Craving The Road Life But Have A Toddler
Topic 30656 | Page 1
I have wanted to be a trucker on and off for years. I am going on my 6th year of being a massage therapist and my hands and wrists are over it and I am mentally phasing out. Now lately I am so focused on wanting to drive, but I have a 2 year old. My husband is very supportive and likes the idea of coming with me occasionally. However I don't think I want otr because weeks without seeing him would kill me. But I'm curious about regional or is part time even an option? Should I go through tech school to get my CDL or a larger company? I need to hear others opinions or what worked for you. I have been doing so much research but everything I see or hear still has me wanting to do it. I just can't seem to shake this ache. I do smoke marijuana so I know I'll need to quit. DOT does urine which is at least a month before I can test but big companies do hair follicle which is 3 months. I am willing to quit no issues there. Just ready for a change.
Hay, Jordyn!
Anne, here. . . I was on the 'flip' side, with MY husband. . . he was the driver & go to; I was the mommy.
He was with a GREAT OTR company, that got him home, as needed, wanted, and THEN SOME!
There are SO many peripherals... have you checked out our starter pack?
- Truck Driver's Career Guide
- Brett's Book: The Raw Truth About Trucking (free online version)
- High Road CDL Training Program
- CDL Practice Tests
Many of our companies, within... ARE in fact .. paid training .. ie; learn & get paid. Often times .. they DO have regional & dedicated routes, which would (should) work in YOUR situation!
I hope this helps a 'bit' anyways~ ...
One more fun fact: Our own KEARSEY (here, a mod, on Trucking Truth) has a channel.. .that will actually help ya!!
Best to ya, Jordyn!!
Hope you stay here, keep us in the loop; questions and/or whatnot!!
~ Anne ~
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.
Dedicated Route:
A driver or carrier who transports cargo between regular, prescribed routes. Normally it means a driver will be dedicated to working for one particular customer like Walmart or Home Depot and they will only haul freight for that customer. You'll often hear drivers say something like, "I'm on the Walmart dedicated account."
Regional:
Regional Route
Usually refers to a driver hauling freight within one particular region of the country. You might be in the "Southeast Regional Division" or "Midwest Regional". Regional route drivers often get home on the weekends which is one of the main appeals for this type of route.
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.
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.
I trained locally with FedEx freight. Home everyday and weekends off. No regrets about it and nothing I would have done differently.
Depending on your use, you will want 3 mths clean for a pee test and 6 or more mths for hair test.
What are you going to do with the kid while you are out on the road? Does your husband work or is he a "house husband"?
We always recommend going through a company-sponsored training program because the schools that you pay for upfront, their goal is to get you your CDL only. Some of them might have companies that they then refer you to but not all of them....that's the route I went and they had two companies come talk to us, but they weren't hiring at the time. So then I had to find a company that would accept me with no real training. We also recommend that you do one year over the road , because that is generally how long it takes to learn how to drive safely, backing up and how to be proficient with your hours, etc. Whatever you do, do not do any of the Dollar stores because with very little experience, they are an accident waiting to happen. While the training companies do forgive some of the fender benders, too many of them will get you let go and then you will be pretty much not able to be hired. You start with a company that does that after the schools that you paid for, you still owe them the money for your training and the company that hired you will just plain let you go.
If you have questions, just holler.
Laura
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.
Over The Road:
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.
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.
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I have wanted to be a trucker on and off for years. I am going on my 6th year of being a massage therapist and my hands and wrists are over it and I am mentally phasing out. Now lately I am so focused on wanting to drive, but I have a 2 year old. My husband is very supportive and likes the idea of coming with me occasionally. However I don't think I want otr because weeks without seeing him would kill me. But I'm curious about regional or is part time even an option? Should I go through tech school to get my CDL or a larger company? I need to hear others opinions or what worked for you. I have been doing so much research but everything I see or hear still has me wanting to do it. I just can't seem to shake this ache. I do smoke marijuana so I know I'll need to quit. DOT does urine which is atleast a month before I can test but big companies do hair follicle which is 3 months. I am willing to quit no issues there. Just ready for a change.
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
Regional:
Regional Route
Usually refers to a driver hauling freight within one particular region of the country. You might be in the "Southeast Regional Division" or "Midwest Regional". Regional route drivers often get home on the weekends which is one of the main appeals for this type of route.
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.
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.