Looking To Change Careers And Needing Some Advice
Topic 34751 | Page 1
Welcome, I can understand the career change thing. I’m retired from law enforcement so I fully understand the demands in that profession.
Having a cdl and no experience is really worse than not having one in some ways.
You can look at small carriers, they would probably take you if their insurance company will accept you. Those can be good or really bad. No in between. The industry has been in the toliet going on 3 years and small carriers can have issues.
Large carriers even have problems these days as well but the drivers are in a more solid position. Look for training companies. They will either have you do a refresher or may put you through the entire program again. Should be pretty easy since you already got your license once.
I went through Roehl many years ago and they are a good training company and still family owned. No shareholders to cater to.
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.
HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.
Hello everyone, my name is Cortney Kocourek and I am looking to make a career change and I'm in need of some advice. A little background on myself, I have spent the past 12 years working in law enforcement as a police officer/deputy sheriff and I am burned completely out. I have my Class A CDL but most companies that I have talked with since I do not have any recent OTR driving experience will require me to go through a refresher course or go out with a trainer which I am completely fine with, I just want to choose a good company starting out. And yes, I understand that I will have to pay my dues just like in my current profession. Any advice or suggestions on which companies are good to start out with would be greatly appreciated. And thank you all so much for your time and assistance.
Wishing you the best of luck with your exams and transition into trucking! When you hit the road, definitely check out the navigation in the Trucker Guide app — it’s built specifically for truckers and makes a big difference out there.
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.
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.
OOS:
When a violation by either a driver or company is confirmed, an out-of-service order removes either the driver or the vehicle from the roadway until the violation is corrected.
EPU:
Electric Auxiliary Power Units
Electric APUs have started gaining acceptance. These electric APUs use battery packs instead of the diesel engine on traditional APUs as a source of power. The APU's battery pack is charged when the truck is in motion. When the truck is idle, the stored energy in the battery pack is then used to power an air conditioner, heater, and other devices
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Hello everyone, my name is Cortney Kocourek and I am looking to make a career change and I'm in need of some advice. A little background on myself, I have spent the past 12 years working in law enforcement as a police officer/deputy sheriff and I am burned completely out. I have my Class A CDL but most companies that I have talked with since I do not have any recent OTR driving experience will require me to go through a refresher course or go out with a trainer which I am completely fine with, I just want to choose a good company starting out. And yes, I understand that I will have to pay my dues just like in my current profession. Any advice or suggestions on which companies are good to start out with would be greatly appreciated. And thank you all so much for your time and assistance.
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
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.
OOS:
When a violation by either a driver or company is confirmed, an out-of-service order removes either the driver or the vehicle from the roadway until the violation is corrected.
EPU:
Electric Auxiliary Power Units
Electric APUs have started gaining acceptance. These electric APUs use battery packs instead of the diesel engine on traditional APUs as a source of power. The APU's battery pack is charged when the truck is in motion. When the truck is idle, the stored energy in the battery pack is then used to power an air conditioner, heater, and other devices