I Want To Be A Trucker!

Ok, so over the last few months I decided I wanted to change careers and become a truck driver.

I noticed that the website has done a series of reviews on various companies' practices and proceedures but I wanted to get some information straight from the drivers themselves.

I want to be on the road as much as possible and still get paid a fair rate. I don't have a CDL so I'd have to go to company sponsored school.

Who should I sign with?

Ok, so over the last few months I decided I wanted to change careers and become a truck driver.

I noticed that the website has done a series of reviews on various companies' practices and proceedures but I wanted to get some information straight from the drivers themselves.

I want to be on the road as much as possible and still get paid a fair rate. I don't have a CDL so I'd have to go to company sponsored school.

Who should I sign with?

You DON'T have to go to a company school. A company school might be MORE affordable for you. Almost everyone here will recommend that you look over this website on the advantages vs. disadvantages of both company vs. private/community college schools.

Talk to the school reps. Ask current and former drivers of the company you want to work for. Talk to current and former students of the driving school you want to attend.

This website has excellent info.

Dave

Read the reviews and the blog section of the website. Our stories and experiences are there so we don't have to repeat them over and over again.

Your question is not a simple one to answer. Many many factors come into play when deciding on a trucking career and that all depends on you and what you want out of driving a truck.

Want fast money and just a paycheck? Not going to happen. The better money happens after you have been driving at least a year and that is if you keep your driving record clean.

Want to be home everyday or every week? Will not happen for at least 6 months and sometimes takes longer than that.

Want to work 80+ hours for not a lot of money? Yes you can do that and your away from home 3 weeks to 8 weeks at a time.

So if trucking sounds like a job for you then by all means ask your questions and we will try to answer them but to ask "Who should I sign with?" Is just a generic question and since we know nothing about you or what you want out of trucking or even what state you are from we have nothing to base our answers off of.

Welcome aboard JR!

The very best place for you to start is our Trucker's Career Guide. That will take you through all of the various considerations when starting a career - your choices for schooling, how to choose a school, your choices for type of jobs, how to choose the right job, and a whole lot more. We have the High Road Training Program and CDL Practice Tests to help prepare you for the beginning of your schooling, and tons of articles that will teach you about how to handle life on the road.

Our career guide will walk you through all of that so start there and you'll have a much better understanding of how the trucking industry works and how to make the right decisions for yourself.

I guess that was pretty vague :/

Well, I'm 25 , single and have no kids.

I've been working in the apartment maintenace field for the last 6 years and I want to try something different. I like to travel and I love to drive - in fact I worked a second job as a delivery driver for a few years so 16 hour days are nothing new to me.

What I'm looking for is a company that would keep me busy all the time. Seeing home isn't much of an issue because, again, I'm single and have no kids. Oh and I'd like to go through a company sponsored training program.

I'll continue reading through the website - take the tests and program Brett linked me to - but I was just wondering if any of you drivers could point me in the direction of a company you've had good experience with.

One of the repeating themes of this type of question is the answer...there is no "Best" company..a company is only as good or bad as you, the driver, are to them..YOU are the biggest variable when it comes to how happy you are with your company. Drive safely, deliver your loads on time and be there when they call you out of the blue with a hot load that no one else is in a position to handle and come through for them, and I guarantee your dispatcher will love you..If your DM is happy, YOU will be happy. Now, that's not to say that all DM's are Mother Theresa, but if you put your time in, pay your dues and your still not getting good loads and high miles, you can always request to change DM's..if the situation doesn't improve, make sure you are doing everything you can to make their life easy. If you are and it doesn't change, THEN look for another company..but trying to find the "best" company when your just breaking into this business is folly..just go with one that suits YOUR wants and needs and see where the road takes you..

I haven't begun driving yet, but I've done enough research and reading to know that Guy is absolutely right. You say you want a lot of miles. That's not something you're going to get simply based on what company you choose. Just pick the company whose benefits and job requirements suit you and your situation best. Once you're in there, do everything you can to be as efficient, safe, and pleasant to work with as possible. If you can do that, you will be running your tail off. If you can't, you will be sitting. It's that simple. ALL trucking companies want to keep your wheels turning because that's how THEY make money too. If you're sitting still, you're not making them any money. But you have to SHOW them that they can depend on you and that you're willing to do whatever it takes to get the load delivered safely and on time. And it helps if you're not a jerk, too.

Here's a tip though: Go to the top of the page. See the navigation bar beneath the "TruckingTruth" header? Click "Main" on the left side. Then find the "Search Our Site" option on the right side of the menu that drops down. Type in the name of a certain company you're curious about, and hit Enter. That will bring up everything on this site -- blog posts, informative reviews, and forum posts -- that mentions the name of the company you entered. There's a good chance that a lot of your questions have been asked before, and this will help you find the answers you're looking for. It'll also give you a glimpse into some of the people who work for this company or that company, and you can see how they feel about their jobs.