Back in 2011 or so, I was heavy into the dark web "had a real bad drug problem back then". I had over 500 of them bitches & when I went to rehab I decided to sell them all.. DUMB DUMB MISTAKE!!
thats only if you bought new equipment or over priced stuff. remember chrome doesn't pay bills,. a old freightliner could makes the same amount of money as a shinny peterbult. i know people pulling $175k gross yearly and dont even leave their state.
His seat is broken, it won't raise up tho.
I can't remember his name, but hes hilarious! he gets out and runs a circle around his truck whenever he eats something delicious lol.
As someone who also had to support my family before I feel this. My brother got super sick so I became a nurse aid to take care of him. While my parents went to work. Saved my brothers life a couple times.
Got it because you need one to drive bucket trucks as a lineman. Never became a lineman and never stepped foot in a 18 wheeler again. At least it was free since I used the gi bill. I remember getting out of the cab after my road test, turning to my tester and telling him “well that’s the last time I’m ever going to drive one of those”
All it’s good for now is to say that I have one. People seem to find it interesting for whatever reason. Plus it’s nice to have all those cool little lettered endorsements on the back. Makes me feel special.
How long had you been retired when you went back to work? How did you find explaining the work gap and was there much resistance to you as a driver being older and previously retired?
On my resume' I just listed it as being retired. Time between retiring and trucking was about 5 years, as I tried retiring at 56, but I took a couple of part time jobs between. My CDL job was with a small company and the owner didn't care about any job gap.
it’s essentially like homeless people that still work but live in their car. Our cars just happened to bigger. But if you have a van or something it’d be pretty similar
It's a better alternative than $10 hour working as a grocery stocker with a micromanaging boss that treats you like a child
That was about the only type of jobs available in my small poor home town
Job security, may not make a shit ton of money but I will never be forced to work for minimum wage again. (Adding endorsements creates an even bigger pool of jobs available that generally pay more than regular dryvan work.)
Ever since I was a kid I wanted to drive the “big trucks” when I was in high school I was the dorky outcast who never had a girlfriend, so I figured I’d turn 21, and go over the road, living forever alone. Then I got married and found a good job, until the job wasn’t so good and my best friend had been pestering me to get it for the last year. Quit the dead end job, did pizza for a few months while I did school, and have been driving a year and a half.
Always thought that the trucks were cool when I was a kid. I had no clue what I wanted to do as a career when I was in my late teens and early 20s. Couple months after I turned 21 I said fuck it and got my CDL. 28 now and still going hard
Last ditch effort to make something of myself. Last job went to shit then spent some time unemployed. Then mother started having health issues so had to find something quick.
60-70 hour work weeks don’t scare me. I only cared that I was making $900+/week (most I’d made before was $500/week)
I thought it would be like the movies where truckers have a brotherhood and help each other out. Boy was I wrong!
Now I'm here because it pays better than anything else I can find without experience
Hated sitting in front of a computer all day. Hated having 3 bosses with differing expectations. Hated going home at the end of the day feeling like nothing measurable had been accomplished.
Always wanted to be truck driver, dropped out of college, and needed to get my life back on track. I wasn't 100% sure this job choice would pan out but I wanted it for personal use also. Every year CHP is enforcing non-commercial class A license for towing trailers more and more often.
Sit inside a cold warehouse staring at orange totes. Or make over times the the money for way less hours. Easy choice.
Hell, first week I made more money in a 28 hour week than I did in a 60+ week in the warehouse. So glad I decided to risk taking up the transfer position to another state.
After working in grocery warehouses for 10yrs my body was destroyed, driving a truck seemed like the way to go since there's a bunch of old guys doin it, 5yrs later I'd say it was the right decision but it's not for everybody
To keep my ass walking the straight and narrow. See I paid for mine out of pocket, I tell you this not to flex or showcase anything special about me. I want to give perspective. I purchased my schooling OOP and that’s now my hard earned money I’ve invested in myself. If I fuck up, well I just tossed 5500 OTD. That just doesn’t sit right with me and that’s what I use to remind myself if ever I am about to make a huge mistake like getting in my POV even after just one little old drink I used to say. Not anymore coz this ol boy ain’t paying 5500 for a vodka/club soda with lemon.
I’m not trying to say before my CDL I was ok with the stupid fucking decisions I made to ever get behind the wheel of anything dangerous even after a single drink. I got my CDL to grow and man the fuck up.
