Frustrations to be had in aubandunce.

[Mauser KAR98K]

Can't believe I am posting one of these. My frustration and stress level are just getting into deep space.

I posted a thread last month or so of me going to Texas. Long story short, the oil patch wasn't for me, and I am back in wonderful Tennessee, back in an economic desert, a new degree in History (Bachelor of Science, so it isn't all that worthless), and a coming student loan bill soon to arrive three months too early thanks to a technical glitch with the new federal student loan rules and me taking one class in the summer on my dime.

Two weeks ago, my dear mother, widowed, passed out in the shower due to new blood pressure meds and not hydrating. Did a spiral fracture on her fibula. She is in a half cast with a plate tightened by nine screws holding her fibula and ankle together. Cannot be on it for six weeks.

Top it all off, just started a new job, lower pay of what I would have made in Texas (but I keep my soul) being a regional OTR driver, but promised to be home on the weekends. Not bad considering the HQ of the company is just down the road from me. Did "their" DOT physical today, and am now facing the prospect of not working for them by the end of the week. Why?

In 2008 I did a sleep study that I did not follow up on due to the cost and the trucking company I was with wasn't going to get me home on time. Told on the new company's questionnaire that I had one study in 08, and now they want the results, telling me that if it come back bad without the follow-up I will need to go for a sleep study and quite possibly get a C-Pap (spelling) system--something I am not very keen on.

So here I am, a new hire, no insurance and very broke, trying to get a job to get money and insurance, and am finding I am going to have to spend money that I don't have in order to get a job for money and insurance. Bad enough I am stressed due to my dear mother and keeping her off her foot and making sure she does her BP stuff, but I am looking to go further in debt in order to get a job to get out of debt. My next option is to go full OTR for weeks at a time with a company that I will probably not have a good chance with upward mobility, leaving my mom by herself for long periods of time, again. Add to that any management position that is available in my area, they want 5-10 years experience in those fields (my B.S. covers the educational requirements).

This economy just more than sucks. At least I have a CDL, but damn, I can't even get with a local company that is begging for driver's because I might have sleep apnea. I want to have a career in transportation as I see it as one of the few long term industries that will be around even in economic hardships, such as the era of Obama. But I don't want to be a road dog forever. I'm 30, recent graduate. My dear mom will be 60 this year and alone.

And my frustrations are, I don't know what to do; and I feel I am digging myself further in a hole just to get out of it.

[SilverBullet432]

Sorry about your mom hope she gets better soon. Why didnt the oil patch work out? Talk to me, what were you doing?? Maybe i can clear things up.

Where you filling up frac pits? Thats a 24/7 operation.

[HD1911]

PM Sent

[VooDoo6Actual]

Yea it sucks & we all hear ya.
Tough times don't last, tough men do....

[Straight Shooter]

Brother...as a fellow Tennessean now living in Alabama...and a former OTR truck driver for over 13 yerars, and well over 1.3 million miles under my belt, let me say, emphatically...GET THE F OUT OF TRUCKING NOW. GET OUT. You will be even MORE broke, MORE miserable than you can ever imagine, and more than I have time now to type. You will regret it from almost day one. Yeah, I had those "get home on the weekend promises" too. Listen bro, if Ive EVER told a man the truth IN MY LIFE, GET...THE...HELL...OUT ...OF ..TRUCKING...NOW! Go do SOMETHING else. Or, youll find out just WHY there are so many "positions" available. God bless.

[SilverBullet432]

Brother...as a fellow Tennessean now living in Alabama...and a former OTR truck driver for over 13 yerars, and well over 1.3 million miles under my belt, let me say, emphatically...GET THE F OUT OF TRUCKING NOW. GET OUT. You will be even MORE broke, MORE miserable than you can ever imagine, and more than I have time now to type. You will regret it from almost day one. Yeah, I had those "get home on the weekend promises" too. Listen bro, if Ive EVER told a man the truth IN MY LIFE, GET...THE...HELL...OUT ...OF ..TRUCKING...NOW! Go do SOMETHING else. Or, youll find out just WHY there are so many "positions" available. God bless.

