I need a new job

flyingcheesehead

flyingcheesehead

Touchdown! Greaser!
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Feb 23, 2005
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UQACY, WI
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iMooniac
As most of you know, I'm currently an over-the-road truck driver trainer. When I started with this company about 3 years ago, there were four people that really impressed me.

The last remaining one, my boss, quit yesterday.

The environment up in the office is less than stellar, and I've heard that the staff up there is not really paid what they're worth, especially in this case - Tim did for this company what most trucking companies of this size have 4-5 full-time people working on.

Things seem to have been going downhill quicker in the last few months. Two of the four people I mentioned above have left in the last month alone. This is the final straw for many people. I've been talking with a lot of friends here the last couple of days, and most of them already have their next job lined up and are waiting for the right time to jump. One of my trainees is actually on his way back to the yard to turn his truck in right now.

I've always kept my ear to the ground for other jobs like this one, but I still don't know of any. If I'm going to be in this industry, I don't know that there is a better company, even now. I get home plenty, I make lots of money, I can train rather than simply be a driver, I have a nice new truck with an APU... The list goes on.

So, this latest change has me thinking about getting out of the transportation industry again. Now that I've made a short story long...


There are a lot of things I'm good at. Most of my previous experience was in computer consulting, web development, and other things tech. I'm a little behind the times in that industry right now, but at least I'm still close enough to know what I don't know. I learn quickly and enjoy new challenges. I have a lot of leadership and management experience.

Does anyone have any suggestions or leads? I'm open to just about anything. I've considered starting my own business(es) again but I'm a little leery of that, mainly because I'd probably have to stop flying for a while until the money started coming in again, and I think I'd go insane if I couldn't fly. :( It's certainly a possibility though. Investors welcome. :yes:

Thanks in advance for any tips.
 
Kent, Sorry I can't help you out with any job leads. If you don't mind, I do have a question. I'm retiring in 3 years and I'll only be 46. My pension will be enough to let me live fairly well, but, I'm gonna' want to do something. I've always considered learning to drive a tractor-trailer. Is it feasible to go to a truck driving school,and find something, maybe part-time and 2 nights away from home here in the northeast? I often thought if I could get some type of a run like 10 hours out, unload-reload, 10 hours back (after sleep) would be enough work to keep me flying and out of trouble. Any thoughts are appreciated.

Mike
 
Sorry, Kent. Bummer! Might you and a few of your disgruntled driver-associates be interested in my brother's tractor and 3(as I recall) refrigerated boxes? Start your own organization.

Andrew was the milk and cookies man delivering to all the Native American Reservations within 100 mile radius of Page, Arizona. He was a distributor(his own company). He and family have relocated to St. George, UT. Now he's hauling doubles and triples to Las Vegas, Reno, et cetera. And by working for someone else he no longer has to load/off-load. The rolling stock is still in Page while they get moved into the new house in St. George.

Just a thought.

HR
 
Kent I sent you a PM but also is there a possibility that you could follow your boss to his new job A brand new Tractor Trailer school also just opend up here. Don't know anything about it but I could get information about it for ya. If your intent on getting out of the transportation industry Then how about parlaying your love for flying into a related industry. I'm not talking CFI as we all know theres no money in that but how about something like avionics sales or research, working for a headset company or jeppessen Just some thoughts.

Check out my PM
 
WHY I WAS FIRED

Here is what really happened......

For the last departmental picnic, management had decided that due to liability issues, we could have alcohol, but only one (1) drink per person.


I was fired for ordering the cups.
 

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Sounds like rats abandoning a sinking ship, Kent. Sorry to hear about the situation - I know you like(d) your setup there.

If you're looking for a driving job, the company I work for is always hiring. Only problem is that you would probably start out in an old (200k+ miles) FLD before getting up to one of the newer Century's or Pete's. I *think* most of our drivers are bringing in around $40-45k/year. PM me if interested in more details.