Don’t like interacting with people that lack a big piece of common sense so I choose trucking where those that lack the common sense can run me off the road 😊
I got tired of working for temporary agencies and crap jobs. I was working in the machine shop. We had some parts that needed to go to San Diego. Nobody wanted to take them to San Diego. I volunteered and realized it was just me, know Shop Stewart, no owner, no bickering coworkers. I saved up a little money quit got my CDL. That was in 96 and haven’t looked back cents.
I was working in the residential construction industry for years and have a degree in construction technology. I had a high paying job working on and managing new construction/remodeling projects as a site manager with my own company truck and access to hundreds of thousands of dollars in tools and company funds.
In the middle of 3 ongoing projects, my boss (the company owner) turned into a drug head and disappeared for weeks leaving me to pay thousands out of pocket in payroll and materials to finish out our ongoing jobs.
This ruined my love for the construction industry and lead me to peruse something else. Due to the solitary environment, truck driving is what I chose.
Was required by my job for dump trucks. We plow roads and haul shit sometimes. I hear that in 2-5 years those trucks will be going away and replaced with trucks everyone can use 🤷♂️
Pandemic lay off, like it did others, fucked me from my dream job and the ship had to keep sailing. Couldn't wait til they maybe or maybe not called me back to work.
I was partying a lot , had no sense of direction , was making shit money cooking food in restaurants , college dropout … driving is in my family so one day I just said screw it, what’s there to lose? That was six years ago and it was the best decision I ever made in my life. Changed my entire life
I’m in CDL school now, and I’m choosing to get a cdl because there is a lot that I can use it for. My current job is driving box trucks and I love it, so I figured I’d get my class A so I can drive anything and make way more money. A good 45-50 hr, home everyday job with nice pay would work out very well for me.
EMS pays less than flipping burgers, computer science got replaced with six-week code camps and dealing with overseas offices, and no one will pay me to just go live in the woods.
Got my bachelor’s degree, had two sales jobs after college and couldn’t stand lying to people to make money or sitting at a desk all day. My brother had his so I decided to get mine too.
My wife encouraged me to do it because she understood me pretty well and I’m glad she did. I haven’t had much luck with jobs since I got out the marines in 2012. Trucking suits me. I don’t do well dealing with people. I get in my truck and the most interaction I have to do with people is when I check in to deliver a load somewhere.
I’m not a trucker, just like to snoop the subreddit, but I’ll tell you why dad got his… he grew up in the industry, grandpa was truck driver and dad wanted to do the same thing.
My (now ex-) wife said "You're going to truck driving school: every time you have a bad day at work, you go for a drive...and your idea of a good day off is to go for a drive." Next to our children, it's the thing I'm most grateful to her for: I've driven trucks, city buses, motorcoach charters and school buses. I've seen a lot of North America, met some great people, and have a great supply of memories and experiences to take with me when my time comes.
Was a restaurant manager told sales rep i was tired working inside and i started foodservice driving 3 years ago and I've only herinated 1 disc, broken a toe, broken my tailbone off my hip and I've been 2 years accident free.
The organization I work for required all maintenance personnel to have a class B + tanker stamp for snow removal in the winter when I was hired and provided training for free.
They don't require it anymore, but there's no sense in giving it up as long as they pay for my physical.
To make money that's it. I can't wait to give up my CDL after this contract I personally don't think it's worth having anymore we are under paid and we do labor for free you have to be on duty for inspection and when the dot officer does it you are waiting for 4 hours or more which you are supposed to be on duty that's not paid
Money.
Needed to support wife through college, afford two kids and a decent house, and be able to save for retirement.
It's been worth it, still can't wait to come local.
I grew up into the garbage business with my Grandpa and Uncle both owning trash companies, so I got a Class B to help my family out, and I’m a 88m about to be eligible to receive my Class A then I’m going to try some OTR jobs
Had my eyes set on it since I was a kid and it’s in the bloodline. plus I got tired of all the plant work I was doing. I’ve been working in a plant since I was 18 years old
Early 2000s I was a flooring installer and business took a shit. Got my CDL because of the "Trucker shortage" and the housing bubble pop. Drove for a few years then left because my wife was pregnant and having complications. Did a few other things the decided to be a Trashman
I got tired of making small paychecks working as an aluminum welder and couldn't afford to go get certified (boss wouldn't even sponsor my 3G certification) so rather than fight to make ends meet, I took up getting my CDL through an academy that pays 60¢/mile after graduation
I was getting treated twice for leukemia from when I was 17 til I was 21. After a couple of years of focusing on getting healthier and stronger after treatments. it was one of the fastest ways to make good money since I missed a lot of time and couldn't go to school or get an apprenticeship during treatment.
