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Post by qcsueh on Apr 22, 2004 19:08:10 GMT -5
;D Hi, I am new and I am going to training school May 3rd. I do not know how I feel, I am very excited but also sad about leaving. I am 53 years old and I am worried about being to old to drive a big rig. I have my cdl permit and have pasted my drug test. so all I have to do is show up. If anyone thinks that I am too old to start a new career let me know. Thanks
qcsueh
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Post by truckertom on Apr 22, 2004 19:38:05 GMT -5
We have guys your age come through school all the time. Sometimes maturity can be a huge assest.
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Post by fozzie on Apr 23, 2004 0:32:54 GMT -5
Hey qcsueh,
Join the crowd! In my class of 11 people, our ages range from 23 to 56. I will be 55 in July which is about the time I'll be cut loose with my first truck assignment after company training.
I was a bit apprehensive at first too. Now I'm just two weeks away from finishing a 5 1/2 month school. We have had numerous recruiters come through and I have applied to three companies. Age has never been an issue. Like Tom said, I think it's an asset.
My big concern now is picking the "right" company to drive for. One company would require OTR for at least one year before I could apply for regional work. Another is entirely all flatbed. And yet another offers local and line haul work.
What's really cool is, they have ALL accepted me!
Two other students and I drove nearly 500 miles one day to check out the flatbed company. When they got word back that none of us were very impressed with the recruiter's spiel, he drove all the way to school to make an appeal and buy us dinner!
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Post by qcsueh on Apr 23, 2004 9:44:41 GMT -5
Thank you Truckertom and fozzie you have made me feel better alot better. The job that I have now is working me only 3 days a week and I cannot earn a living that way. I am in very good health that is one reason I made my decision for driving I have alot to offer in this industry. and College takes to long but I have plans to take college over the internet after a year. I have taken a job for a company that I have to go otr for one year. but I do not have anything else planned for the next year anyway. Thank you again.
Qcsueh
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Rick
New Member
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Post by Rick on Apr 23, 2004 9:56:50 GMT -5
Go for it....I'm in the same boat. I just retired from my job of 32 years and am looking forward to school and a cdl. Life has been good but now I can be free and make good money. I'm 51 and feel that it's an asset and having a good solid work history should go a long way in securing employment in the trucking industry.
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Post by fozzie on Apr 23, 2004 11:43:06 GMT -5
One thing to remember, guys. When you finish school, you're still wet behind the ears and the job offers you get may not be what you'd hoped for. Don't lose heart!
My instructor emphasizes that we need to just get out there and stick with it. After a year or two you'll have the experience that is required to get those dream jobs that pay well and get you home often.
Of course, some of us will actually enjoy being OTR and that's where we'll stay. At first, it seemed like a good idea to me. But the more I've learned about trucking in the past 5 months, the more I know that getting some time away from the truck is important. That time to recharge will keep my enthusiasm high.
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Post by qcsueh on Apr 23, 2004 14:00:54 GMT -5
Fozzie
I will remember that I am wet behind the ears. I have no intention to go out on the road and think that I am all it becasue I drive a big rig. thats for sure. This is frighting enough to leave the little I do have and drive truck. but I am determined to learn to drive and I am more determined to have a career in trucking. Since I do not have alot and no family to worry about and no home I will not care if I have home time or not. so I am going into this with my eyes wide open. thanks fozzie for talking to me and reasuring me and everyone else. thanks
Qcsueh
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Rick
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Post by Rick on Apr 24, 2004 7:43:33 GMT -5
Point well made Fozzie......and after 32 years at a steel mill, I'm not planning to run my butt off. if I wanted to do that I would of not retired. It will take a year to see if trucking is the right choice and I will do what is needed by my employer. I feel strongly in the phrase " an honest day's work, for an honest day's pay "
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Post by JiminyCrickett on Apr 26, 2004 18:23:32 GMT -5
I've had students from 19 to 67 and to deal with the feeling that "I might be too old", I've found that students that want to learn will and those that just want to put their time in will do just that. Best of luck. You're never too old to learn, if you want to
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Rick
New Member
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Post by Rick on Apr 26, 2004 18:40:53 GMT -5
Your right J C....never can stop learning......I'm looking forward to the day I start school.....and hope that when I do my training with an experienced driver I hope they are as well mannered as you and Fozzie. Thanks for the feedback.