I'll also jump on the bandwagon of recommending that you get hooked up with some sort of aviation industry in their P.R. or sales area -- you have the 'people' skills to make a good face-to-face contact for a company. Oh yeah, and providing employee discounts to your friends here at PoA would be a nice gesture as well. ;)

Either way, good luck with the job hunt. I will be joining you in the 'where to work' line this fall once I go full-time at ISU.
 
I think, Kent, if you changed the title of the post to "I need a new yob" the answer to why this has happened would be more accurate.

I feel for ya, bro. Good luck!
 
CJones said:
I *think* most of our drivers are bringing in around $40-45k/year.
Click to expand...

Well, that would just about cover Kent's flying budget for the year...but I'm not sure how he'd pay for food and shelter. :rolleyes:
 
Jeppesen is running ads for Oracle and other IT skills in Denver (maybe other places as well?) - check out their website under employment.

I have a buddy working for NGA in St. Louis where they produce approach plates, et al ... can pass along a contact if interested
 
FlyNE said:
Well, that would just about cover Kent's flying budget for the year...but I'm not sure how he'd pay for food and shelter. :rolleyes:
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No need. He lives in the truck cab and eats pork rinds and beef jerky from truck stops.
 
mikea said:
No need. He lives in the truck cab and eats pork rinds and beef jerky from truck stops.
Click to expand...
There's validity in that statement. As a courier, I eat a lot of pretzels and drink a lot of Coke.

A few years ago when I was on call an entire weekend for a hospital system, just about all the action was on the west side of town while I lived fifty miles away. Consequently, I slept in my car for two nights. I'd take clean clothes for a change in the interim and use one of the private baths at the hospital. During NASCAR season, not to be at a loss there, I bought a DC-powered color TV and an amplified antenna I modified to run off the car battery. I'd watch DVDs on the laptop. Winter months I'd burn a bit more diesel but a tank of fuel would cost less than $30 and run for 600+ miles. It seemed rough but I'd walk away on Monday morning having made somewhere between $500 and $700 in 48 hours.

I wish I had that gig now! It would be ideal in order to spend the rest of the week teaching.
 
I'll keep you in mind Kent. You seem pretty independent and creative. That may eventually push you into your own business. Kinna what happened to me. Real estate bus is slowing a lot here. That's where I'd know of stuff and it isn't a good time for that.

What I found, is by continuing to look for things over a period of time, an opportunity opened up for me. If nothing else, keep looking and seeing what can fit and would be interesting. I do agree, flying might suffer while you in a start up period, but in the long term, it may be where you need to be.

Best,

Dave
 
KennyFlys said:
There's validity in that statement. As a courier, I eat a lot of pretzels and drink a lot of Coke.
Click to expand...

Gets expensive, doesn't it?

I figure getting off the road would save me nearly $300/mo just in food. That right there would pay for my car. :eek:
 
michael Killacky said:
Kent, Sorry I can't help you out with any job leads. If you don't mind, I do have a question. I'm retiring in 3 years and I'll only be 46. My pension will be enough to let me live fairly well, but, I'm gonna' want to do something. I've always considered learning to drive a tractor-trailer. Is it feasible to go to a truck driving school,and find something, maybe part-time and 2 nights away from home here in the northeast? I often thought if I could get some type of a run like 10 hours out, unload-reload, 10 hours back (after sleep) would be enough work to keep me flying and out of trouble. Any thoughts are appreciated.
Click to expand...

Mike,

A *LOT* of people do exactly that. In fact, one of the owner/operators that's leased on at my company is a retired Flight Service specialist, and his wife drives with him. The back of his tractor says "A Workin' RV." Rather than buy an RV like many retired folks do, they bought a truck and their cashflow is positive.

My advice: Find someone who'll teach you, rather than going to a school. The vast majority of the truck driving schools out there absolutely SUCK. They charge around $6,000 and they teach you only the absolute bare minimum to get the CDL. Then, you get put with someone like me for a month (if you're lucky - Many companies' idea of "training" is to put you in a team with an experienced driver - how much do you learn when your trainer is in back, asleep?) and I get to try to get rid of all the bad habits you got in school.