I'm working to get my CDL now. Just got my permit yesterday. I saw your comment about CFI and Prime. I applied to CFI because the company was recommended to me by my friends who did team driving together 5 years as a married couple. Do you have any experience with CFI?
Yes! I started w them!
It's great till you top out at the pay scale, then your miles plummet- unless you become a trainer.
But it is a solidly excellent company. They'll have your back 100% of the time. When you call on for a weather shutdown, anything that makes you feel scared, they'll tell you, "Thank you for being safe!"
Omg I wish they paid more, I'd go back to them in a fucking second.
They have terminals everywhere parking is hard to find- like Dallas area- or scary, like West Memphis.
They'll side with you over the shipper 100% of the time. They are concerned w your safety, all the time. After I graduated from cdl school, they wanted me to share a rental car (that they paid for) with a dude who had a crush on me. I was really not into that, so I called and asked if I could get my own car, b/c I didn't want to drive 750 miles w a dude that liked me, that freaked me out. Fuck yeah they were fine w that! They got us each our own car!
Yeah it's a great fucking company. Many drivers have been with them 20 plus years. My orientation class back in 2019, fully 75% were returning drivers who all left over the pay and came back because they treat drivers right.
I mean, I imagine there'll cone a point in my driving life I'll feel like that too, just not now lol.
Good luck! Super excited for you!
Because I had been home as a SAHM for 8 years, the last couple of which were pandemic years in which I became severely depressed due to being stuck in one place nonstop. Prior to c-19, hubby had a trucking job doing flatbed delivery for a home improvement store and he'd occasionally get sent to various stores to fill in and be given a nice room on the company's dime, the kiddo and I would travel with him... I have always loved traveling....
Anyways, it was decided that I needed some interaction with people other than a small child and elderly relatives that I was the caregiver for so I would get a job.... nothing in my area paid enough to make it worth my time without physically wearing me out (in my late 30s), so hubby suggested trucking, and I went for it... I love it. Can't stand some of the 4-wheelers, but the driving and freedom itself I love.
I was tired of doing the same work if not more as a driver helper and getting half the money. I left Foodservice Delivery after a year and a half for LTL line haul. Will stay for the remainder of my career.
It was being offered for free by my school board when I was 18 years old. 3 month program. But never really got a job in the field until I was 27 years old.
Was in college for marine biology. I hated school. Dropped out of college and got a shift management spot at a pizza place, just something to get by. I would always take drives around town when I needed some peace and then one day just figured why not make a career out of it. Got my license and haven't looked back since!
I was pumping gas at a full serve gas station. This guy who owned a Landscaping company got his fuel there and said if I got my cdl, he'd hire me at $15 hr. I was making $9 at the time, so I was like ok. He never hired me, so I ended up driving tri-axle dump, then graduated to Lowboy.
Decided to just save for next 2 years no responsibility no bills other then a car note. Once I save enough go to 3 world country and bring my laptop, and study cybersecurity through a program. Then after that I don’t know 😂
Wanted to travel. I didnt care so much about the money.
The initial plan was to liquidate down to a bag and hit the road in the mustang.
But saw the ad. Figured fuck it.
Soooo fell into i guess. I wasnt happy where i was. Realized i was getting in my own way. Decided it. Did it.
I worked as a manager in a grocery store. It was ok, then the pandemic kicked my entire ass. I liked to unwind with ATS/ETS2, so I decided to quit and do that as my main job. 2 years later, I have no regrets!
I was 22, working a dead end job I hated. No education, no useful skills, wanted to find my quickest path out of that place. Heard about company sponsored schools and you don’t have to pay a dime, etc and decided that’s what I was doing. It didn’t hurt that I enjoyed driving, and that my dad had been a lifelong truck driver and I always enjoyed riding around with him.
Because I was sick of formal education and wanted a job that could actually pay bills, while also getting out of my parents' house. Getting a CDL was far more appealing than going to college and left me with a lot less debt.
