New Here, Making A Career Change.

Hello everyone,

Where do I start? I've been a realtor for the past 17 years and quite frankly I'm burned out! I'm 55 y.o. and I need to make a change. I have done very well in the real estate industry and have gotten to do some cool stuff, was even on House Hunters. I live in Los Angeles and I've seen some amazing homes along the way. The most expensive one being over $57 million dollars. I'm at the age where I'm tired of chasing deals and chasing clients. Back when I was 19 y.o. I did have my CDL and loved driving. I was a local driver. So now, I'm thinking I want to do it again. I see all these companies that offer "free" CDL training which I think is great! I've been talking to a Swift (yeah yeah, I know) recruiter about it and I'm really excited to get back out there. My goal is to learn from them, see the country for a year, then find a tanker job locally in the Phoenix area (that's where I'm moving soon) and finish out my working years doing that. Is this a pipe dream? Am I crazy to think this will work? I don't know, maybe. But its my plan. Any advice or whatever you have will be greatly appreciated.

Welcome to the forum..."Rolex".

Not sure what kind of license you had in 1982-83, but it wasn't a CDL A or B. The CDL was established formally and officially in 1992... so please tell us what kind of local driving you did at the age of 19.

Here is a Wiki link that will clear up any confusion you might have: Commercial Drivers License

And the parenthetical remark about Swift; "yeah I know". Please expand on that; "what exactly do you know about Swift?" Since you have never worked for them, how do you know anything about them, other than what you've read or heard? Please elaborate on that, and be mindful I've been a Swift Driver for almost 7 years now assigned to a Walmart Dedicated Grocery account delivering to Stores and Sam's Clubs in the North East Region. Swift is a fantastic company to work for, as are all of the carriers represented in this link: Paid CDL Training Programs

Here is what I know... 55 is a great age to start a second career; it's exactly what I did at roughly the same age. If you are serious about (time will tell) this I strongly suggest investing quality time in these links:

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

Thank you G-Town! I had a class A back then. I hauled steel and freight out of the L.A. Harbor. As far as the Swift comment, it's just the negative comments I've seen online and youtube. Talking to them, I think they're a great company and love that they offer the training. The reason I said that was mainly to shut the haters up. I've done my research on them and feel it will work with my goals. Thank you for the encouragement and those links. I will read all of them. I like that you started at 55 as well. It gives me hope. Thanks again!

Welcome Rolex. I’ll give you credit for living in LA. I lived up in the central valley by fresno for 40 years. When moonbeam got reelected gov I retired and moved.

G back in the 80’s cali had a class A that was a chauffers license, which covered trucks.

G my bad back then it was class 1. They changed the numerical to alpha designation in the 90’s. Sorry had to dig back in the memory for that one

Thanks PJ! The current governor is even worse than moonbeam if you can believe it! I could've sworn my license was a class A. Tells you how long it's been. I can't wait to get started. I need to sell all the current listings I have and work through all my buyers so I can have a years worth of money to have in the bank as a buffer while I'm learning and on the road. I can't wait to close this chapter and start a new one. Phoenix, here I come!

Hello everyone,

Where do I start? I've been a realtor for the past 17 years and quite frankly I'm burned out! I'm 55 y.o. and I need to make a change. I have done very well in the real estate industry and have gotten to do some cool stuff, was even on House Hunters. I live in Los Angeles and I've seen some amazing homes along the way. The most expensive one being over $57 million dollars. I'm at the age where I'm tired of chasing deals and chasing clients. Back when I was 19 y.o. I did have my CDL and loved driving. I was a local driver. So now, I'm thinking I want to do it again. I see all these companies that offer "free" CDL training which I think is great! I've been talking to a Swift (yeah yeah, I know) recruiter about it and I'm really excited to get back out there. My goal is to learn from them, see the country for a year, then find a tanker job locally in the Phoenix area (that's where I'm moving soon) and finish out my working years doing that. Is this a pipe dream? Am I crazy to think this will work? I don't know, maybe. But its my plan. Any advice or whatever you have will be greatly appreciated.

Man! I think you should try this. Sure, 55 years is much for finding a job, but I think That if you will learn your profession you will earn success. I wish you good luck!

Rolex, There are many members here at TT that are with Swift. This is a positive environment with realistic expectations and guidance for those willing to learn. The High Road CDL program from Brett is top notch. I have worked thorough about 1/3 and feel well prepared for my permit test next week.

Thank you Jimmy O.! I for sure will give it a go. I just want to do it the right way.

55 is not too old to start a second career driving. I started 5 years older than that, so there are lots of jobs out here for the youngsters.