QuestionQUESTION: Hi Paul:
I too am a fellow long time expert of this forum with high scores. I love to help people too but now I have a question that I believe you are the best choice to respond.
I'm in the construction trades over 30 years and my industry has been devastated in this economic depression. I sell kitchens. Selling kitchens is like trying to sell 8-track tapes, no one wants them anymore. I need a change and all the ads I read on truck driving seems to appeal to me with all the offers of paid schooling etc. And as a life long RVer I have many many years of over the road experience.
My question or should I say concern is as an otherwise healthy person I do have nerve damage in my left foot. Oops that's the clutch foot. It's more the vibration that I can't deal with. Even in a car I take the seat belt, wrap it round my knee then jerk the inertia lock and let the seat belt hold my foot off the vibrating floor. I could do this in a truck too but I got this idea after talking to a Trucker who told me many of these big rigs had automatics these days, including the big rig he had.
Are many trucks automatic transmissions? Could I take the schooling and request an automatic? Don't get me wrong. I certainly can drive a clutch but holding that clutch down would be more then my foot nerves could take. Over the road is not a problem naturally but if I was stuck in stop and go traffic my poor foot would not be able to take it.
Finally....what's your opinion on those CDL schools. Just this winter while on a long drive from Texas to NJ, every rest stop has shelves of brochures begging for drivers. There must be a demand or is it just more govt forcing companies to even up the minorities.
Thanks in advance
Jim
ANSWER: Hi Jim! I used to be a trainer and I had a physcian, of all people, who wanted to be a trucker!
He had preconceived notions, thinking it would be like a vacation, until he found out otherwise!
It not for everyone, is what I'm trying to get at! The economy has certainly affected the trucking industry-when people don't buy or corporations don't spend, it has an adverse impact on the trucking industry. There are more drivers than their is freight. Trucking companies are in the position where they can "cherry pick" who they want to hire! There have been a large number of drivers that have reached retirement age and have left the profession. Others, like owner operators, have been forced to leave because of high diesel prices and lack of consistently good freight. Profit margins are very small.
You say you have nerve damage to your left foot. That could prevent you from being hired assum-
ing you are honest when you are in orientation and take the company physical. Yes, there are a
growing number of companies that are buying automatic transmissions, like US Express & Knight Transportation-both very stable companies! I worked for both! As a new driver, you can't assume that you will get assigned an automatic-at least for awhile. As you mentioned, being stuck in heavy traffic or construction can be a real problem, having to constantly downshift. The clutches are much larger than a car or pickup truck. My suggestion, would be to call USX or Knight for example, and see if their fleet is solely made up of automatics-they might be by now!
Do you know how to double-clutch? If not, it does take awhile to get proficient at it! Many reputable trucking companies, have their own schools, like Werner and C.R. England, out in Salt Lake City. I drove for Werner and was a fleet manager at their main headquarters in Omaha. Great company. They probably have the best equipment and have even have a large terminal right outside of Dallas. Thats the best way of getting trained-its free and you normally have to sign an agreement that you will work for that company for one year.
I'm sure living in Texas, there are some very fine schools but the costs can be very high. If you are near a truckstop, pick up a couple of trucking magazines because there is a wealth of info, including ads for jobs and schools. I would urge you to contact the trucking companies first to see if they train, and if you have pay for any portion of the tuition. I would only consider large companies, like Werner, JB Hunt, US Express, Knight Transportatin, CR England,
Celadon Trans, Swift, and Schneider. Most of these train students.
One other consideration, is the lifestyle. If you are married and still have kids at home, be advised that you will be away from home from anywhere from 14 days to 17 or 18 before home time. Thats assuming you want to be an over-the-road driver. Divorce rates are very high in this profession. Many younger drivers just can't stomach being away from home and family for long perids at a time. Today, there are many options availabel to new drivers. Besides OTR, there is local, dedicated, and regional opportunites! Please be advised that once you finish you 8 weeks of schooling, most companies require that you go out with at least one trainer for additional period of time-some for as many as 2 or 3 months! Its valuable training that you should consider. Trucks can kill and people do get complacent out there! You may decide after all this training, its not for you! That doctor I trained, went crazy a couple of times, because of the long hours and stress! RV experience is helpful but you need to be able to experience driving in all kinds of bad weather, city driving, and different terrain, like mountains. After one year of that, you can call yourself a trucker! If you are married and your kids are out of the house, many guys take their wives with them on the road. Some even go thru the training together and then team up and make a great living. Keep this in mind: lots of com-
panies love to hire teams! If not your wife, maybe you might have a good friend or someone in your family! Just another option to consider.
Jim, I hope I have given you some things to ponder and if you have any additional questions, please don't hesitate to contact me! Good luck to you!
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: Paul one more thing. You mentioned several companies you like and/or recommend. Here in Houston, Stevens Transport advertises like crazy with their short 17 day training and $40,000 the first year. Opinions on that? I'm sort of separated so I don't have to be home for some one. That can get old real fast though being away for 2 weeks at a time...got some lady friends ya know.
Well you answered everything and then some. Interesting idea about calling in advance to see if a company has automatics in their fleets. I wonder if I was up front with my foot problem if anyone would even want me. Hmmm.
Thanks again and looking forward to your followup.
Jim
AnswerHi Jim! Stephens came to our school back in 1990-I still remember their recruiter! They are fine but I don't think they drive automatics. They are a reefer company which means you will be delivering at food warehouses and hauling very heavy loads! Thats a potential problem when you have to go across DOT scales. Always take with a grain of salt, what companies say about what you can earn. It depends a lot on what kind of a fleet manager you get assigned to and how well you are in delivering on-time and developing a solid reputation. The better driver you are the better off you will be in making a good living. Don't be a chronic complainer out there on the road and instead, get along with your dispatcher and show him and the company you are a "team player"! That way, you will get better miles then someone thats a pain in the ass! Believe me Jim, there are alot of drivers that just have to complain and make life hard on everybody else!
One thing about your foot-that could be an issue while attending school and your in a school
truck where they teach you how to double-clutch, etc... Don't count on being taught on a automatic in school-unless you attend a trucking company sponsored training program-they might only have automatics to teach students-call and find out. One last thing, if you are thinking about being an over-the-road driver, keep in mind that your fleet manager can't always get you home when you want to be home-they will do their best. I have seen drivers yell and scream at their FM threatening to quit if they didn't get home by such and such date! I used to stay out for 4-6 weeks at a time because I liked to make money and it made my FM and company very happy!
You can make just as much money being a regional or dedicated driver or even a local driver-so consider all your options! Good luck to you Jim!