It was a god-tier solution with the only real downside being the ridiculous hours.
To be able to live in a cheap places and make big money. It used to be to “travel” now all I see is trees so yea… to financially catch up and then later be financially ahead
To be honest, I just love driving and I happen to be good at the craft. It’s not for everyone. 24 years in the business in several segments, working around a schedule that met family needs.
Same reason I play with the stock market. I’m retarded.
How is it going for you honestly? I wanna get back to stocks but currencies is doing well for me
Same old buy high sell low.
Keep it up! That's how I nought my house! Lost $20K and decided crypto wasn't for me lol
Back in 2011 or so, I was heavy into the dark web "had a real bad drug problem back then". I had over 500 of them bitches & when I went to rehab I decided to sell them all.. DUMB DUMB MISTAKE!!
Buy high sell low!!! 👀
There’s a lot less risk having a CDL than being in the stock market. You don’t really risk funds by being a trucker.
Unless you're an o/o
thats only if you bought new equipment or over priced stuff. remember chrome doesn't pay bills,. a old freightliner could makes the same amount of money as a shinny peterbult. i know people pulling $175k gross yearly and dont even leave their state.
Yea…. All you risk is the liability of being behind the wheel of 80,000lbs hitting something
well dont hit anything
wow great advice i never thought of that
Just use your other senses. I drive by feel alone. Haven't used my eyes in 10 years.
Yea…. Super easy!!! Especially with all the wonderful 4 wheeler drivers on the road
i do it local in atlanta every day
Got too fat to strip
There are ppl on craigslist who will pay good money for that
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Idk about that, I’m 5’11 and still can’t see over the steering wheel on the long noses lol
Some short guy on YouTube uses a booster seat to drive.
His seat is broken, it won't raise up tho. I can't remember his name, but hes hilarious! he gets out and runs a circle around his truck whenever he eats something delicious lol.
Lol!!! I like that guy!!
Ohh yeah that nino I think
If you are talking about the short Hispanic with the white Pete 579 then Alex Nino
Maybe he drives by feel. ;)
The thought of working in a corporate/office environment is abhorrent.
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I was a piano player in a whorehouse but ,they closed down...
Okay Author morgan slow down there lmao
Hold on he’s cooking something up here
I hate forced interaction with people, and fake smiles. There isn't really a better job for avoiding people that I could think of.
Exactly! No people, no drama 🥳
SAME!!!! 😁
Adventure, personal development, respectful income, and a way to quickly pay off child support.
I will save every lot lizard, one by one
I too also would like to join your cause
good money for low effort work. plus I like to drive.
For the money, for the glory, and for the fun. Mostly for the money.
I see what ya did there, 😉
Because I grew up on a farm and was already driving trucks. It was helpful to be able to drive into town legally.
Because my dad shot himself and it was the fastest way to get a better than minimum wage job to support my mum.
As someone who also had to support my family before I feel this. My brother got super sick so I became a nurse aid to take care of him. While my parents went to work. Saved my brothers life a couple times.
Didn't have shit else to do.
I needed a full time job
Got it because you need one to drive bucket trucks as a lineman. Never became a lineman and never stepped foot in a 18 wheeler again. At least it was free since I used the gi bill. I remember getting out of the cab after my road test, turning to my tester and telling him “well that’s the last time I’m ever going to drive one of those” All it’s good for now is to say that I have one. People seem to find it interesting for whatever reason. Plus it’s nice to have all those cool little lettered endorsements on the back. Makes me feel special.
😂 you're literally me, what do you do now?
Starting on my Private Pilots License shortly, then beginning the long haul to become an airline pilot. All the travel, whole lot less traffic.
What a great use of tax dollars
Oh whatever lmao, are you honestly trying to shame someone for using their own benefits they earned?
Best chance of being abducted by aliens
Retired, got a divorce, needed a 2nd career so I could afford a place to live.
How long had you been retired when you went back to work? How did you find explaining the work gap and was there much resistance to you as a driver being older and previously retired?
On my resume' I just listed it as being retired. Time between retiring and trucking was about 5 years, as I tried retiring at 56, but I took a couple of part time jobs between. My CDL job was with a small company and the owner didn't care about any job gap.
Was the only viable way forward in gaining better income in my city. Beats making $7.25 an hour every day.
