|
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 69,574 Likes: 26
Campfire Kahuna
|
Campfire Kahuna
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 69,574 Likes: 26 |
I'm 75 and have been retired for 10 years. I have a Class A with all the endorsements and I keep it all up except hazmat. Hazmat changes all the time and it's easy to pick up again if the need should arise. I figure that if the economy should go bust, I can always pick up a driving job of some kind, even if it's driving school bus...speaking of hazmat.
“In a time of deceit telling the truth is a revolutionary act.” ― George Orwell
It's not over when you lose. It's over when you quit.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Apr 2020
Posts: 433 Likes: 1
Campfire Member
|
Campfire Member
Joined: Apr 2020
Posts: 433 Likes: 1 |
I have had a Class A CDL since I was 21. I maintain it even though I haven't driven for a living in years. A CDL is a lot harder to get now than it used to be. Never know when it will come in handy. The hardest thing about having a CDL and not using it is remembering to keep the physical current. Here in PA you can get a physical card exemption while keeping your CDL if you are not driving a commercial vehicle for profit.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Sep 2014
Posts: 21,993 Likes: 13
Campfire Ranger
|
Campfire Ranger
Joined: Sep 2014
Posts: 21,993 Likes: 13 |
Ya I’m in your camp, let my green card expire, but you have to have a current physical when your license comes up for renewal, or you lose it all. Pa has a thing where you can have your license listed as inactive. I still have a cdl, still on the card, but I'm listed as inactive and I have to present a current physical, then I'm reactivated. Gave up my Hazmat a couple cycles ago, $100 plus for the background checks and fingerprinting, having to retest every renewal. Getting a new endorsement is exactly the same, except a $5 permit fee before you test. That was an easy one! You can't just test for cdl anymore. You have to have a certain number of hours under a certified trainer. Another racket pushed by the schools and mega carriers. A boy driving dad's dump truck, had ridden with dad for years. Dad can't teach him the job, then let him prove himself to the tester. Nope. That kid gotta pay Da Man Da Money. Even if that Nitwit had a whole year driving an automatic for Johnnie (B Swft) Schneider. And Dad was a cigar chewing two sticker for 30 years. Sorry japlover, somehow I missed your post. Pretty sure the certified trainer thing is nationwide.
Last edited by Dillonbuck; 05/04/24.
Parents who say they have good kids..Usually don't!
|
|
|
|
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 19,101 Likes: 4
Campfire Ranger
|
Campfire Ranger
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 19,101 Likes: 4 |
Find a junior college / community college that offers CDL classes.
Cheaper alternative..
Dave
�The man who complains about the way the ball bounces is likely to be the one who dropped it.� Lou Holtz
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 67,660 Likes: 78
Campfire Kahuna
|
Campfire Kahuna
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 67,660 Likes: 78 |
You just moved to Arkansas and already lost your job? Is that what I’m gathering?
|
|
|
|
Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 45,550 Likes: 32
Campfire 'Bwana
|
Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 45,550 Likes: 32 |
Might have moved to AR after he lost his job?
Still, seems strange, eh?
The desert is a true treasure for him who seeks refuge from men and the evil of men. In it is contentment In it is death and all you seek (Quoted from "The Bleeding of the Stone" Ibrahim Al-Koni)
member of the cabal of dysfunctional squirrels?
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 67,660 Likes: 78
Campfire Kahuna
|
Campfire Kahuna
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 67,660 Likes: 78 |
Might have moved to AR after he lost his job?
Still, seems strange, eh? Naw man, I’m pretty sure I recall a round of furious threads about rental uhauls, moving to arkansas, I was following along and cheering for him. It was all about home prices this and that Maybe it was someone else
|
|
|
|
Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 45,550 Likes: 32
Campfire 'Bwana
|
Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 45,550 Likes: 32 |
Same dude, but I think the home price thing and cost of living in CA/OR or wherever he was made him consider AR.
Might have had a job or was looking for one in the AR wine areas? Maybe that kind of fell through.
Too much to keep track of.
Too many inane slingshot threads and the like.
The desert is a true treasure for him who seeks refuge from men and the evil of men. In it is contentment In it is death and all you seek (Quoted from "The Bleeding of the Stone" Ibrahim Al-Koni)
member of the cabal of dysfunctional squirrels?
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 67,660 Likes: 78
Campfire Kahuna
|
Campfire Kahuna
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 67,660 Likes: 78 |
It’s not a lot to keep track of, unless your brain is half styrofoam from watching spaghetti westerns for 40 years
|
|
|
|
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 2,461 Likes: 9
Campfire Regular
|
Campfire Regular
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 2,461 Likes: 9 |
That isn’t my experience. I was commercial for around 40 years, retired almost three years ago, but people keep trying to lure me back. Here is CA they are hard up for drivers with any experience, especially if they are running trucks that are still manual transmissions. My last eight years I was in automatics, fleets were transitioning to autos because they couldn’t find any drivers who could shift gears. Them autos are the only way to fly when unloading into the gomaco concrete machine or a transfer dumping AC into the asphalt paver….. waaaaay less piles on the ground lol.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 45,550 Likes: 32
Campfire 'Bwana
|
Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 45,550 Likes: 32 |
Might be more like hashish and beer induced dementia.
The desert is a true treasure for him who seeks refuge from men and the evil of men. In it is contentment In it is death and all you seek (Quoted from "The Bleeding of the Stone" Ibrahim Al-Koni)
member of the cabal of dysfunctional squirrels?