my truck works 12 hours a day, 5 days a week. Driver home on the weeknds. Well, 90% of the time it is like that, the other 10, we work out of town for up to 2 weeks at a time. that's rare though. There are many different types of trucking jobs out there. Ive seen many a folk come into this area, climb into a Vac truck, and quit a week later because "they're just a truck driver, why should we have to check the oil on the vac pump?" There's good truck drivers, then there is the lazy ones, who have never worked in the oilfield and are used to driving from cali to new york and back. I am not bashing anyone directly, but out here in the oilfield, driving the truck is just part of the job, there are hoses to pick up, tanks to read measurements from, valves to operate etc... not just shutting the doors on a dry van and driving non stop. I understand your point of view, yes, there are many truck driving jobs out there that seem rather dead-end. Staying in the truck 100% of the time will drive a sane man crazy after a while.

[jmp45]

Hang in there Mauser, things change. We had gone through employment hardships in the early 90s from a failed business, wasn't easy by any means. All savings were lost, took a few years to get back to a liveable income. Don't give up, things will open up. I've been hearing energy jobs in North Dakota is quite good, high pay even for high school grads. Might want to check it out. Hannity has been connecting folks to the industry.

[Mauser KAR98K]

Well, lost the job after one day of orientation. Funny that we can now not be denied of insurance coverage of preexisting condition, but I am now denied a job because of a preexisting condition. the company wants me to take a sleep study and be on a CPAP system for five days before they would sign off for me.

So I have just applied to a different trucking company (gawd) that said they "will" at least pay for the study and get me working. No way I can afford to do this on my own between my lack of finances, and my dear mom getting very close to depending on me until her leg is healed and she is released back to work. Bad thing is I'm back OTR, but at least it is something.

Oddly enough, they are blaming, and calling it an effect, of my 30 pound weight gain due to sleep apnea, but I have stressed it isn't that but four and a half years of college and bad eating. Holy shit these docs are stupid. I confess to bad health behaviors like a good patient should be they blame it on something else.

For those wondering why a colelge educated guy (history major) is doing this instead of, say, teaching? Not enough money in teaching with student loans and the higher cost of living bumping up. Plus I did not take the secondary ed course to help get me there. I also had to deal with my dad getting sick (heart with a very long recovery that did not happen), his death, and helping my mother get through all of this. She is alone in a rural area and stubborn enough not to move to at least a small suburban area or what not. Don't blame her (farm girl in her youth). I love the country myself after living here for sometime (recovering suburbanite). Basically my CDL will make more money for me, plus my living expenses will be less to a degree. I need something now. Either larger companies want prior experience, my degree doesn't cover what they are looking for, or their is so much competition due to the saturation of college graduates in this joke of a recovery.

One of my best friends got a job that I was applying for (management trainee), and he has a language arts course. The same position now has stricter qualifications.

The other part is: I really want to go back out and see this country and get paid to do it for a while. I love to travel and miss traveling.

Silverbullet: I'll PM you tomorrow. Surfice to say, I didn't like what I was seeing and what I was, on principle, going to have to do. I did do the job, and know I could have performed greatly. But there were something things the company fibbed about (as all do), the way they ran things, the environment, and a nagging feeling something bad was going to happen back home. I was right on the last part and super glad I trusted "the force."

My mom is pretty much all I have besides my dipsy sister and my dog. I am her only child, and it is my duty, in many regards, to take care of her to a point. I would be very hard on myself for the rest of my life if I couldn't be there for something very serious that caused her great discomfort, or her death. Just the way I was raised.

[Ridgerunner665]

If you want to work for a good trucking company that pays well, treats you like a human being and busts their ass to get you home most weekends...give Maverick Transportation a call....they have flatbed, reefer, glass, and specialized (heavy haul)...I've been here several years now and have no complaints (I'm in the heavy haul division)...and I'm not soliciting for a referral bonus (you'd need my name and driver code for that...and I won't give it to you even if you ask)

Just offering a possibility of better employment to the OP...give them a call...and don't let them talk you into hauling glass...the mileage pay is high (about 50 cents), but the miles are low....reefer or flatbed is your best bet...no openings in heavy haul division, most that are lucky enough to get into this division don't quit...they retire...there are only 6 of us.