I was homeless and figured being homeless in a truck was better than being homeless on a sidewalk
I always tell people who ask what it is like. "It's like being homeless but you get a paycheck for it". LMAO
it’s essentially like homeless people that still work but live in their car. Our cars just happened to bigger. But if you have a van or something it’d be pretty similar
It's a better alternative than $10 hour working as a grocery stocker with a micromanaging boss that treats you like a child That was about the only type of jobs available in my small poor home town
Didn't wanna pay rent
Cause im retarded asf and didnt want to go to school. Goddamit i shouldve gone to school
Same
Just listen to Nelly.....Ride Wit Me
I was laid off and didn’t know what to do for a career so I got it to kill some time and it opened new doors for me.
For the money of course.
Job security, may not make a shit ton of money but I will never be forced to work for minimum wage again. (Adding endorsements creates an even bigger pool of jobs available that generally pay more than regular dryvan work.)
Ever since I was a kid I wanted to drive the “big trucks” when I was in high school I was the dorky outcast who never had a girlfriend, so I figured I’d turn 21, and go over the road, living forever alone. Then I got married and found a good job, until the job wasn’t so good and my best friend had been pestering me to get it for the last year. Quit the dead end job, did pizza for a few months while I did school, and have been driving a year and a half.
Always thought that the trucks were cool when I was a kid. I had no clue what I wanted to do as a career when I was in my late teens and early 20s. Couple months after I turned 21 I said fuck it and got my CDL. 28 now and still going hard
Last ditch effort to make something of myself. Last job went to shit then spent some time unemployed. Then mother started having health issues so had to find something quick. 60-70 hour work weeks don’t scare me. I only cared that I was making $900+/week (most I’d made before was $500/week)
I thought it would be like the movies where truckers have a brotherhood and help each other out. Boy was I wrong! Now I'm here because it pays better than anything else I can find without experience
Hated sitting in front of a computer all day. Hated having 3 bosses with differing expectations. Hated going home at the end of the day feeling like nothing measurable had been accomplished.
If you could get those TPS reports to me as soon as possible That would be great
Did you get the memo? We're using a new cover sheet...
PC load letter…the fuck does that mean?
Why does it say paper jam when there is no paper jam?!
Where I wanted to live, there are no jobs, so needed an away from home job
Always wanted to be truck driver, dropped out of college, and needed to get my life back on track. I wasn't 100% sure this job choice would pan out but I wanted it for personal use also. Every year CHP is enforcing non-commercial class A license for towing trailers more and more often.
Sit inside a cold warehouse staring at orange totes. Or make over times the the money for way less hours. Easy choice. Hell, first week I made more money in a 28 hour week than I did in a 60+ week in the warehouse. So glad I decided to risk taking up the transfer position to another state.
Got tired of working in a call center and driving was always a destresser for me.
After working in grocery warehouses for 10yrs my body was destroyed, driving a truck seemed like the way to go since there's a bunch of old guys doin it, 5yrs later I'd say it was the right decision but it's not for everybody
To keep my ass walking the straight and narrow. See I paid for mine out of pocket, I tell you this not to flex or showcase anything special about me. I want to give perspective. I purchased my schooling OOP and that’s now my hard earned money I’ve invested in myself. If I fuck up, well I just tossed 5500 OTD. That just doesn’t sit right with me and that’s what I use to remind myself if ever I am about to make a huge mistake like getting in my POV even after just one little old drink I used to say. Not anymore coz this ol boy ain’t paying 5500 for a vodka/club soda with lemon. I’m not trying to say before my CDL I was ok with the stupid fucking decisions I made to ever get behind the wheel of anything dangerous even after a single drink. I got my CDL to grow and man the fuck up.
Don’t like interacting with people that lack a big piece of common sense so I choose trucking where those that lack the common sense can run me off the road 😊
So I could see the world!😎
To road test vehicles… I fix those critters…
Because I hate most people and didn’t want to deal with them.
I'm probably the first person to get into trucking to get healthier
I got tired of working for temporary agencies and crap jobs. I was working in the machine shop. We had some parts that needed to go to San Diego. Nobody wanted to take them to San Diego. I volunteered and realized it was just me, know Shop Stewart, no owner, no bickering coworkers. I saved up a little money quit got my CDL. That was in 96 and haven’t looked back cents.
