Is It A Good Time To Start Trucking Right Now, With The Whole Corona Thing Happening?

I'm about to turn 26 and ready to change careers. OTR driving was one of the jobs I was looking at. I'm studying for my permit right now and was planning to apply to a company that offered CDL training. I hear right now there is a lot of work for drivers, but I figure once the whole corona thing dies down a bit the economy will probably take a hit. I read it could possibly be another recession. With that in mind, do you thing its the right time to start now or should I stay where I'm at and wait until things get more stable? I'm currently considered an "essential" employee so I still have work and will continue to since I'm considered a first responder (I work in a jail).

Jairo, welcome to our forum!

I'm sorry we're a bit late in responding to your question, but most of us have been kind of busy lately. There's always a need for truck drivers. Don't even worry about that. What you have to focus on is whether you can make a go of it as a driver.

I've been doing this long enough to know how this works. A lot of people think they will get into trucking because it pays good. Then they discover they aren't making near what they heard they could, they miss their families and their old lifestyle, and they just get frustrated with the whole industry. Trucking is a huge Commitment. That's where you've got to focus. Nobody makes a good run at this without total commitment to it. Don't worry about demand. Successful truck drivers create their own demand.

I've listened to drivers on the same account as I, who share the same dispatcher , complain vehemently about the lack of loads, or their low miles. I walk away scratching my head. I do what I can to help them understand how to create their own opportunities, but they have convinced themselves it's the company's responsibility to keep them busy. The trucking industry rewards productive people. It's really that simple. Be productive and easy to work with and you'll be greasing your own path to success at this.

I'm on a break right now so I had time to respond to you. I've got 2,500 miles dispatched to me while I'm sitting here resting. I've actually got three consecutive loads booked and set up for me. I've been extremely busy because this company wants me on board - they've placed a value on me based on my levels of productivity. That's the strategy - always produce good numbers and you'll find yourself in big demand.

Welcome to the forum. Take a look at these links to get a better idea of what you're getting into, especially Brett's book. The high road training program is a must for anybody studying for their permit.

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

I don't see a problem with getting the ball rolling right now. However you're likely going to have trouble getting into the DMV to take your permit test. We have a few members that are ready to go but due to the coronavirus they either can't get into their local testing center or the company they're going to isnt doing orientation currently. This will pass. Once you're out there demonstrate that you're a safe professional driver and you won't need to worry about not getting enough miles. It won't matter if the economy is booming or it's terrible. As Old School pointed out these companies are willing to do what it takes to keep their top tier drivers moving and making top dollar. When you're ready use this link to Apply For Paid CDL Training . It will send 1 application to several companies that offer paid training. Personally I would apply to every company that offers it (even ones not included in that app) and then evaluate each offer to see what would suit you best.

Good luck, please keep us updated.

Wait until Corona passes, trucking will always be here. Most DMV offices are considered nonessential and are closed to observe the CDC guidelines, out here in Oregon they are even giving grace periods to folks with expired tags. Itll all work out.

Moe, the major carriers are all going strong and still hiring in a big way. I understand you're panicked about all this, but we don't agree with your position. Please stop telling people to avoid trucking. You can do so privately if you like, but not here. There is no reason for people to avoid trucking. They desperately need jobs. Tens of millions of Americans have suffered layoffs in the past few weeks and trucking has a lot of work available. So our position is to encourage people to get their career going now if they can find an opportunity.

Sorry Brett, I dont mean to hijack your website or anything, truly I dont. In case you missed any of my previous post my own family (brother and his family) had a COVID scare when he tested positive and my nephew is asthmatic so there was real concern for him.

Maybe the scare we had in our family has hijacked my thinking a bit much I dont knoe

I also didnt imply that the OP shouldn't go for trucking never did, just maybe wait a bit was all.

Have a good day Brett

Moe, the major carriers are all going strong and still hiring in a big way. I understand you're panicked about all this, but we don't agree with your position. Please stop telling people to avoid trucking. You can do so privately if you like, but not here. There is no reason for people to avoid trucking. They desperately need jobs. Tens of millions of Americans have suffered layoffs in the past few weeks and trucking has a lot of work available. So our position is to encourage people to get their career going now if they can find an opportunity.

Moe, the major carriers are all going strong and still hiring in a big way. I understand you're panicked about all this, but we don't agree with your position. Please stop telling people to avoid trucking. You can do so privately if you like, but not here. There is no reason for people to avoid trucking. They desperately need jobs. Tens of millions of Americans have suffered layoffs in the past few weeks and trucking has a lot of work available. So our position is to encourage people to get their career going now if they can find an opportunity.