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 4,292 Likes: 11
Campfire Tracker
|
Campfire Tracker
Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 4,292 Likes: 11 |
I’m living on a Teamster pension, retiree health, I know it’s popular to hate unions, but are the only jobs providing pensions and health. Wrong. I get a military pension with health and in 2 years I will draw a teaching pension with health. Just sayin...
You get out of life what you are willing to accept. If you ain't happy, do something about it!
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 10,799 Likes: 4
Campfire Outfitter
|
Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 10,799 Likes: 4 |
I’m living on a Teamster pension, retiree health, I know it’s popular to hate unions, but are the only jobs providing pensions and health. Wrong. I get a military pension with health and in 2 years I will draw a teaching pension with health. Just sayin... MAC, are teachers not unionized in your area? Outside private schools (and I'm honestly not sure about them) most, if not all, the schools are unionized around here.
�Out of every one hundred men, ten shouldn't even be there, eighty are just targets, nine are the real fighters, and we are lucky to have them, for they make the battle. Ah, but the one, one is a warrior, and he will bring the others back.�
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 12,906 Likes: 5
Campfire Outfitter
|
Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 12,906 Likes: 5 |
Couple of points:
If you want to keep your CDL but not do the physical every couple of years, most states allow your to switch your CDL to "intra state exempt", which does not need a med card. I did that for years to keep mine active.
As far as experience, that's strictly insurance driven. Local jobs, mines, construction, and agriculture, as examples, don't have the typical commercial trucking insurance, so can be more flexible on bringing on someone who is has been inactive. Our insurance will not even allow me to hire someone with less that 2 years experience in similar equipment.
Finally, there is NO requirement for a CPAP in the law. Not even an official guideline. The whole "sleep study" gimmick was pushed by one of the members on the advisory council -- who happened to own a bunch of sleep clinics. SOME examiners are following the suggestions and send people for sleep studies. SOME use common sense. Don't go to the wrong examiner. There is NO legal requirement for examiners to insist on CPAP use.
Sic Semper Tyrannis
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 23,536 Likes: 2
Campfire Ranger
|
Campfire Ranger
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 23,536 Likes: 2 |
Might have moved to AR after he lost his job?
Still, seems strange, eh? Naw man, I’m pretty sure I recall a round of furious threads about rental uhauls, moving to arkansas, I was following along and cheering for him. It was all about home prices this and that Maybe it was someone else It was him I remember they had a lab and was going to stuff it in the car the uhual was towing because mother didn’t want it riding with her. We all asked why didn’t he let Fido just ride with him in the U-Haul.
Then STFU. The rest of your statement is superflous bullshit with no real bearing on this discussion other than to massage your own ego. Suckin' on my titties like you wanted me.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Aug 2014
Posts: 5,071 Likes: 11
Campfire Tracker
|
Campfire Tracker
Joined: Aug 2014
Posts: 5,071 Likes: 11 |
Both of my sons are driving. The youngest went to CDL course at the local college and just finished driving his year in the NE US and is driving for a good company now out of Dallas. The other went to driving school locally and is delivering crushed limestone from a local quarry to get his years experience in. The first year driving jobs don't pay like an experienced driver here.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jan 2020
Posts: 5,228 Likes: 5
Campfire Tracker
|
Campfire Tracker
Joined: Jan 2020
Posts: 5,228 Likes: 5 |
Work 16-20 hours a day for a few months driving during harvest season and take the rest of the year off. You can find some excellent places to whitetail hunt also.
Life is good live it while you can.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Sep 2014
Posts: 21,993 Likes: 13
Campfire Ranger
|
Campfire Ranger
Joined: Sep 2014
Posts: 21,993 Likes: 13 |
Work 16-20 hours a day for a few months driving during harvest season and take the rest of the year off. You can find some excellent places to whitetail hunt also. What's harvested in your area? Have at least a few year to retirement, buy I've been looking for THAT gig. The one that might let a guy bail out early and earn enough to pay the insurance bill.
Parents who say they have good kids..Usually don't!
|
|
|
|
Joined: Aug 2022
Posts: 270
Campfire Member
|
Campfire Member
Joined: Aug 2022
Posts: 270 |
Several truck drivers I know here in Arkansas are crying the blues. Claiming that their loads have been reduced and their miles have dropped. Not sure how widespread the issue is or what segments are the most impacted.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jun 2019
Posts: 10,091 Likes: 15
Campfire Outfitter
|
Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Jun 2019
Posts: 10,091 Likes: 15 |
Is Midwest Distribution in Ft. Scott Kansas still in business? Back when I was a driver for a small company in California, they had a "lease-purchase" deal for rookie drivers. They would "sell" a newly licensed commercial driver a new tractor and work his butt off until the truck was almost, but not quite paid off. Then he would get ghosted, get behind on payments, and the truck would get repo'ed and added to the company fleet. "Rinse and repeat".
They got the nickname "Dollar down- - - -dollar a week trucking"!
Ignorance can be fixed. Stupid is forever!
|
|
|
|
601 members (10gaugeman, 1100mag, 12344mag, 10gaugemag, 160user, 55 invisible),
19,021
guests, and
1,354
robots. |
Key:
Admin,
Global Mod,
Mod
|
|
Forums81
Topics1,194,976
Posts18,539,951
Members74,052
|
Most Online20,969 13 seconds ago
|
|
|
|