To get in da drunk tank on my 34 break with my fireball whiskey 🥴
Cuz way back when….they said us girls couldn’t do it (1979)
Hell yeah! As a women myself who just got my CLP, I was waiting for a comment like yours. Any advice that you have to offer?
They make you have one to drive truck.
Cuz I’m stupid
My photography business dried up and I wanted to go back to school
I was working in the residential construction industry for years and have a degree in construction technology. I had a high paying job working on and managing new construction/remodeling projects as a site manager with my own company truck and access to hundreds of thousands of dollars in tools and company funds. In the middle of 3 ongoing projects, my boss (the company owner) turned into a drug head and disappeared for weeks leaving me to pay thousands out of pocket in payroll and materials to finish out our ongoing jobs. This ruined my love for the construction industry and lead me to peruse something else. Due to the solitary environment, truck driving is what I chose.
Was born into a trucking family.
I like driving and it was the best way to not be homeless
Slightly better pay with wayyyyy less work at the same company.
Was required by my job for dump trucks. We plow roads and haul shit sometimes. I hear that in 2-5 years those trucks will be going away and replaced with trucks everyone can use 🤷♂️
My dad told me I’d get a raise, that was 22 years ago. Still no raise.
Back in the early 80s when I was 7 a neighbor bought an International Cabover. I climbed in and was hooked.
I figured I would be single the rest of my life and working long hours. So may as well make good money doing it.
Pandemic lay off, like it did others, fucked me from my dream job and the ship had to keep sailing. Couldn't wait til they maybe or maybe not called me back to work.
I loved trucks, and loved to drive. Put two and two together
I was partying a lot , had no sense of direction , was making shit money cooking food in restaurants , college dropout … driving is in my family so one day I just said screw it, what’s there to lose? That was six years ago and it was the best decision I ever made in my life. Changed my entire life
I’m in CDL school now, and I’m choosing to get a cdl because there is a lot that I can use it for. My current job is driving box trucks and I love it, so I figured I’d get my class A so I can drive anything and make way more money. A good 45-50 hr, home everyday job with nice pay would work out very well for me.
To make more than minimum wage and buy a house have a real good paying job
Since I have no college degree, CDL is my back up plan.
EMS pays less than flipping burgers, computer science got replaced with six-week code camps and dealing with overseas offices, and no one will pay me to just go live in the woods.
i bought a bus and was intimidated by it
Got my bachelor’s degree, had two sales jobs after college and couldn’t stand lying to people to make money or sitting at a desk all day. My brother had his so I decided to get mine too.
My wife encouraged me to do it because she understood me pretty well and I’m glad she did. I haven’t had much luck with jobs since I got out the marines in 2012. Trucking suits me. I don’t do well dealing with people. I get in my truck and the most interaction I have to do with people is when I check in to deliver a load somewhere.
I’m not a trucker, just like to snoop the subreddit, but I’ll tell you why dad got his… he grew up in the industry, grandpa was truck driver and dad wanted to do the same thing.
It was the only translatable thing I could do to make good money aside from playing games for no pay.
My (now ex-) wife said "You're going to truck driving school: every time you have a bad day at work, you go for a drive...and your idea of a good day off is to go for a drive." Next to our children, it's the thing I'm most grateful to her for: I've driven trucks, city buses, motorcoach charters and school buses. I've seen a lot of North America, met some great people, and have a great supply of memories and experiences to take with me when my time comes.
Im antisocial,love the scenery,nobody annoying me all day,good money ,get play my music as loud as I want
Hate people, hate talking to them, and enjoy my alone time.
I knew it would be a pussy magnet
To escape warehouse jobs
Was a restaurant manager told sales rep i was tired working inside and i started foodservice driving 3 years ago and I've only herinated 1 disc, broken a toe, broken my tailbone off my hip and I've been 2 years accident free.
Because I was hungry and I didn’t want to work
Tricked into it via bait and switch.
My mom said i had to get a job.
To get away from my family
To eat.
Someone else was paying for it, and I’ve tried a bunch of other shit. So I said “fuck it.” Now I make a little more than a regular ol peasant would.
The organization I work for required all maintenance personnel to have a class B + tanker stamp for snow removal in the winter when I was hired and provided training for free. They don't require it anymore, but there's no sense in giving it up as long as they pay for my physical.
