I'm in canada, so I can't add my opinion on the best company to start out with, but my best advice would be for you to not worry so much about the money at first. Its fair to say your earnings 1 or 2 years from now will be higher than they would be at your current job; and in the short term, its unlikely you will earn any less (probably a little more).

So I'd suggest you think it over, and talk with your girlfriend about whether or not you and your family can make it through the first year (or two) of OTR work with a training company. If you have the support of your girlfriend, and you both understand that any extra money will come at a significant loss of home time and family life, then you should go for it. Its been said a million times but its true- if you work hard and take all the learning opportunities available, you will have the chance to take your experience to a local job (or short haul/switches if you like highway driving).

Also, I really feel that any skills you can learn beyond just driving will almost always get you extra pay. Flatdeck should pay a bit more to start and it can lead to local work hauling for a construction company, or heavy haul/oversize work ($$$$$). The extra work involved isn't as bad as some people make it out to be (i enjoy it) but you have to be willing to do it in the weather and all that. Car hauling, as somebody else mentioned, is also a good path to look into. So if you're mostly looking for a raise you might want to research those options.

 

This is EXACTLY why I treasure CAD. Excellent advice, Slol!

 

hi guys, i just read the thread and it was very helpful but i am still at the point of not knowing what truck driving schools are good and what truck driving schools are bad, i live in salisbury maryland about 2 hours from baltimore city maryland, and i am single, could anyone please advise me, thank you

 

check out millis transfer. if your looking for company paid training. starting pay is 32 cents a mile for practical miles. if you average 2,000 to 2,500 miles a week you get 35 cents a mile. 2,501- 2,999 miles its 36 cents a mile (all miles not just the ones over 2501) and 3,00 plus is 37 cents a mile. you can expect to average around 2500 miles a week. some weeks 2,000 some 3,000 depends on home time etc.

millis also has a home time guarantee in writing. they offer one week vacation after six months and 2 weeks after a year.

pay while with trainer is

Weeks one and two - First 14 days of training = $500.00 per week
Week 3 - Days 15 through 21 = $550.00
Week 4 - Days 21 through 28 = $600.00
Week 5 - Days 29 through 35 = $650.00
Weeks 6 and up - Days 36 and up = $700.00

 

I will give you my experience for what it is worth (not much).

I paid a community college to get a CDL. It was an 18week course that had 10 weeks of classroom and 8 weeks of driving. Total cost was 7k. Most students took out student loans. I thought the class was extremely thorough, most instructors had at least 25years experience and were excellent. The downside was the class pace was a bit slow and it was pretty darn expensive looking back.

I am a hobby trucker so I paid cash for the class and the next trick was to get a local job part time right out of school. It took me 4 months and I worked at it. Most local wanted at least 2 years, some would take 3mo, but none would take no exp. Deboer was willing to work with me as they had a driver up in Phoenix but in the end it fell through.

Then on a tip I got in touch with BJ Cecil Trucking out of Claypool, AZ, a family run business that does bulk transport of acid for mines. I drove up and had to do a road test and a truck inspection. The truck inspection made the difference for me and they gave me a shot. I trained for a week with two different trainers and sat down with them and the Dispatcher to discuss whether I was ready or not. Deemed ready, I was given a brand spanking new w900. The flip side is that as a small company they expected you to be mature, take care of the equipment, and obey the friggin law, I have kept my end of the deal. There is absolutely no room at all for horsing around driving a smooth bore tanker full of 93% sulfuric acid. Of course the tanks are sized as these are standard loads and surge is minimal when full.

I worked my A$$ off, the standard was a 14 hour day running nights on rural roads. I did this for another week. My first pay check was 1044.00 for the week. Mind you that I was fairly inefficient, but 4 digits in a pay check right out of school is possible. Now I just drive the occasional weekend when they need the help.

Trucking is a lot of work for the money I am not sure I would ever chose it as a career. A MS in engineering is a far better investment. But if you have no trade skills and are older, it is a decent living from what I can see. 40-60k a year is possible. The only folks making real money were the owners but that was a family legacy that took 80 years of hard work to build.

So if you are going local, save your money, and pay a good CC for the course and ask to talk to former students, current students, and several instructors. Make sure it is good, it is your money. It will take a long time but you can get a job eventually.

I do not have any experience with OTR companies or their schools so I can not say anything about that.

My brother in law makes a good living hauling the mail on a local route, my uncle made a 40 year career out of it hauling bread local. I would not say either is upper middle class but they live well and are as happy as anybody.

Good luck.