Is this a good time to pursue a career in trucking?
Asked by captkirkfan
I am currently in the medical field and I was planning on going to a truck driver school near me in July to get my class A CDL license so I could become a OTR truck driver. However, a pen pal of mines who currently dates a trucker, has been giving me horror stories about it since gas prices have gotten so high, saying that trucking companies are cutting back on the speed of the rigs so you can't get more miles, making the driver pay for fuel if the truck is running idle, stuff like that. It has me concerned enough that I'm thinking this might not be a good time to be a trucker. I figured this might be a good way to find out how it really is out there right now, and if this is a good time to work for a major trucking company. Any help would be appreciated.

Best Answer:
I spent 6k last year in a cdl school to get a cdl-a licence. They tell you how much opportunity is out there for drivers. Wrong. OTR companies that hire new grads from schools will pretty much hire anybody because everyone just leaves that quick. I did 3 months OTR and that was it. They dont care about you and treat like shit. You will know these companies when the school tells you how they are great and how they can start you right away with them and earn big bucks. Its all a lie from them because they are contracted with these big OTR companies to get them drivers. Once you start training with the company. you have to do 200+ hrs with a trainier. You are going to be about a month away from home until training is completed. You more likely to be away more than a month because you might have a trainer that lets you drive just a few hours, truck breaks down , what ever happens. I heard too many horror stories when i was in the orientation. And those trainers yell at you, some are racist, some have there trucks filthy with trash all over the place looking like a dumpster. i experienced all of that bercause i requested different trainer. You can request a different trainer if things arent going to well. I had enough of it after 3 months and beign away for long periods and being treated like shit. They dont care if you leave because another fresh meat should be coming in a few days. There is orientation with a new group like every 4 days. So they dont care. Now im trying to look for local work and cant get nothing bacause they all want you to have experience at least 1 or 2 yrs of driving. I have a CDL-A , clean background, 100% clean driving record, always did good on my previous jobs, never fired and cant even get a small cdl-b box truck because i need at least 1 yr. They give you this bullshit about how the insurance company dont want to put a driver with no experience behind the wheel. I guess I flushed 6k down the drain because i cant get nothing. All those horror stories they have told you are sure to be true. If you are getting good earnings in your field i advice you to stick with it. You aint gonna get paid nothing with an OTR company who hires new grads. I wish I spent that money on another field.

For every horror story you hear, you'll also find a driver who's perfectly satisfied with his or her job. Yes, some of the larger companies are cutting the speed back on their trucks. This, however, shouldn't affect the driver's weekly mileage. We're talking a 5 MPH drop in speed, at most. The drivers complaining are likely the ones who spent more time goofing off in truck stops, than actually driving. If you keep that left door shut and put in a good, steady 10-11 hours of driving per day, you can get plenty of miles. Regardless of governed speed- your weekly mileage can depend on your dispatcher. There are good ones and bad ones....if you aren't getting the miles you need, you can usually change dispatchers. As for making drivers pay for fuel.....no. Many of the larger companies pay for Idle-Aire, which is an in-window climate control system available at a lot of truck stops...and they will encourage you to use it when available. Still other companies have outfitted their trucks with generators or APU's which are powered by a small motor, to run your heat/air, and electronics in the cab. Companies which offer neither will sometimes offer "reduced idle time incentives"....which means if you keep your idle time down to a certain level, you get a bonus in your paycheck. But I have NEVER heard of companies making drivers PAY for fuel. Trucking isn't an easy job. The person above me is right that it involves a lot of time away from home, and being on the road all the time can be stressful. If you have home and family obligations, or you are a highly social person, you may find life on the road to be tough. But if you don't mind being away from home, and you tend to "roll with the punches" most of the time, you might not find it to be so "horrible".....I look at the "bad parts" as more of a challenge, or an adventure even. Yes, virtually every major trucking company has a very high turnover rate. Part of this is because they DO hire recent CDL school grads, and MANY school grads come into this industry having absolutely NO clue what they're getting into. They've been lured in by promises of 50,000 dollar first-year paychecks, hometime every 2 weeks....basically, some recruiter blowing sunshine up their butts. It seems to me, you're already a step ahead, because you're doing your research NOW :).....if you have a little idea about what the "real world" is like, you will be able to see through the BS coming from companies and recruiters and be prepared for whatever will come your way. I would definitely suggest, if you want to ask questions & get opinions from a bunch of experienced truck drivers, you should join this Yahoo group, Trailertruckintech: http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/trailertruckintech/ It's a group designed for prospective & new truck drivers to ask questions and get advice from experienced drivers. No BS, just real facts and advice. It's a good group, closely moderated, no arguing or nastiness. If you want a true "picture" of what the industry is all about, this is a much better place than just posting a question on Y!A :). Also, your first year or so as a driver is going to be the toughest. It will either make you, or break you....as you can see.....it "breaks" many people who either can't, or won't, put up with the stresses of being on the road. It will not be easy all the time. You may become incredibly fed up with the company you choose for your "first"....but if you consider it to be a sort of "boot camp"....a place to pay your dues....with a SAFE record and 1-2 years of experience, you can pretty much go to ANY trucking company after that. It gets much better as you gain experience. I have been doing this just 6 years, and I have hit a few bumps in the road.....but if I had it to do all over again, I'd do the same thing, even in "this economy". Good luck, whatever you decide!
Answered by Forest Basenji