Anybody drive a semi on here?

[Lightning]

lately I've been thinking of changing jobs(I deliver pizza for now), and I've been thinking of giving OTR driving a try.  My question is, is there anybody on this board that drives for a living?

[Blown70]

There are a few.  I cannot recall the board name now.  But they will Chime in.

Tom

[TruckDriver]

I do. I did 8 years of over the road. It a hard life that NO ONE give us credit for. A lot of hurry up and wait. Long hours. And eating on the road is expensive. You might be gone up to 3 weeks at a time to from home. I been driving a dump truck for the past 7 years steady now, although, I really started driving dump in '89. I love it a lot more. Your home 99% of the time every night, but you still work 8 to 18 hours a day. And another thing, if you think you seen it all when it comes to stupid drivers,.... you haven't seen nothing yet! I been driving 24 years total now, and I still see stupid asses that amaze me on there driving .   Another thing, if you are single, well, then maybe you still wanna give it a try. But if you have a girlfriend, or wife, you might wanna see what they think 1st, or else you will loose them.

[derailed]

I drove for awhile and still do part time when my regular job gets slow. About 2 years of it was over the road and theres not much I can say about it that DCG didnt already say. If your young Id say go for it. Its a good way to get experience and make good money and you wont be wondering down the road what its like. Some of the over the road companies offer training programs where if you stick with that company for a year after you get your license they dont charge you for the school. My brother in law drives for Bar Nun and seems to really like the company, says they have good benefits. I really enjoyed hauling petroleum local/regional and spent most of the time doing that. I was home everyday and still had somewhat of a life. Driving will definitly put your patience to the ultimate test. Once you get your first year or 2 in OTR then the doors start opening up for good local jobs.

[squeakfinder]

Check around and see what the local job market is first. You probably won't get one write off the bat. I went to truck driving school 15 years ago but didn't research the local job market before I went. That was a mistake. Most of the local jobs that are any good where I live are seasonal. I drove over the road for almost 6 years and it sucked. I drove regional (just two states) hauling beer to three different distributors and a 12 hour day was my easy day. I have driven dump and belly dump tucks, I enjoyed that but I starved in the winter. And I have driven straddle trucks for the local fruit harvest which is also a laid off for the winter type of job. I'm 44 years old and trying to change carears to become a mechanic. The reason I say check out the local job market is because you may want a way out after driving from one coast to the other after a year or two.

Larry

[squeakfinder]

I just noticed that your age is 20. Really Lighting, I don't mean to discourage you from bettering yourself. It's an easy trade to get into. 6 or 8 weeks of school and you can go to work. But if you want to have a family look at the local job market. Lucky for me my wife is very independent. She can even drive the the tractor to plow the driveway in the winter.

[derailed]

I guess it all depends on how close you are to your friends and family. It wouldnt hurt to try it especially at 21 its a good way to see the country and get some good driving experience.  Do it for a year and you get something local afterwards when you get sick of it. You will be still be plenty young enough to enjoy your golden days and start a family and wont be wondering down the road what it would be like running over the road when you have your local job. Good way to save some good money at a young age also. And one other thing, even if you stop driving down the road and find something else to do a CDL license is worth its weight in gold. If you ever get in a jamb theres always driving jobs out there for experienced drivers pretty much with a phone call.

[TruckDriver]

What Derailed says, ex specially cause there is a major driver shortage right now. But you also have to be 21 or over to driver over the road. Just one of those requirement things the government makes.

[charger490]

i drove a tractor trailer for sunoco,mobil,arco, agway,always local and home every night.i have 6millon miles loged and over 50 years driving. no chargedable accidents and no tickets.i am retired now but enjoyed the work. no over the road for me.i now teach truck drivers  on how to drive trucks.
if you are going to drive truck you can forget about drinking beer or anything else and no drugs either. they are really getingstrick on everything now.a cdl is very hard to get now and you should go to a school to learn how to drive and all the stuff to pass the test.if you want more info on the test e mail me and i can send some info to you to help don charger490

[TruckDriver]

if you are going to drive truck you can forget about drinking beer or anything else and no drugs either. they are really getingstrick on everything now.

Good point and VERY true! Plan on peeing in a cup a lot at random intervolts. If you would get in a accident with either in your blood stream, you are going to have a stay at the crowbar hotel for a long time To be honest, in this government controlled/regulated business, they expect you to NOT make ANY mistakes........ PERIOD! You also have to keep your driving record clean. Just having one ticket makes it harder to get a job anywhere.

[Arigmaster]

If your really serious about driving, you may want to check some of the local moving companys near you. Granted it isn't "no touch freight" but you will get some good experience with city driving etc. I've seen many drivers who go over the road and do okay but once they are off the highway or need to back up...well... Lets just say the skills could use some brushing up.

Most moving companies will help you with training and any fees involved in getting your Class A license. While your at it...take the HAZ-MAT Test too....Many opportunities there once you develope your skills.

Good Luck!