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[Ridgerunner665]

My 2nd choice would be Schneider...ugly trucks, yes...but I started with Schneider, got my CDL through their school...made good money there and was treated right...I would still be there, but Maverick bought Schneider's specialized and glass divisions in 2006 (450 trucks, l forget how many trailers, and the Laurinburg, NC yard)...I stayed on with Maverick after they bought it.

And as far as being an educated trucker...there are more of us that fit that description than one might think...some of us just don't like putting up with other people's drama that is always part of life in the "normal" workforce...I could have been a lot of things, and been very good at any of them, but what I could never do was tolerate other peoples stupidity....this truck is my Fortress of Solitude.

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[Peshawar]

You can get used to the Cpap. It sucks at first. Been using it for years even though I'm not overweight. Diagnosed with severe obstructive sleep apnea. It can be a killer if you don't get the cpap or have the surgery. Don't let it slide. Wearing that damn mask while you sleep sucks and makes chicks think you're a freak because of the appearance and whatnot, but you'll survive it. I did.

[jerrysimons]

Op,
Sorry for your hard times. Praying for you and your mother.

Have you considered the railroad? You said you are interested in transportation. BNSF Railway is the best company to work for, they are hiring thousands this year in operations and are always hiring management too. I have a close friend whose entire family works for them as conductors and engineers. It is a good job.
Don't bother applying if you have ever had a DUI or take any sort of illegal drugs or prescription drugs without a prescription (you don't seem like that kind of fellow). If you go into operations you will have to do a sleep study and go on a cpap if diagnosed, but the company pays for it if I heard correctly. Maybe if you lost some of the extra weight you could solve the problem?

Working nights, weekends and holidays are a given on the railroad though.

[SilverBullet432]

Well, lost the job after one day of orientation. Funny that we can now not be denied of insurance coverage of preexisting condition, but I am now denied a job because of a preexisting condition. the company wants me to take a sleep study and be on a CPAP system for five days before they would sign off for me.

So I have just applied to a different trucking company (gawd) that said they "will" at least pay for the study and get me working. No way I can afford to do this on my own between my lack of finances, and my dear mom getting very close to depending on me until her leg is healed and she is released back to work. Bad thing is I'm back OTR, but at least it is something.

Oddly enough, they are blaming, and calling it an effect, of my 30 pound weight gain due to sleep apnea, but I have stressed it isn't that but four and a half years of college and bad eating. Holy shit these docs are stupid. I confess to bad health behaviors like a good patient should be they blame it on something else.

For those wondering why a colelge educated guy (history major) is doing this instead of, say, teaching? Not enough money in teaching with student loans and the higher cost of living bumping up. Plus I did not take the secondary ed course to help get me there. I also had to deal with my dad getting sick (heart with a very long recovery that did not happen), his death, and helping my mother get through all of this. She is alone in a rural area and stubborn enough not to move to at least a small suburban area or what not. Don't blame her (farm girl in her youth). I love the country myself after living here for sometime (recovering suburbanite). Basically my CDL will make more money for me, plus my living expenses will be less to a degree. I need something now. Either larger companies want prior experience, my degree doesn't cover what they are looking for, or their is so much competition due to the saturation of college graduates in this joke of a recovery.

One of my best friends got a job that I was applying for (management trainee), and he has a language arts course. The same position now has stricter qualifications.

The other part is: I really want to go back out and see this country and get paid to do it for a while. I love to travel and miss traveling.

Silverbullet: I'll PM you tomorrow. Surfice to say, I didn't like what I was seeing and what I was, on principle, going to have to do. I did do the job, and know I could have performed greatly. But there were something things the company fibbed about (as all do), the way they ran things, the environment, and a nagging feeling something bad was going to happen back home. I was right on the last part and super glad I trusted "the force."

My mom is pretty much all I have besides my dipsy sister and my dog. I am her only child, and it is my duty, in many regards, to take care of her to a point. I would be very hard on myself for the rest of my life if I couldn't be there for something very serious that caused her great discomfort, or her death. Just the way I was raised.

Do tell me, I understand what you mean as to how companies are ran and managed. There are some real asshats out there.

[SeriousStudent]

Op,
Sorry for your hard times. Praying for you and your mother.

