GETTING INTO TRUCKING

If you're looking to start a career in truck driving, I'd seriously suggest asking yourself a few questions before jumping into the deep end. I didn't. I didn't have enough time or resources to ask the questions I needed to know the answers to. I just jumped and, luckily, I landed on my feet.

There's a hundred trucking companies advertising for drivers. And believe it, they need them. However, the hiring process is pretty similar at all of them, and there are a few things you need to know.

By the way, the only thing you have to provide out of your own pocket is your DMV testing and your personal stuff like food, meds, clothes, etc. Transportation and pre-hire medical testing is paid for by the company. Some companies will even provide your training. The catch here is that you will probably be required to sign a contract of service that generally lasts 9 months to 2 years, depending on the company.

You must pass a DOT (Department of Transportation) physical. Some companies will have you take a physical before coming to school. Some will have you take one when you arrive. If there is any issue on that physical, it needs to be addressed immediately.

One issue that came up was Interstate vs Intrastate qualified. Intrastate was marked on a bunch of the forms and many of my classmates had to retake their physicals to get it changed. Intrastate means you are ONLY ALLOWED TO DRIVE INSIDE YOUR STATE. That's completely pointless for a guy or gal who wants to travel the country. Right?

You must pass a Urinalysis. Drug screening is mandatory in the industry. DOT requires it. Most companies will not hire you or they'll fire you after hiring for refusing to take the test. Random screenings are required by DOT.

Many of the OTC (Over-the-Counter) meds and prescriptions are banned. Is marijuana legal in your state? Not if you drive a truck, or want to.

When you arrive at the Orientation (I'll get to that in a second.) You'll have to do a company physical and/or drug screening ON TOP OF THE ONE YOU DID BACK HOME! I was amazed by the number of hoops I had to jump through to get this license and get hired by a company. Get used to the idea because the physical only lasts for 2 years at the most. Your Medical Card, which is the paperwork the doctor gives you, can list all kinds of restrictions and limit the amount of time it's good for.

High blood pressure? You might get a card for as long as 2 years, but more likely it's 1 year, 6 months, or even less. Diabetes? Same thing. Sleep Apnea? They're going to set you up with a sleep study or take a reading from the machine you're using to verify compliance.

The list of things they can restrict is long and frustrating for anyone with medical issues. Can you still become a driver? Absolutely, you just need to jump a few extra hoops and keep jumping them for as long as you want to continue to drive.

If you don't have a CDL, you need one. There are companies that will train you for your CDL but you need to get your permit. Study at a site or get a test study booklet from your local DMV.

Trucking Truth is an amazing resource for anyone looking into the trucking industry. There are newsletters, blogs, CDL practice tests, and a ton of drivers willing and able to help anyone who asks for it. I used the site almost exclusively, and when I arrived at the DMV for my permit tests, I missed only 1 question on each of the 3 required tests. (Yes! Thanks TT!)

Another thing you need is to be able to pass a background check. Your criminal history and your work history will come under scrutiny. If you haven't worked, what did you do for the last 3 years? 5 years? You better have documentation! Your driving record will come up. References. How old are you? Over 23? Hope so.

Age is not as important a factor as a lot of the jobs out there, but they're really going to look at your physical health.

My school actually bussed a 4'8" teeny tiny 75-year-old woman for orientation. She was bunked with me in my 8-person room. I just shook my head when she hauled out a suitcase of prescriptions. I gave her the bottom bunk and threw my top bunk mattress on the floor for the night. The next day I ran into her in the hallway trying to wrestle her luggage outside for the trip home. I felt bad for her having to leave, but man, that lady had guts. Girls ROCK!

Many training companies will give you a full list of what you need to bring with you. Pay attention to it. If you skip even one required document, reference, identification, etc; you're going to go home. Why waste their time and your own? Just bring everything you're told to bring. It's a pain in the ass, but it will keep you attending the class in the morning and not riding a bus.

The recruiting office is full of people who want you to get a job with their company. If you don't know what questions to ask, ask them what you need to know. 9 times out of 10 you'll be given the straight line as they know it. These people will ask you a million questions and run you a dozen directions to get what you need for them to get you on the bus.

