Callin' all DU truckers.

[chaska]

I remember a thread about truck driving or something once. I know there are DU truckers. I have some questions, need some advice. I'm thinking of taking it up as a career (lord knows nothing else is working) and need recommendations for schools and companies, etc.

Since it's not likely that there are any truckers online here right now, does anyone know of any DU truckers? Maybe I can PM them.

[Bunny]

1. Droopy is a trucker, I think.

You might look him up.

[Droopy]

7. Yep, I am

Thanks for remembering, Bunny. I get a kick out of that. :)

[miss_kitty]

13. Droopy, I always think of you

when I back off the gas a little, flash my light 2x and let a big rig over to my lane. And my friend Laurie, who drives for Englander.
And I let them in whenever they need it.

[Droopy]

15. Thank you miss_kitty

Drivers really appreciate a courteous four-wheeler. I try to be as courteous as I can as I think all truckers should. Supposedly the industry is suffering from a bad rep, or at least that's what the trade magazines would have you think. If that's the case then all us truckers should take extra care to try to make things right.

[belladonna]

16. I think most drivers feel the way you do

And try to be safe and courteous out there on the road. Unfortunately, you'll always have supertruckers to screw things up for everyone else, and they're actually a small minority in the trucking industry.

[miss_kitty]

17. I dig the 'Thank you' flash

But if I don't get it, I assume he or she has an asshat up ahead to deal with. :).

We could not do anything w/o 18 wheelers in this country. I just like to give them every bit of help I can, letting them in, staying off the right side and out of blind spots, signaling lane changes and not cutting in front of them...If I learn new stuff to do to help, I incorporate it.

[belladonna]

2. My fiance is doing it right now

Only until July, when he goes back to finish his nursing degree. I can answer some of your questions, if you'd like, and he'll be back tonight. I'm sure he'd be happy to help you out. :hi:

[chaska]

3. Thanks, Belladonna. Should I just pm you?

I'm not sure I know enough to ask an intelligent question at this point.

[belladonna]

4. It really doesn't matter, here or PM

A couple of things to consider before getting into it though. First, do you want to drive locally or OTR? Do you have a family that you'd have to be away from if you're doing an OTR gig? If you find the right company, there's lots of money in driving a truck, but you earn every penny of it.

[chaska]

5. Ooh, that sounds ominous.

I don't have a family and I like to travel ... like long drives ... picnics in the park and world peace.

Yeah, tell me about them caveats.

[belladonna]

6. OTR is where the money is at

So if you don't mind being on the road for long periods of time, you can make lots of money. So do you have any experience whatsoever or would you need training? There are alot of companies now that do independent training, which saves the hassle of having to go to one of the schools. What part of the country do you live in now?

[chaska]

9. I have to leave soon, but...

I'm in California for the last year, but I'm from the east coast - SC (for whatever it's worth).

I don't have any real experience. I worked on a couple of loading docks just out of high school (25 years ago). I used to drive the tractors occasionally, just around the yard to fuel them up.

[belladonna]

14. Being on the East Coast as you are

You may want to look into a company called Swift Transportation. With them, you have tons of options and you're not necessarily stuck in OTR or local driving. My fiance just got back from a west coast run to Portland and British Columbia on Friday that lasted a week, and today he's doing a short run to Kentucky. He likes not being stuck in an either or situation, and having a little variety. Let me know if you're interested and I'll get some more info from him. I'm pretty sure they have a terminal in S.C., so it shouldn't be too hard to hook up with them.

[Droopy]

8. Alright, chaska

I've been driving for about 8.5 years. I broke into the industry with a company called CRST out of Cedar Rapids, Iowa. They paid for my CDL training as long as I signed a contract to work for them for a year. I went to truck driving school at the Professional Driver's Institute in New Buffalo, Michigan. The training took three weeks. There are several companies out there that will pay for your training in return for a year of work if you choose to go that route. Or you can pay for the training yourself and try to get a job after that, which shouldn't be too hard.

Any questions? Fire away.

[chaska]

10. I'll pm both of you later, maybe tonight. I have to run. Thanks.

[Droopy]

12. Cool

I have to work from about 5pm to 1am eastern, so hang in there if I don't get back to you right away.

[miss_kitty]

11. A friend of mine took it up after working her ass off in retail for years

She loves it. She went to a local Community college for a 10 week course. She drives for Englander and is very happy with them. She took her stuff to her mom's a few years ago and hasn't looked back. She was looking to buy her own rig, but I think she has changed her mind about that.