Have you considered the railroad? You said you are interested in transportation. BNSF Railway is the best company to work for, they are hiring thousands this year in operations and are always hiring management too. I have a close friend whose entire family works for them as conductors and engineers. It is a good job.
Don't bother applying if you have ever had a DUI or take any sort of illegal drugs or prescription drugs without a prescription (you don't seem like that kind of fellow). If you go into operations you will have to do a sleep study and go on a cpap if diagnosed, but the company pays for it if I heard correctly. Maybe if you lost some of the extra weight you could solve the problem?

Working nights, weekends and holidays are a given on the railroad though.

My sister has worked for BNSF for over 25 years, and loves it. She says they have an excellent pension system, and it's very common for folks to work there for 30-40 years.

Sample of one, and all that.

[SilverBullet432]

My sister has worked for BNSF for over 25 years, and loves it. She says they have an excellent pension system, and it's very common for folks to work there for 30-40 years.

Sample of one, and all that.

I have an uncle who retired from union pacific, he's doing rather good right now.

[thopkins22]

I'm going for a sleep study later this week. Everyone that I know that was diagnosed with apnea and either got surgery, a CPAP, or a mouthpiece depending on their anatomy/diagnosis maintains that it changed their life. Don't rule it out.

[Mauser KAR98K]

I'm going for a sleep study later this week. Everyone that I know that was diagnosed with apnea and either got surgery, a CPAP, or a mouthpiece depending on their anatomy/diagnosis maintains that it changed their life. Don't rule it out.

I have heard the same thing. My late father had it, and the CPAP did help to an extent. I know I really need to do this, but currently I do not have the money to even think of scheduling one. I have not ruled it out. It is just getting there.

One of the jobs I have applied for was for Norfolk Southern. Thus far no reply, and a one position with a letter that said thanks, but no thanks. I did look at CSX today, I just need to make and refine a resume' before positing with them. They are much closer than Union, NS, and BNSF. Really this should have been my goal all along, but I was looking for the cheap money.

I'm young enough, still, to start building a career with huge benefits at the end instead of going in to a boom industry that could be famine in just a few years. Transportation on a macro scale I see in long term longevity. Yet, I want one more last adventure before I get confined behind a desk. Rather drive, see the country, get paid to do it, and be employed as I look for employment. A few positions at CSX don't start until next year, and that can give me my way in.

Here is to hoping.

[Mr blasty]

If you're interested in coming to North Dakota and know how to do more than just otr I need a belly dump driver. Problem is that it's hard to find guy's who know what the hell there doing and will get out of the truck to check things out. Just had a guy smoke 3 engines, ruin a brand new tarp, curl a crome bumper and bend the ass end of a trailer. Good help is impossible to find and all I got is spotless equipment. All Petes with cat engines, everything kept super clean and all fluids, filters, grease done at regular intervals. Thinking about possibly getting into hauling production water too. I know some tanker drivers taking home $3-4k a week but they work about 100hrs a week to get that. Tired of having retards ruin stuff.


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[skydivr]

Was either of these trucking companies Western Express? I see them training drivers all the time, right down the street from where I work.

You are college-educated, albeit that you may now realize that History might not have been the best major. Look at the driving job as a stepping stone that you must cross over. I was hauling hazmat when I was 18 years old before there even was a CDL requirement. Picking up extra endorsements might make you more valuable. Right now you just need to keep focus. Best of luck.

[Crow Hunter]

I have heard the same thing. My late father had it, and the CPAP did help to an extent. I know I really need to do this, but currently I do not have the money to even think of scheduling one. I have not ruled it out. It is just getting there.

One of the jobs I have applied for was for Norfolk Southern. Thus far no reply, and a one position with a letter that said thanks, but no thanks. I did look at CSX today, I just need to make and refine a resume' before positing with them. They are much closer than Union, NS, and BNSF. Really this should have been my goal all along, but I was looking for the cheap money.

I'm young enough, still, to start building a career with huge benefits at the end instead of going in to a boom industry that could be famine in just a few years. Transportation on a macro scale I see in long term longevity. Yet, I want one more last adventure before I get confined behind a desk. Rather drive, see the country, get paid to do it, and be employed as I look for employment. A few positions at CSX don't start until next year, and that can give me my way in.