The one exception is Fox Valley Tech. When you're in a school or at a trucking company, you may notice that every safety video you watch was produced there. They go WAY above and beyond just CDL knowledge (they even have a skid pad so you can practice jackknife recovery!). Trainees I get from there are head and shoulders above the rest from day 1, and they only need one or two weeks of training rather than four or more.

It's also only $1700 because it's a public tech school. I hear there's a waiting list to get in, though.

Your best bet is to go to the DMV, pick up the free book, take the written test to get your permit, and find an experienced driver to really teach you. I don't know much about the companies in NC so I can't really recommend a place to look, but you're usually best off with smaller companies (<500 trucks).

Hope this helps... PM me, I'd be happy to help you in any way I can. :yes:
 
Lawreston said:
Sorry, Kent. Bummer! Might you and a few of your disgruntled driver-associates be interested in my brother's tractor and 3(as I recall) refrigerated boxes? Start your own organization.
Click to expand...

I've certainly thought about it. I could try to buy or lease a few trucks, and I know some good drivers who are looking for jobs... I'd also call our now-retired former Director of Operations, she would know where and how to look for freight. Lots of other people I could draw from.

I'm just not entirely sure I want to make that leap. I'll definitely be running the numbers, though, and seeing if I can make a go of it.
 
AdamZ said:
Kent I sent you a PM but also is there a possibility that you could follow your boss to his new job
Click to expand...

Well, if he'd have gone almost anywhere but where he did... Ironically, he's now working for the company that he convinced me NOT to go to when I first started here! :rofl: They're too big IMHO (2500 or so trucks), their home time policy sucks (minimum of 21 days out at a time), and they pull reefers (refrigerated trailers). I don't know how, but grocery warehouses somehow manage to universally suck and I don't want anything to do with them, I've had too much experience with them just pulling dry vans.

If your intent on getting out of the transportation industry Then how about parlaying your love for flying into a related industry. I'm not talking CFI as we all know theres no money in that but how about something like avionics sales or research, working for a headset company or jeppessen
Click to expand...

I'd love to get into something flying-related! :yes: Unfortunately, I don't know what I can do right now that would make any kind of decent money (read: enough money for ME to fly too!). I'm particularly eager for any tips in this field, though.
 
I should also reveal what my master plan is/was already...

First, keep the driver/trainer job to fund ratings up through Comm-ASMEL and CFI-II-MEI as well as as many specialized things I could get trained on (CSIP, etc.)

Next, work as a CFI or pilot while going back to do my last 23 credits towards my Electrical Engineering degree at UW-Milwaukee.

Then... ??? Possibly get an MBA, or just start a business or three that I've been thinking about for a while. Probably try to become a Cirrus Access instructor while working on that.

Now... Well, the options are open. Something that fits in with the above would be good, but something that doesn't would be fine too provided the pay scale and/or opportunities for advancement are present.
 
flyingcheesehead said:
I'd love to get into something flying-related! :yes: Unfortunately, I don't know what I can do right now that would make any kind of decent money (read: enough money for ME to fly too!). I'm particularly eager for any tips in this field, though.
Click to expand...


I could see you driving that Diamond demo semi... Or Cirrus... Going to airshows, airports, meeting pilots...
 
Kent,
Have new federal rules on duty hours soured the industry for drivers?
ApacheBob
 
ApacheBob said:
Kent,
Have new federal rules on duty hours soured the industry for drivers?
ApacheBob
Click to expand...

Bob,

The first change (1-1-04) was good. Lengthened drive time from 10 to 11 hours, but lengthened break time from 8 to 10, meaning you have enough time to get a shower and breakfast as well as 8 hours of sleep. Also, the new "14-hour clock" rule has forced carriers to demand that shippers load and unload the trucks much faster than they used to.

The second change (10-1-05) was NOT good. It eliminated the "split sleeper berth" rule, which means that we're basically not allowed to stop for a nap any more. :no: :mad: Pretty stupid, if you ask me. Thank the "safety" groups for that one.
 
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