Recruiters have a terrible reputation. If you talk to a dozen company recruiters researching your options, TAKE NOTES! Who said what at which company is important because you don't want to go in thinking company A told you X, company B told you Y, and you get them confused and are upset the minute you step off the bus.

Your attitude and willingness to put forth the effort will make a huge difference in your life at the company you join. But, be prepared for the complainers and whiners to jump out of the woodwork the second you arrive. These people are either students or drivers who have an issue or problem and don't think they're getting a fair shake from the company. Remember people, just because your BOSS isn't going to be hanging over your shoulder, it doesn't mean he/she won't be watching and evaluating what you do.

Sometimes, the issues have nothing to do with the company. A guy who comes to the school expecting to get hired is going home tomorrow because he failed to mention (and get cleared) on a felony he committed 9 years ago. A gal is going home because she's on a regimen of painkillers for her arthritis. (Arthritis doesn't disqualify her, but the painkillers are opiates.) These people are NOT going to be happy with the decision by the company to send them home.

Another guy might leave because his gal back home is looking for a shoulder and his is 1,000 miles and maybe 3 months away. Another gal might leave because she can't provide a valid birth certificate. Someone's father is on his deathbed. Someone has a communicable disease he didn't treat. So on and so on.

Now, these examples might happen to a student or a new hire. The guys to really watch out for are the drivers who've been there a while. If they're complaining, they might have a legitimate gripe or they might just be intolerant of the way trucking works.

The trucking industry is flawed. Every driver who lasts a few months will be able to give you example after example of "what's wrong with this industry!" A lot of these guys pull money-wasting or illegal moves and get called on the carpet. They are sitting in wait for the new kids to show up and bend their ears.

See, here's the thing, trucking is a hard, lonely, frustrating, stressful job. It is a job. It is a job. It is a job. It is not a game, sight-seeing trip, play in Vegas, take a break whenever you want. It's a job. You have work to do and you are going to work for the money you get. You are going to be tired, pissed off, told where to go and when to be there. You are going to eat bad food, not get enough exercise, and wish that you could be anywhere else but where you are at that moment.

Go into it with the attitude that you are starting fresh. Make sure your family and friends realize this is work, not a roadtrip. Distractions and problems back home kill the potential of a lot of drivers. Be firm and tell them you will come home but to start you have to be gone for weeks and months at a time.

But, where else can you make close to $30,000 your first year and go upwards from there. Where else is your office wherever you are? Where else is your view an 8-foot picture window that never shows the same thing? Where else can you see almost any area of the country at different times of the year?

You have to ultimately decide for yourself is the benefit worth the headaches this woman is warning me about? A lot of newbies show up, work for a few months, and decide this isn't for them. That's okay. No job is perfect for everyone. Expecting it is just dumb.

Talk CDL The Trucking Podcast is a great resource of information for any driver. I recommend researching the trucker and trucking forums, blogs, and videos. There's a lot of complaining out there, but there's also a lot of genuine concern for the drivers and the information they provide is really good. Varied viewpoints and lots of discussions.

There are many organizations who make their living advocating "Trucking" and "Trucker's Rights." These organizations are great at what they do. Legislation and regulation is outrageous in this industry. Pay hasn't even come close to the work truckers do day in and day out. The problem I see is that there are so many justice fighters and so many complainers but the actions they are taking just INCREASE the rules truckers have to know and follow. Sheesh people! Step back, take a breath, and ask a friggin' trucker! And oh, actually follow his advice instead of your interpretation of his advice.

Most companies work hard to get their drivers home for hometime. These visits don't last long. Your families are going to have to learn to deal with a paycheck and not you. That's hard. But, the options when you are just starting are incredibly limited. Use your phones, laptops, and make the most of the time you do get to see them.

This has gotten pretty long so I'm going to continue on another post.

Just know that if you go into a school prepared and willing to work, the reward you get in the end will worth it. Is it going to make you a millionaire? No. Will it put food on the table and money in the savings account? Yes, if you stick with it and have the right attitude.

Thank you for sticking it out to the end...

Renae - The Truck Driving Woman