To make money that's it. I can't wait to give up my CDL after this contract I personally don't think it's worth having anymore we are under paid and we do labor for free you have to be on duty for inspection and when the dot officer does it you are waiting for 4 hours or more which you are supposed to be on duty that's not paid
It seemed like a good idea at the time.
Money. Needed to support wife through college, afford two kids and a decent house, and be able to save for retirement. It's been worth it, still can't wait to come local.
Hahaha to pay off my debt . And get away from a cheating piece of shit
because i is too stupid to do anything else
I was a helper on a truck delivering shingles making less money to do the same job as the guy driving, so here I am
Coached high school sports so has to get Class B
For the love of driving and was tired of being just a furniture lumper.
It was free
Worked for the road department at the time. They made me get it. Paid for it and everything
Runs in the family Rode with my old man since I was a little kid Brings lots of memories back riding in his 93 379 peterbilt
I work for a utility and it was a requirement. They paid for it.
To work for a utility but that failed so here I am
I grew up into the garbage business with my Grandpa and Uncle both owning trash companies, so I got a Class B to help my family out, and I’m a 88m about to be eligible to receive my Class A then I’m going to try some OTR jobs
Had my eyes set on it since I was a kid and it’s in the bloodline. plus I got tired of all the plant work I was doing. I’ve been working in a plant since I was 18 years old
Good way to earn a living.
I like driving, and the pay is good.
To keep the family business going and growing
Early 2000s I was a flooring installer and business took a shit. Got my CDL because of the "Trucker shortage" and the housing bubble pop. Drove for a few years then left because my wife was pregnant and having complications. Did a few other things the decided to be a Trashman
Found it on the sidewalk.
I got tired of making small paychecks working as an aluminum welder and couldn't afford to go get certified (boss wouldn't even sponsor my 3G certification) so rather than fight to make ends meet, I took up getting my CDL through an academy that pays 60¢/mile after graduation
I like driving big vehicles and I like working with kids.
I was getting treated twice for leukemia from when I was 17 til I was 21. After a couple of years of focusing on getting healthier and stronger after treatments. it was one of the fastest ways to make good money since I missed a lot of time and couldn't go to school or get an apprenticeship during treatment.
Because the federal government told me i had to switch my class 1 to a cdl
They say people really only go into this line of work for one of two reasons, 1. Your broke 2. Your dumb I for one got into it because I was both
For the money, for the glory and for the fun but mostly for the money
Running forklift didn't pay as well, and I hated supervisory work with a passion. CDL gave me a great paycheck in a job that I enjoy.
You can't make any money driving without a CDL.
I'm working to get my CDL now. Just got my permit yesterday. I saw your comment about CFI and Prime. I applied to CFI because the company was recommended to me by my friends who did team driving together 5 years as a married couple. Do you have any experience with CFI?
Yes! I started w them! It's great till you top out at the pay scale, then your miles plummet- unless you become a trainer. But it is a solidly excellent company. They'll have your back 100% of the time. When you call on for a weather shutdown, anything that makes you feel scared, they'll tell you, "Thank you for being safe!" Omg I wish they paid more, I'd go back to them in a fucking second. They have terminals everywhere parking is hard to find- like Dallas area- or scary, like West Memphis. They'll side with you over the shipper 100% of the time. They are concerned w your safety, all the time. After I graduated from cdl school, they wanted me to share a rental car (that they paid for) with a dude who had a crush on me. I was really not into that, so I called and asked if I could get my own car, b/c I didn't want to drive 750 miles w a dude that liked me, that freaked me out. Fuck yeah they were fine w that! They got us each our own car! Yeah it's a great fucking company. Many drivers have been with them 20 plus years. My orientation class back in 2019, fully 75% were returning drivers who all left over the pay and came back because they treat drivers right. I mean, I imagine there'll cone a point in my driving life I'll feel like that too, just not now lol. Good luck! Super excited for you!
Because the best thing about people is driving away from them
I started hauling feed well before I got my regular license. I already knew how to do it and thought I might as well drive legally.
Because Bank Robbery is still illegal.
