Hoping To Get Started In This Career, What Are My Odds Starting From Zero?

I'm a young guy without anything really worth talking about. I've never driven anything bigger than an SUV, was never in the military, don't have any friends or relatives in the industry. I don't care about work-life balance or have any major life goals, all I want is something productive to do that pays enough to live, and being a janitor doesn't. Starting from nothing, what are my chances of getting a job at all, assuming I don't really care about the details? Is it worth going through the effort of getting a CDL , considering I'd have to take time off or even quit my current job to do more than an hour or two of training per day?

Starting from nothing, what are my chances of getting a job at all, assuming I don't really care about the details? Is it worth going through the effort of getting a CDL , considering I'd have to take time off or even quit my current job to do more than an hour or two of training per day?

Of course it is worth it, but you have to determine that for yourself.

Let's start with some questions for you to think about.

How's your work history? Can you provide three years worth of work history?

How is your driving record? Do you have any sort of criminal record? How about drug use? Can you pass a drug test?

How do you feel about working long hours? What would you think about working 60 to 70 hours per week?

How do you feel about traveling? I crossed the country from New York to California, back to New York, then back again to California while I was in training.

How would you feel about making 40,000 dollars your first year as a trucker?

Here's some great information for you to start looking at...

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

You might be a good candidate for one of the many Paid CDL Training Programs. They will pay your expenses for food and lodging, and often pay your way to get to the facility where they conduct their training. They will also pay you during your training period.

Feel free to ask us as many questions as you like. There are no dumb questions. We are here to answer your questions. That's what we do.

Hayden, we all start from zero. Some of us just might have risen to some other level, in another area. But we start at zero on THIS particular journey.

Some of us are on our third or fourth “zero” when we start the truck-driving venture.

The world is your oyster. Go make a pearl!

Glad you found us, Hayden.

You can apply here, also.. after you go through the stuff Old School sent you.

Paid CDL Training Programs

As ya know,

~ Anne ~

Of course it is worth it, but you have to determine that for yourself.

Let's start with some questions for you to think about.

How's your work history? Can you provide three years worth of work history?

How is your driving record? Do you have any sort of criminal record? How about drug use? Can you pass a drug test?

How do you feel about working long hours? What would you think about working 60 to 70 hours per week?

How do you feel about traveling? I crossed the country from New York to California, back to New York, then back again to California while I was in training.

How would you feel about making 40,000 dollars your first year as a trucker?

You might be a good candidate for one of the many Paid CDL Training Programs. They will pay your expenses for food and lodging, and often pay your way to get to the facility where they conduct their training. They will also pay you during your training period.

Feel free to ask us as many questions as you like. There are no dumb questions. We are here to answer your questions. That's what we do.

1. I've been a Janitor since I was 16, and before that I couldn't legally have a job.

2. Aside from two no-damage rear ends (to my car), I got hit once while pulling out of a parking lot. I got one of those "traffic school" things so it isn't on my permanent record, but I'm still worried about it.

3. I've been pulling long hours for years, that's no issue.

4. I'm no tourist, but I've never been the type to feel homesick. As long as I'm actually doing something I'm fine.

5. That would be twice my current income, so I'd feel pretty good.

I've been applying for those, but based on my current luck with job searches I'm not feeling optimistic. I went to college to get a bachelors in accounting, but it's been years of trying and thousands of job applications that all went nowhere. I had to move back in with my parents because my income wasn't enough to pay for rent along with everything else.

On a more hopeful note: how much down time do you get where you could reasonably use a computer? I have some friends trying to make video games and I'm doing the programming for them- not really a commitment, just a few hours a week here and there, but I wonder if I could still do that while at a stop or whatever it's called.

You will be taking a ten hour break daily. You'll of course need to rest/sleep some of that time. But it will give you a few hours to do other things. There are also unexpected delays that take place. You might sit at a customer for several hours waiting on them. There's plenty of time out here that you can devote to other pursuits.

Most of us here are employed as drivers. As you can see, we have time to be on our computers.

Though it might appear you are starting from zero, at least you don't have any "negatives" to make things more difficult.

You don't own a house or apartment that you are required to pay for every month. You don't have any children you need to support while going through school. No felonies or DUI's. Consistent work history...

I'd say you are in a phenomenal position to start down this road as a professional driver.

I'm a young guy without anything really worth talking about. I've never driven anything bigger than an SUV, was never in the military, don't have any friends or relatives in the industry. I don't care about work-life balance or have any major life goals, all I want is something productive to do that pays enough to live, and being a janitor doesn't. Starting from nothing, what are my chances of getting a job at all, assuming I don't really care about the details? Is it worth going through the effort of getting a CDL , considering I'd have to take time off or even quit my current job to do more than an hour or two of training per day?

You SHOULD join the military. Three squares a day, place to live, opportunity to kill people and break things, do twenty and THEN go into trucking.