Aviation To Oil And Gas To Trucking
Topic 32221 | Page 1
Hello Mark, and welcome to our forum!
I'm just going to jump right into something in your post that troubles me...
I am not really looking for a OTR job. Once training is completed I plan on trying to get a local job just to keep me busy
Trucking will keep you busy, but I'm not sure that's a very good reason to get into it. It takes a lot of Commitment to make a decent start in trucking. I understand your reticence with an OTR job, but I'm afraid you don't understand how critical it is to get started in trucking with the most successful approach. Your first year will be far more a learning experience than your time at trucking school.
I always recommend one year of OTR for new drivers. I realize there are other ways to start, but if you really want to make a go at this it just makes sense to take an approach that has the best track record of solid results. I recommend you make a commitment to doing one year as an OTR driver and then pursue your dreams of being a local driver. You will find that many local jobs require that experience anyways.
There are a lot of reasons why my chosen method works best. I know there are drivers who started locally and made a career out of it. We have some of them right here in our forum. There are also a lot of sad tales of new drivers killing their trucking career dreams by starting local. There are way more challenges for the local drivers. Prudence pays off in this arena. Take small steps first and advance your career as you improve your abilities. It's a simple concept that works well.
Here is an article I hope you'll read. It lays out some of the problems with starting a trucking career locally. Give it a read and then maybe ask us some more questions about it. We are here to help.
Be Careful About Starting Local
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.
HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.New Reply:
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Hello All, I am soon starting my CDL Training at Jones Technical Institute (JTech) in Jacksonville Florida on September 6. I am actually looking forward to it. I am a Veteran of the US Navy (Aviation) and Florida Air National Guard. After my military service I took a job in Kuwait training the Kuwait Air Force on the F/A-18. I did that for 12 years and then I transitioned over to Oil and Gas working for Kuwait Oil Company as an Health, Safety and Environmental Engineer for 15 years. I came back to the USA permanently in November 2021 after spending 27 years outside the US. When I arrived back, I traveled around the US with my family seeing relatives and friends I had not seen in quite awhile. Once the traveling was done then it was taking care of things around the house that I wanted to do and to keep me busy. I completed everything and now with everything I accomplished, I am absolutely bored. I have been blessed throughout my life and just looking to continue enjoying my life and contributing to society. I have acquired my CLP while waiting for school to start. I have also achieved getting the Double/Triples and Tanker endorsements. I am studying for the Hazmat currently and plan on taking the test for that prior to my training starting. I am not really looking for a OTR job. Once training is completed I plan on trying to get a local job just to keep me busy or doing something regional in Florida and Georgia.
Regards, Mark
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
HAZMAT:
Hazardous Materials
Explosive, flammable, poisonous or otherwise potentially dangerous cargo. Large amounts of especially hazardous cargo are required to be placarded under HAZMAT regulations
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.
CLP:
Commercial Learner's Permit
Before getting their CDL, commercial drivers will receive their commercial learner's permit (CLP) upon passing the written portion of the CDL exam. They will not have to retake the written exam to get their CDL.