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Post by truckertom on Apr 26, 2004 20:21:06 GMT -5
The day you stop learning to drive a truck....better walk away from it. You never stop learning.
You will be fine. Just make sure you out drive those young kids that can't wear a hat straight, and take every oppotunity to switch the instructors radio to Rap music every time his back is truned.
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Post by qcsueh on Apr 27, 2004 6:38:02 GMT -5
Hello everyone qcsueh here, I want to learn, after one year of college I realized that I can drive a tractor trailer and still get a college education through the internet. TEXTThat is the sercert to staying young is never stop learning. I was just wondering because I have to quit college for a while to pursue this type of career. I want it very bad and will be driving down the interstate one day. So if you are in a truck stop and some lady has a laptop on and doing class work it is just little ole me. see down the road.
qcsueh ;D
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Post by qcsueh on Apr 27, 2004 6:53:08 GMT -5
A couple more questions , I have so many questions I do not know where to begin. first question how does going with a trainer work and how many hours will I get? I am traveling 200 miles from my home town into another state for school and I would like to know this stuff. I will be asking lots of questions when i am in school. What should I do if my trainer gets stop by the police and recieves a ticket but wants to use my CDL permit what do I say and what should i do after the ticket? I do not need any fines I am going to school on a very small amount of money. How many miles does a person get with his/her trainer, and when you fininsh school and training does a person have to do to the companys headquarters for orientation. thanks alot. qcuseh
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Post by Scott on Jun 1, 2004 9:10:37 GMT -5
I don't know how it is in other states, but in PA, if the training truck gets stopped for any reason, the INSTRUCTOR, not the student is ultimately responsible. If the student was going that fast that a citation is issued the INSTRUCTOR gets the ticket, NOT the student. Also if the student gets in a wreck, that will go on the INSTRUCTOR'S license, not the student's license. The reson behind it is that the Instructor already has a license and SHOULD? know the rules of the road and SHOULD know how to drive that truck under ANY circumstances and conditions AND SHOULD be able to convey that to whateverstudent is driving at ANY given time.
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Post by truckertom on Jun 19, 2004 13:33:46 GMT -5
"if the training truck gets stopped for any reason, the INSTRUCTOR, not the student is ultimately responsible."
Oh, I have had to explain myself to several cops.....One wanted to know why I was not wearing my seat belt. I explained that I may have to jump up and gain controll of the truck so if I had to unbuckle my seat belt first, It might be too late.
So this cop asked why I didn't just use the brake on my side of the truck and I explained that I did not have one! "You don't have a brake"?! I said "No, all I have are the spring brakes". He could not believe it. He thought it was a Texas state law that training trucks had an instructor brake. It is not a law here.
Had a student do a "California stop" and got pulled over, by the time the cop got within earshot of the truck, I think the student would have rather been talking to him than me. The cop just backed me up in my argument that the student had been doing it wrong for years and he needed to change his attitude towards stopping at stop signs.
We used to have a DOT man here in Texas that came in and drank coffee with we instructors in the morning. He put the fear of God into these students! He got my respect too! But alot of the cops around here are pretty understanding that we driving schools have a pretty tough job stopping all these bad habbits the 4 wheelers bring with them into school.
I have only had one training accident and it was totaly the other parties fault, they even admitted to the cop that worked the accident. And My student really did good concidering we were on blacktop that had been freshly rained upon. He locked the tires up once, got off them and eased down on them the second time, and nearly got stopped right before the car hit the last guard rail, bounced off it and hit us just as we were comming to a stop.....I have been lucky.
Now what is fun is when you get an ex-cop in the training truck! They are the most hard headed, stubborn and bad habbited group I have ever had to deal with.....give me the kid that thinks he is going to drive for a year and then make it in the world of Rap Music! Ex-Cops are much worse, and they don't take instruction worth a d**n! And they are the biggest babies when it come to correction! But I may be over generalizing a little.
Oh! But how I enjoy showing them the error of their way.........It is like the sweet, sweet smell of justice!
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