Hello all,

I have been thinking of trucking off and on since about 2002 after I got my bachelor's. I talked to my family and some friends about it and the first thing they would usually ask is, "Well if you want to drive trucks why the hell did you go to college for 4 years?" Needless to say that statement sort of hit home and I got hired by an insurance company to become a claims adjuster. I did that gig for 2 1/2 years and decided to start a life insurance agency. I did a lot of driving for thatbusiness and funny enought, driving was probably my favorite part of the job. That business has gone to crap and I really haven't written any business in months. I have been doing the "Mr. Mom" thing.

Then this trucking bug bites me again. Recently I have been seriously considering the life and after some soul searching, I feel like I would enjoy many aspects of drving and the lifestyle. Thank God I ran into this site. Trucking company websites look like they put a silver lining on everything when in fact they are guilded pieces of crap. What I found on this site is a lot of excellent information and a lot of humor. I am very appreciative to all who take the time to inform wanna-be's like myself.

Anyway, here are some factors that I am weighing out. First off I'm 28 years old. I have a wife, 10 y/o step son and a 14 month old daughter. A lot of the posts that I have read say that driving OTR with a young family at home is one of the most irresponsible things that a person can do. Many of you have driven OTR for a long time and have a healthy family life. From what I read, a newb needs to get one year of OTR under his belt before doing anything local or LTL. I love my family and they are very important to me. I would like to be home weekly if it is possible. I live in the Indianapolis area; I don't know if that makes a difference.

I am not a druggie, no felonies, no DWI's. I don't take meds for anything. I am healthy as a horse with no physical limitations. I get along with just about everybody and believe a positive attitude is important.

One thing that may be worrisome is my work history. I have been an independent contractor since 1/2006 and really havent worked since 3/2007. Will this hurt me?

I have researched some carriers and have narrowed it down to a few. I like Roehl, Crete, and Knight. Celadon is local here but I haven't much info on them yet. Maverick sounds like an excellent company but I am not interested in flatbedding.

As far as schools go it looks like Sage at Ivy Tech is excellent.

My next step is to get on the horn with some recruiters and ask the appropriate questions and also check out Sage.

Please I welcome comments both constructive AND smartass! If you feel a need to let me have it give it to me!!

Thanks

P.S. Sorry about the superlong post.

 

If you want to go with Crete you will have to go to a PTDI certified school. There's one in your area.

http://www.ptdi.org/schools/schoolslist.aspx#indiana

 

You can check the thread "Highseas to Highways" by devildice. He attended SAGE.
A good read for us wannabes and newbies I think.
Best of luck!

 

Gordo,

I've read his entire thread and keep up with it daily. It is very interesting!

 

Hey! You guys find a quarterback yet??? :lol:

Just a few points (that will probably end up being longer than YOUR post!) :roll:

1) How much country do you want to see? To go far west from Indy, you will need to stay out a few weeks at a time usually. To get home weekly, you'd probably need to go regional, or get a dedicated regional route. But NOT always!.......

2) The companies you mentioned are okay, but there are thousands of medium or smaller sized companies out there that may have a "niche" that will allow you more hometime. Look into some of THEM, as well.

3) You might find a "niche" company (like mine) that gets you West as part of a TEAM. Many don't like this idea, but I see lots of country and am home weekly. (Not ALL teams do.)

4) Just get some good documentation covering your time self-employed, and "explain" the Mr. Mom thing. Several years self-employed shows "stickability" whereas, 10 jobs in 5 years does not.

5) Go to the nearest truckstop and pick up ALL the little trucker mags. They are full of advertisements for companies.... and MOST ads will show their hiring areas and freight lanes.

6) Sage schools are some of the best. Good choice.

7) Your outgoing, peaceful nature and positive attitude MIGHT be a big drawback! You just might be TOO GOOD to be one of us! :wink:

8: Getting the degree was not a mistake. You will always HAVE it. Likewise, getting a CDL is like getting a "meal ticket." Even if you had to take a refresher course or trainee position in the future, you will always be able to get a good paying job with a CDL. (Assuming some future "lapse" in trucking.... you can always go back.)

9) According to many posters here, it is NOT impossible to start out with a local job, or regional with every other day at home. This might be a consideration with such a young family. Just remember.... those years won't count as OTR experience if you later wanted to go linehaul. (maybe the regional time would.)

10) Go online to your local ESC (employment security commission) site, and check out local trucking opportunities. Unfortunately MOST will require OTR experience, but you never know.

Good luck to ya, Coltsfan. Keep us posted! You will have lots more questions in the near future, and we always have at least 4 different, and usually incorrect, answers for each one!

Hobo

 

I looked at that school and it is 320 hours. Isn't that unusually long? Most of the schools I've seen are 150 to 160 hours. I'll call them to get more information. Greg, thanks for the info.

 

It's about twice the usual 160 hours most schools do. But Crete will not take a student driver unless it's a PTDI school.

Also, the last I heard was that Knight was not taking students. This may have changed.

 

Hey there and welcome! First off, I too have a family and drive OTR. It can be done and still have a good family life, I don't care what anyone says! I have done it for 10 yrs now. I have a wife and a 8 yr old son. It is not the quantity of time but the quality of time that you spend with them. As far as living there in Indy. You are in a prime spot. There are many trucking companies there in Indy. Roehl and Crete are excellent companies. Knight will not take you till you have 4 months of OTR under your belt. I currently drive for Knight. Werner has a terminal there and I believe Schneider does as well. Celedon is ok but I have heard a few horror stories about them but that could be about any company. You can also cold call severla of the LOCAL companies around that area and ask if they will take a guy strait out of school. You never know, you could get lucky and get a local gig right out of the gate. I used to work for Werner and they are ok. If you have any questions about them feel free to ask. BOL

 

Does sound a bit long! But, DON'T go with one that is less than 160 hours!

 

Thanks Hobo, any and all info is appreciated. I'm am still discerning the right path to take. It appears that there are a lot of newbs out there that get suckered in to what appears to be flashy recruiting and advertisement. C.R. England looks like the best job in the world unless you ask someone about it!

I know there is a sea of opportunity out there. It is just about catching the fish you want.

Oh yeah, Peyton Manning is terrible. We should have drafted that Ryan Leaf guy! 8)