Truck driver

I’m thinking about changing careers as my current one has me miserable. I’ve been a radiology director for 3 years and in radiology for over 13. The healthcare industry is just getting worse. I have a masters degree in healthcare administration and the job isn’t what I thought it would be. I’m thinking about getting my CDL and just driving a truck. Does anyone have any input or knowledge about being a truck driver?

Having a CDL has huge benefits. I've been driving since I was 18.
It can be stressful at times, people don't respect large vehicles and depending on what trucking industry you get in pay/load can vary greatly, but it can also be a lucrative career if you land a good gig.
I'm behind the scenes in a trucking company, office life really sucks and I wish I could be back on the road evey day I get to my desk.

Boy, that's quite the career change.

Thinking of long distance driving or home every night type of gig?

My neighbor drives for a living. Can ask him some questions.
Would you try to join a company or try to own your own rig and be your own boss?

Blk04L said:

Boy, that's quite the career change.

Thinking of long distance driving or home every night type of gig?

My neighbor drives for a living. Can ask him some questions.
Would you try to join a company or try to own your own rig and be your own boss?

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Not sure...depends on the options and pay. I live in Tucson so figure there should be plenty of opportunities. Being my own boss would be Awesome.

driving over the road is a rough gig, especially if you've got a significant other/kids.

Coming out of CDL school you may have to work for a company that's not great to get time/miles under your belt, everyone needs drivers but many are afraid of newbies due to the liability factor.

Id make sure you understand the new driver training requirement, dealing with EDLs, clearing house and medical cards too. They're making it a pain in the ass to get/maintain your CDL.

Some people love driving and it's what they were born to do but it's certainly not without plenty of it's own bullshit

I actually spent about 6 months as an OTR driver and hated it about 3 months in.

Thought I was going to see the country, etc. Pay sucked and the dispatchers were jackasses. Fortunately, I was in my early 20's at the time, so it wasn't too big of a deal going back to industrial work.

Local driving or nothing. OTR is terrible - gone for a week(s) at a time and never see your family. Sleeping in the back of the truck or in a shoddy hotel. It's a terrible lifestyle. The pay is absolutely overrated. Single man's life at best and it's still not good.

Local driving for the right company could be a nice gig. Unfortunately you need a few years experience to land one of these positions. I think the most important step is finding a way to get this experience that wouldn't burn you out (OTR). There are a ton of companies that offer to pay for your CDL and then give you a job but you are just a bitch - the turnover is really high and the pay isn't great. Why? They can get someone else in the door the next week promising a good career and you're off. CDL training is short (month tops) and very cheap. The barrier of entry is basically non-existent.

It would be a massive career/cultural shock from going to health care admin to trucking. I would consider putting your education to use in another field. You already have a master's degree. You could transfer into basically any other master's programs by taking a handful of pre-reqs.

I suggest learning the ropes through one of the larger companies to get familiar how the industry works. Make connections with brokers and O/O and pick their brains.
Save money and buy your own truck and do it yourself

Good luck, I thought about doing it as my dad has driven my entire life. But I watched him leave the house at 1-2 a.m. and return home at 4-5 p.m, every day, 5 days a week. Thats a long ass day. Not to mention depending on what you are delivering, you are unloading your own shit. My dad drivers one of the large dump trailers, he delivers sand, rock, gravel, dirt, etc. In the winter water can get in and freeze, he climbs in the trailer with a shovel breaking it all up. He works for a company and drives their truck. He gets paid per load, which means pay can vary week to week. Company pays for fuel, insurance, maintenance etc, he just drives it.

My father in law also drives but owns his truck, he is responsible for fuel, maintenance, repairs, insurance etc. He delivers flowers, I rode with him one night. We left at 7pm, drove 1 hour to pick up loaded trailer, drove another 6 hours to destination city. Once there we spent all night unloading carts full of flowers at 9 different drop sites. We returned home at 2 pm the next day.

The flipside is my father in law chooses when and how often he works, if we wants a week off, no problem, if he wants to work as much as possible, no problem. He averages $30,000 (minus expenses) a month during busy season and typically takes off the month of july, as well as nov-feb. So there is money to be made with the right gig and work ethic

snakedoctor said:

Being my own boss would be Awesome.

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If you're going to be going between states you're gonna have to track and pay all the stupid taxes related to fuel etc...
Make sure you really understand what insurance costs look like
if your CDL vehicle needs work you might as well count on 5-10k minimum every time it hits the shop.
You're running for pennies a mile to be competitive

DSG2003Mach1 said:

If you're going to be going between states you're gonna have to track and pay all the stupid taxes related to fuel etc...
Make sure you really understand what insurance costs look like
if your CDL vehicle needs work you might as well count on 5-10k minimum every time it hits the shop.
You're running for pennies a mile to be competitive

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it's hard to compete with those super large national companies because of all of this
you need to get into a niche market that those companies generally don't touch to make a nice pay

Big money if you step away from regular Trucking. Oversized loads, mostly farm equipment. As said above, just the taxes are a challenge. The permits can be a pain, but brokers can help a lot. Insurance is hateful also.

My dads been driving about 24 years now and originally started with Safeway but Fedex bought them out some years back. He clears over six figures pretty easily and doesn’t have to do much physically besides hook up the trailers. He just drives from point A to point B, and if he wants to make extra money, can take an additional pickup if it’s available. Since he drives nights, he has to deal with some stupid drivers but that’s about it for the most part.

I've been a shipping manager for 20years and have talked with tons of drivers. A lot of the LTL trucklines will teach you how to drive you just might have to start on the dock for a few months. Let them know you want to drive up front. The city driving is a pain as far as traffic and bumping doors all day. Most pay around $28 and will take a year or two to get top pay.

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Get your hazmat and tanker if you’re going to get your CDL

SHIFTYBUSINESS said:

I've been a shipping manager for 20years and have talked with tons of drivers. A lot of the LTL trucklines will teach you how to drive you just might have to start on the dock for a few months. Let them know you want to drive up front. The city driving is a pain as far as traffic and bumping doors all day. Most pay around $28 and will take a year or two to get top pay.

Sent from my SM-G935V using the svtperformance.com mobile app

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Swift will hire anyone

lolzzzz

Oh man, besides doing something more related to your education and experience you should look at becoming a heavy equipment operator vs any type of truck driver.

Near me the union hall is empty and no one wants that kind of work.

Driving truck of any type is no joke and owning your own, even a vocational is no walk in park.
Remember it’s not what you make it’s what you keep, and you’ll be keeping a lot less than you do now.

What do you dislike so much about your current gig? Somebody might be able to describe other options if they know your likes and dislikes.

I held a steering wheel for 22 years with close to 2m miles. No regrets.

A friend of mine is a truck driver.
He likes it except for not being home every night. He wants to get a local gig.