Here is to hoping.

If you do go CSX as a conductor, you will have to go to school down in Atlanta for several weeks. You will have to foot the bill for the school and your hotel room. I think it is around $4,000 all together. If you pass and get hired, you will get paid back. If you don't you are SOL. It shouldn't be hard to pass for someone who has a college degree but it won't be just a multiple choice with 3 obviously wrong answers.

Just something to keep in mind if you go that route. My brother used to work for them as a conductor then engineer and I still have several friends from high school who work for CSX. They complain all the time about it, but they make good money. More than me if they put in the extra overtime. They have crazy hours/schedules and a rule book that is 4" thick that they have to follow at the risk of being fired. You WILL need to join the conductor's union if you get the job and you will have to rely on them to get your job back/keep your benefits. If you do get the job, try to get into engineer's school ASAP after you are hired. They get better pay and stay out of the weather and have a better union/better extra board. They don't have to walk down the length of the train in pouring rain to check couplings/brakes.

One other thing to keep in mind. Right now there is normally a crew of 2 per train. Engineer and Brakeman/Conductor. There is a pretty strong push to drop this to one person and let that person use a remote control to control the engine when coupling cars rather than relying on a conductor to radio to the engineer. The union is holding this off for now, but it is a possibility that this could drop to a single person in the future, at least for yard jobs.

[jet66]

My wife had to get a C-Pap, it made a big difference in how well rested she would get. (Not to mention my sleep improving from the snoring being cut out.) She was against it at first, but she felt bad waking up to find me in the spare room at the other end of the house on quite a few mornings. She still doesn't like the concept, but she can't deny the benefits.

[jerrysimons]

If you do go CSX as a conductor, you will have to go to school down in Atlanta for several weeks. You will have to foot the bill for the school and your hotel room. I think it is around $4,000 all together. If you pass and get hired, you will get paid back. If you don't you are SOL. It shouldn't be hard to pass for someone who has a college degree but it won't be just a multiple choice with 3 obviously wrong answers.

Just something to keep in mind if you go that route. My brother used to work for them as a conductor then engineer and I still have several friends from high school who work for CSX. They complain all the time about it, but they make good money. More than me if they put in the extra overtime. They have crazy hours/schedules and a rule book that is 4" thick that they have to follow at the risk of being fired. You WILL need to join the conductor's union if you get the job and you will have to rely on them to get your job back/keep your benefits. If you do get the job, try to get into engineer's school ASAP after you are hired. They get better pay and stay out of the weather and have a better union/better extra board. They don't have to walk down the length of the train in pouring rain to check couplings/brakes.

One other thing to keep in mind. Right now there is normally a crew of 2 per train. Engineer and Brakeman/Conductor. There is a pretty strong push to drop this to one person and let that person use a remote control to control the engine when coupling cars rather than relying on a conductor to radio to the engineer. The union is holding this off for now, but it is a possibility that this could drop to a single person in the future, at least for yard jobs.

BNSF operates out of Memphis and heads west, Memphis is pretty much as far east as their tracks go. BUT BNSF trains locally on the territory in the area you are hired and training is paid, weather you finish it or not. Also they are the only railroad that has system wide seniority, which means you can get hired in Tennessee and then go work for them in Texas, Oklahoma, Arizona, Missouri, Nebraska, Kansas, Colorado, California, Illinois, etc. if your seniority holds there. The railroad is a good job if you are willing to work on call, nights, weekends, and holidays. Good pay, benefits, and pension.

OP, you are young and have a degree. Don't discount that, competition may be stiff but don't sell yourself short in the long run just for a paycheck (as important as it is), work towards an endgame if there is something you want to do. For many jobs a bachelors is just a rubber stamp and you have it. That said, my friend hired on with the railroad out of high school and has made 60k and up to about 85k since then (save he was furloughed for a time when the economy dumped in 08), not shabby for a high school diploma... Most of the people I graduated collage with are not making now what he was making at 18 while they were going into student loan debt. Something to consider.

If you go with BNSF though, get the job and then quit, you will likely never be hired back (there thinking is if you quit once you must not be able to handle the work requirements), keep that in mind.