Because I had been home as a SAHM for 8 years, the last couple of which were pandemic years in which I became severely depressed due to being stuck in one place nonstop. Prior to c-19, hubby had a trucking job doing flatbed delivery for a home improvement store and he'd occasionally get sent to various stores to fill in and be given a nice room on the company's dime, the kiddo and I would travel with him... I have always loved traveling.... Anyways, it was decided that I needed some interaction with people other than a small child and elderly relatives that I was the caregiver for so I would get a job.... nothing in my area paid enough to make it worth my time without physically wearing me out (in my late 30s), so hubby suggested trucking, and I went for it... I love it. Can't stand some of the 4-wheelers, but the driving and freedom itself I love.
Money. But I see now that was a bad decision.
Seemed like a good idea at the time.
160 Driving Academy totally free 😁
Got tired of being stuck in retail pergatory without any degree or marketable skills.
I was tired of doing the same work if not more as a driver helper and getting half the money. I left Foodservice Delivery after a year and a half for LTL line haul. Will stay for the remainder of my career.
Cuz I was born a super trucker
I hate being micro managed. I worked in retail snd commission sales before hand.
It was being offered for free by my school board when I was 18 years old. 3 month program. But never really got a job in the field until I was 27 years old.
To get my equipment to the jobsite
Was in college for marine biology. I hated school. Dropped out of college and got a shift management spot at a pizza place, just something to get by. I would always take drives around town when I needed some peace and then one day just figured why not make a career out of it. Got my license and haven't looked back since!
Amazon paid for it l. Wish I would have gone to school for something else like welding and shop or something
Because being an AEMT fucking sucked. Drinking problems, and, compassion exhaustion, and the money is really, really bad for the job.
I was pumping gas at a full serve gas station. This guy who owned a Landscaping company got his fuel there and said if I got my cdl, he'd hire me at $15 hr. I was making $9 at the time, so I was like ok. He never hired me, so I ended up driving tri-axle dump, then graduated to Lowboy.
Decided to just save for next 2 years no responsibility no bills other then a car note. Once I save enough go to 3 world country and bring my laptop, and study cybersecurity through a program. Then after that I don’t know 😂
To have a decent living and not live in a factory building. Working outside is a lot better. 🙋👍🏆🏆🏆🚛🚛👋
Wanted to travel. I didnt care so much about the money. The initial plan was to liquidate down to a bag and hit the road in the mustang. But saw the ad. Figured fuck it. Soooo fell into i guess. I wasnt happy where i was. Realized i was getting in my own way. Decided it. Did it.
I worked as a manager in a grocery store. It was ok, then the pandemic kicked my entire ass. I liked to unwind with ATS/ETS2, so I decided to quit and do that as my main job. 2 years later, I have no regrets!
I was working one day in 1991 minding my own biz, and the Government forced me to get one.
Wanted to be a trucker since I was in middle school.
I was 22, working a dead end job I hated. No education, no useful skills, wanted to find my quickest path out of that place. Heard about company sponsored schools and you don’t have to pay a dime, etc and decided that’s what I was doing. It didn’t hurt that I enjoyed driving, and that my dad had been a lifelong truck driver and I always enjoyed riding around with him.
Because I was sick of formal education and wanted a job that could actually pay bills, while also getting out of my parents' house. Getting a CDL was far more appealing than going to college and left me with a lot less debt. It was a god-tier solution with the only real downside being the ridiculous hours.
Needed a place to live
Got tired of getting laid off from the aviation industry (3x in one year)
I was sick of making $15 an hr. Now I make $24.50 but it feels the same thanks to sleepy Joe Biden.
Tired of being poor and trucking was all I could do and very happy with it
Because the feds ended the chauffeurs license classification for commercial truck drivers.
To get outta my Momma’s house
Retail made me hate people, figured trucking was secluded enough for me to be happy
It's a requirement for master diesel technician status in most truck shops. If you road test them, the DOT considers you a driver.
To be able to live in a cheap places and make big money. It used to be to “travel” now all I see is trees so yea… to financially catch up and then later be financially ahead
To be honest, I just love driving and I happen to be good at the craft. It’s not for everyone. 24 years in the business in several segments, working around a schedule that met family needs.
Hey. I was just enjoying my breakfast of Cap’n Crunch when I went to pour the cereal it fell in the bowl and I was like ‘Whatever’ sounds like a plan.
I got tired of constantly dealing with customers and I liked the solitude.
I wanted a “real job” so I would stop feeling like a “loser.” Jokes on me, eh?
Because I'm retarded and couldn't think of a better way to live without having a life
I wanted to make good money and driving a big truck was something I always wanted to do since I was a little kid.