What Does It Take To Be A Trucker?

[Mudvain]

i'm getting ready to retire from the military and looking to drive. when are you really "too old" to start? i operated heavy equipment and we mainly pulled lowboys, so its not totally new except for now getting my endorsements in the real world. pop was a truck driver. just looking for some opinions.

[RadarRider]

Originally Posted by JakeLewis79

So, what did you decide? You on the road?

Well, I'm finally starting on Mon(3/30). I've taken everyone's advice into strong consideration, & figured even if things don't work with truck driving, there's still plenty of jobs that don't consist of big rigs that I could get into(driving truck cranes, etc.). So we'll see how all goes! Wish me luck, guys!

[Manatee]

FWIW my little brother went to trucking school and then went OTR first as an apprentice with an experienced driver as a team and them by himself OTR.

He really enjoyed OTR for about a year until his company gave him a lot of east coast routes that put him picking up freight in NYC, Boston and other big cities. That's when the frustration and down time started to get to him. The union freight loaders especially, when he would back in to a loading dock and be there an entire day or more.

You won't/don't make money unless your wheels are turning. Between the down time and the creeping through city traffic my brother became fed up and ended up joining the Army three years after he got his CDL.

Good luck with your decision