Starting A Trucking Career At 63... And During This Pandemic...
Topic 28145 | Page 1
Actually because of the covid thing, you will get your own room depending on which company paid training program you go with. Age isn't a factor. No you're not crazy! Many in your shoes have done the same. As far as a good time? All depends on which company you go with. Some are light on freight, others are non stop.
Thanks for coming out of hiding and joining the conversations after 5 years and 8 months 
If you're able to get started now jump on in. Some members here have been waiting for their state licensing offices to open so they can obtain their permits so there may be a delay there. As long as you have a relatively clean criminal and driving records and can pass a DOT physical theres no reason you can't get your CDL.
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
- Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
- Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.
DOT:
Department Of Transportation
A department of the federal executive branch responsible for the national highways and for railroad and airline safety. It also manages Amtrak, the national railroad system, and the Coast Guard.
State and Federal DOT Officers are responsible for commercial vehicle enforcement. "The truck police" you could call them.
Buddy, I'm 61 and i'm getting ready to do the same thing. Go for It !!!
63 is young my friend. Our very own Old School is rapidly approaching triple-digits and he's still out here getting it done.
63 is young my friend. Our very own Old School is rapidly approaching triple-digits and he's still out here getting it done.
I started at 59, so you can do it. As long as you pass the DOT physical and don't need a seeing eye dog, have mental issues, or taking some serious prescription narcotics, then you should be fine.
DOT:
Department Of Transportation
A department of the federal executive branch responsible for the national highways and for railroad and airline safety. It also manages Amtrak, the national railroad system, and the Coast Guard.
State and Federal DOT Officers are responsible for commercial vehicle enforcement. "The truck police" you could call them.
Welcome DD ... you are not alone bro ... I am almost 67 and I've just started myself ... talk of being crazy, that's what a lot of my friends have labelled me but no matter ... "YOU HAVE LOST YOUR MIND" my best friend said to me when I told him my plans.
I just began with SWIFT as a trainee OTR ... I have no clue about anything so can't really give you any advice about trucking ... but have seen a lot in life, extensive international travel and work experience. I have a health science background and have never done anything like this before. But all I have right now is courage and hope, plus a determination to do my best. Will it work? Time will tell, but I'll give it what I can... so if you are determined, listen to no one, just do it.
Remember the old saying, "If you never lost your mind, it means you've never followed your heart."
Good luck and godspeed.
OTR:
Over The Road
OTR driving normally means you'll be hauling freight to various customers throughout your company's hauling region. It often entails being gone from home for two to three weeks at a time.
I'm thinking of giving it a shot too in my early60's.. have no clue.. but it seems sounds like be good great maybe job. Anybody have suggestion which be best paid company trng for getting yur CDL ?? .. like: Roehl in WI, or CFI in MO, others? Both Roehl and CFI sound really good. very similar... use nice KWt680 trucks mostly I think . Both have like 4wk of company paid trng then go onroad with instructor .. i think. Anybody know feel which one be better maybe for new guy trying to get started ? Thx alot for this forum.. so cool really interesting and helpful. All you guys girls be safe .. thx
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
- Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
- Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.
Welcome DD ... you are not alone bro ... I am almost 67 and I've just started myself ... talk of being crazy, that's what a lot of my friends have labelled me but no matter ... "YOU HAVE LOST YOUR MIND" my best friend said to me when I told him my plans.
Yea, I expect I'll get a lot of that! I'm thinking of going with SWIFT myself because I read they are a great company for rookie drivers... Please keep me posted with how you're doing. I'm wanting to drive in the south mostly. Sick of SNOW!!!
Thanks for your reply, and be blessed!
DD
As far as a good time? All depends on which company you go with. Some are light on freight, others are non stop. Thanks for the input Splitter! Appreciate it!
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Hi, not been here on the forum before, but have been reading Trucking Truth for many years now. My question is, am I crazy? Always wanted to do OTR trucking, but raised a family and spent 32 years in hospital admin. Now I'm up for the adventure. Actually will be 64 in September, and I'm in pretty good health. After reading TT for a while now, I understand a lot of the pitfalls and am quite confident I'd be good at this. I'd go with company sponsored training , but at my age I want a private room... Is that possible? I know, LOL! Is now a good time with this COVID thing going on? Maybe I've been sheltered in place too long? Another LOL! So, am I crazy? ;o) Thanks for your input!!
OTR:
Over The Road
OTR driving normally means you'll be hauling freight to various customers throughout your company's hauling region. It often entails being gone from home for two to three weeks at a time.
Dm:
Dispatcher, Fleet Manager, Driver Manager
The primary person a driver communicates with at his/her company. A dispatcher can play many roles, depending on the company's structure. Dispatchers may assign freight, file requests for home time, relay messages between the driver and management, inform customer service of any delays, change appointment times, and report information to the load planners.Company Sponsored Training:
A Company-Sponsored Training Program is a school that is owned and operated by a trucking company.
The schooling often requires little or no money up front. Instead of paying up-front tuition you will sign an agreement to work for the company for a specified amount of time after graduation, usually around a year, at a slightly lower rate of pay in order to pay for the training.
If you choose to quit working for the company before your year is up, they will normally require you to pay back a prorated amount of money for the schooling. The amount you pay back will be comparable to what you would have paid if you went to an independently owned school.
Company-sponsored training can be an excellent way to get your career underway if you can't afford the tuition up front for private schooling.
HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.