay; but didn't make enough to cover my mortgage, cover my meds(more on that in a bit.), credit cards and student loans. I had to make about $3800 a month to cover everything at that time. So I lost my home and my credit was ruined. My mother in Texas was ill; so I went to live with her and help take care of her. She died in 2010 of brain cancer. I was stuck in East Texas and was broke so I got a job with my uncle for a couple of years doing logging(Skidder driver); Then went back to poker and helped a friend of mine with some seasonal work. I have been living in Vegas for the last seven months, but I have been just barely getting by and I am heading back to Texas on the 2nd of February. I get my HIV meds through the VA, but they only give me 30 days at a time (I hope I can change to a different type of med and see if I can get a 90 day supply) so this limits me a bit on travel. My CD4 count is good; my viral load is undetectable. Doc says that I should live for another 20+ years.

My question is; will my broken work history, HIV, and poor credit prevent me from getting a CDL through a company?

I do have a plan but I'm not certain that it is a good one. I plan on getting a job for a few months and put back a few thousand dollars. Then leave the job and have my uncle teach me all he can about his log trucks and practice my driving, parking and backing skills. I would go straight to him for a job but he's has too many people working for him now and it's hard for him to make ends meet. I plan on working for free and have him teach me in the evenings and weekends. I will be studying everything I can before entering school if that is an option. Part of what concerns me is that I will have a another short term job on my resume, but I don't want to show up with no cash in hand either.

Any Advice that you could give me would be greatly appreciated, even if it is to say; I need to find another passion.

Thanks in advance,

Ashke-bereft

Only thing stopping you would be poor work history. HIV drugs can be taken care of with company insurance and most walmarts carry them now a days. Can't be turned down now. Most companies offer home time after 3weeks to 6 weeks and in between. So 30 med supply should not be an issue.

Thank you for the quick response Guyjax.

Yeah I'm really sweating the work history. My employment record was very good up until then. Most people don't realize that poker requires a lot of dedication and discipline. Hopefully I can convince a company of that. I will try my plan; be up-front and honest with the company, and hope they understand. If not then I will just have to pursue other dreams.

I know I'm the one responsible for my current predicament; I just hope that I haven't killed one of my dreams in the process.

As long as I can get my meds at a decent rate, I'm okay with co-pay. I just can't afford $1500 a month if they don't cover.

Thanks again,

Joe P.

Most people don't realize that poker requires a lot of dedication and discipline. Hopefully I can convince a company of that. I will try my plan; be up-front and honest with the company, and hope they understand

Welcome aboard Joe!

Companies are going to require some sort of proof of what you've been doing with your time. If you filed income taxes and you can show earnings, that will be a big help. But without an employer they'll want to see proof that you were a small business or something. Some companies will even allow notarized letters from friends or family members stating you were working off the books.

You'll just have to speak to the companies after applying to see what they'll require as proof of where you've been and what you've been doing. Having a less-than-stellar work history isn't a big deal but having gaps of time that you can't prove where you were or what you were doing will be a big problem. So you'll just have to work through that with the companies you're applying to.

Also, any medications you're on have to be approved for commercial driving. As long as they don't make you sleepy or affect your judgment in any way you should be fine but you'll have to consult your doctor or a doctor that gives DOT physicals to make sure.

Poor health is a bad substitute for a good driver. I have found that SO MUCH relies on being healthy even though I am not fit. I try to watch things but not getting enough rest seems to be my biggest problem along with not eating right. It's SO hard to do these things. If you don't plan for doing the right thing and being careful you could find yourself in a big mess or wreck.

Joe Flyotr.com The Lock Rod Flag King

p>Poor health is a bad substitute for a good driver. I have found that SO MUCH relies on being healthy even though I am not fit. I try to watch things but not getting enough rest seems to be my biggest problem along with not eating right. It's SO hard to do these things. If you don't plan for doing the right thing and being careful you could find yourself in a big mess or wreck.

Joe Flyotr.com The Lock Rod Flag King

If your not sleeping well you need to figure out why. No reason you can not get 7 to 8 hours of solid sleep every sleep cycle. I do and I am a team truck.

With almost all trucks tops offering low Cal low carb menus and salads also. Row after row of "smart" snack food. Nuts and fruits. Yogarts. What the hell.... Question is you can't or won't eat healthy? If you really wanted to...I mean REALLY wanted to you can eat healthy and loose weight at the same time. Sorry. It just takes more effort than realizing you have 10 minutes and have to go so you grab the biggest most fattening thing on the menu and justify it by blaming it on the trucking industry. Sorry but until you wakeup and take personal responsibility for you eating habits then I can hardly give any type of credit to your statement.

The trucking industry does not make people fat. People's mouths and what they put in them is what makes them fat.

Portion control! Counting calories! Cut the sodas out.

These three things alone I named will help you loose weight without even lifting one finger to exercise.

This is one topic I can not give the pity me eexcuse "It's trucking that is unhealthy and I can not make good decisions so I will blame something else"

If you want it bad enough you can make it happen and if you are not doing it then then you do not want it.