Brett, correct me if I'm wrong, but my thoughts with regard to the mega-carriers's strategy at this time is based on what you've said before and what I've seen posted on this forum with regard to the cyclic nature of the freight market:

If freight volumes drop, the smaller companies may not survive. The mega-carriers may be preparing to absorb that freight volume when the smaller carriers close their doors. And they may prefer to have drivers that have been trained in their programs rather than hiring drivers from carriers that close their doors.

Moe, the major carriers are all going strong and still hiring in a big way. I understand you're panicked about all this, but we don't agree with your position. Please stop telling people to avoid trucking.

Wait until Corona passes, trucking will always be here. Most DMV offices are considered nonessential and are closed to observe the CDC guidelines, out here in Oregon they are even giving grace periods to folks with expired tags. Itll all work out.

Brett, I'm cornfuzzled. Nowhere in Moe's post do I see where he said anything about to not go into trucking. He did say trucking will always be here and that most DMVs are closed and many of them are or are limiting business hours and what they are doing. What am I missing in his post?

Laura

That's what I was trying to ascertain last night too.

Frankly and I may get into a bit of trouble saying this and possibly banned. Brett, I feel like you have taken to singling me out, putting me on the spot and discrediting everything I say. Maybe it's just a difference in views on your part and I will respect your views and your opposing opinions. What I do not appreciate is the tone and manner with which you choose to convey those.

I remember reading toward the end of last year and beginning of this year, that one of your goals for 2020 was to make this forum a more positive place and less shall we say edgy compared to what it has historically been. I feel like tou have walked back on that a bit, perhaps it's just with me.

Maybe I am reading into things too much, overthinking , maybe even I am wrong and need to learn how do communicate myself better and if that is the case, could I humbly ask other members of the forums especially seasoned moderators to point that out to me and how I might communicate better?

I never want to discourage anyone from pursuing any goal in life , be it trucking, golfing, health and fitness goals etc whatever.

Brett, do you have something against ME personally? Have I done something to offend or rub you off the wrong way?

If I have I apologize man, would just appreciate you explaining to me privately what I have done and I'll own it, whatever it is.

I'd be even open to giving you my personal email or contact info if you would like to reach out to me privately.

Thank you

Moe

Moe, the major carriers are all going strong and still hiring in a big way. I understand you're panicked about all this, but we don't agree with your position. Please stop telling people to avoid trucking.

Wait until Corona passes, trucking will always be here. Most DMV offices are considered nonessential and are closed to observe the CDC guidelines, out here in Oregon they are even giving grace periods to folks with expired tags. Itll all work out.

Brett, I'm cornfuzzled. Nowhere in Moe's post do I see where he said anything about to not go into trucking. He did say trucking will always be here and that most DMVs are closed and many of them are or are limiting business hours and what they are doing. What am I missing in his post?

Laura

Brett, do you have something against ME personally? Have I done something to offend or rub you off the wrong way?

Absolutely not.

This person asked if they should go into trucking right now or not. Moe, your exact reply was:

Wait until Corona passes, trucking will always be here.

So you told them not to go into trucking right now. There are a few things to understand about the current scenario.

For one, tens of millions of people have lost their jobs or businesses already. Many of them either will not qualify for unemployment benefits or won't be able to live off of them. I know the government is talking a good game with this stimulus package, but it won't be nearly enough and won't arrive soon enough for many people. So people need to get to work as soon as possible.

The other thing to understand is that trucking is still going strong for many companies, and the major carriers will continue to run strong. They must. They have fleets of many hundreds or even thousands of trucks. They can't just park them. They can't just turn them in somewhere and say, "Oh well, freight is slow. We don't need these trucks anymore." They must do all they can to keep their trucks moving.

Not only that, but this is a huge opportunity for any business in any industry that has strong financing and can withstand some losses to gain a huge advantage over their weaker competition and expand their business. The largest companies didn't get that way by cowering in fear when times got tough. They became aggressive and beat their competition with strong, savvy business moves.

No matter how slow our economy gets, millions of trucks will keep moving all the time. They must, or our entire population will starve and run out of essential materials for rebuilding, repairs, and production of essential goods. The major carriers are the ones who will continue to run strong in this environment. It's the tiny companies like the single owner-operators or companies with fewer than maybe 5 or 10 trucks that may not have the financial strength, flexibility, or business savvy to survive this. Some of them will turn their trucks over to the bank and hang it up.

It's certainly not impossible to see some larger carriers fold, also. Sometimes even major players put themselves in a vulnerable position financially at the worst possible time. A big downturn hits and they get caught with their pants down. It's game over for them.

But the majority of trucks will keep moving no matter what, and the overwhelming majority of major carriers will continue to run strong in any environment. So you certainly can get into trucking right now. Not all forms of trucking will run strong, but there will certainly be plenty who do.