Question:
Hello,
Well not sure if anyone I talked to before is still on here so I figured I would post again. I was on here about 2 years ago thinking about getting into trucking but things didn't work out and I got into another PC Tech job. (Which is what I am doing now.) I'm at a point now where I'm getting burned out doing PC work so I am yet again looking to get into trucking.
Now I know some of you will say what the heck is he thinking because he probably makes good money doing PC work which I am but it's not about the money anymore. I did get into PC work for the money but it's not all it's cracked up to be. I have been in and out of contract jobs so much it's driving me insane.
Anyway getting back to the point, I was just checking to see if I should know anything that has changed in the last 2 years. Any new laws or anything else I should know about?
I'm probably going to go with a carrier that can train and provide employment for the whole one year thing (as I know alot of people have done) and see where it goes from there. (stay with the company, go somewhere else, etc.) If I can get my credit cleaned up soon I might go to a local school instead so I have more choices.
Thanks for any input.
Tim
Littleton, Colorado
Answer:

Look into community colleges in your area; there may be one, or more, which offers CDL training at a greatly reduced price (from a commercial school).
BTW, the Hours of Service are now different.

Answer:
And now you are required to go through a fingerprint background check when getting the haz mat endorsement.
Answer:
Lets see, can't idle in most places on the east coast and most of the truck stops are two years older and two years dirtier. Oh yea, the lot lizards are two years older and two years dirtier also.

Answer:
Cost of living has risen. Wages haven't kept up.
Nothing new I guess.
Answer:
What are the service hours now?
What's the average time to hear back on the Hazmat?
I take it the big carriers haven't changed much for training? (Swift, Schneider,
CRE, etc.) Any new ones I should look out for? (and by look out for I mean both stay away from and try to get on with.)
Thanks!
Answer:
Same old , Same old some make it ( both drivers and companies ) others do not.
The experience level has dropped with many of the newbies compared to a few years ago , schools cranking them out too fast.
Answer:

nothing much new,they just draw lines different
you can now show 11 hours of driving and must show 10 hours of rest,it used to be 10 driving 8 rest that drivers showed in their log books
what makes you think you won't burn out to trucking,my guess will be it will happen even faster than what your burned out to now
Answer:
Thanks for the info.
The fact is no one really knows if they will get burned out on a job or not. I didn't know I was going to get burned out when I started in computers at 17 but here I am today looking for a new career.
I do know that I have always liked to travel. Now do I think I can make it as a trucker? Only God knows the answer to that. It goes back to what many people have said on here. Trucking is what you make of it. The same goes for most jobs and careers including computers. For me personally I have found that computers is not my thing anymore. I'm not about to just quit tomorrow and jump right into trucking just because I can. I intend to research the hell out if it before I make a decision. I know there is high turnover and generaly most people don't make it.
Do I plan to stay OTR? Not sure. I would like to do local eventually if at all possible or atleast get a regional OTR position.
Thanks for all your input.
Tim
Answer:

go try it some weekend,jump in the car and go play truck driver
go for a ride some saterday night,take off at 9pm and go for an 11 hour drive,by 8am sunday morning you will be cured of wanting to live the good life
Answer:
Thanks for your opinion zigzag.
I never said trucking will be the good life though. I know it will be a challenge and will be rough sometimes maybe even all the time. I've read alot of posts on here, the good and the bad about trucking.
I'm not saying I'm right or wrong or that anyone else is right or wrong. As I have said before I'm not going to just jump into this without any thought.
Zigzag, I did what you said actually last summer in my car several times between Lansing, Michigan and Denver, Colorado which is roughly an 18hr trip and I enjoyed it.
Again thank all of you for your opinions and input.
Answer:
Neo, you need to do that trip back to Lansing and then back to Denver before you are released from your vehicle. All sleep to be in the front or back seat. All amenities to include the classiest truckstop, rest area dumps you can find.Whoa is me. Yup, put the brakes on the trucking crapola and haven't looked back.


Answer:
I talked to neo on YIM and no offense to neo but if these guys knew how much you make right now in computers and that u work in town and regular hours and regular days off you would get a lot more flak for wanting to get into trucking than you are right now I am not going to say exactly what we talked about but mainly I told him I was just like him young dumb full of ambition for the wrong career now I am 21 driving over a year and feel like I have the soul of a 45 year old man haha I told him its not so much what you do but how your company treats you and every bonehead on the road on 4 or 18 wheels treats you , I also told him that I would switch careers any day of the week

Answer:
Remind me never to post a new topic on this forum again that has to do with wanting to get into trucking. I know no matter what I say I'm going to get flak so I just stop with this last post on this topic.
And StagnantVirus, thanks for calling me dumb. That's real mature of you. If I cared what people that I don't even know thought about me I would respond to your comment.
If you want to change careers then why don't you do it? This is america after all. There are plenty of other opportunities out there if you don't like trucking.
Good luck everyone!
Answer:
Wasn't calling you dumb buddy don't take it to heart if you can't handle a little bit criticism then trucking may not be for you, I can think of many situations in public listening to the CB as a newbie, it makes you madder than hell when you can't nail that dock on the first shot all I am saying and many others say is why leave a decent job that may work into something to a fast food worker (trucking) many people view trucking as a last resort any more and not a career persay well good luck I hope you find a good school and a good carrier and stay safe out there.