My husband decided, at age 62, to change his life. We have been self employed artists for 35 years. We are tired of starving, so he decided to get a grant and go to to go to commercial truck driver school. Passed at the top of his class. Got 100% on the DOT test, got all the ratings. He starts working tomorrow for a company here in WA state.
There is expected to be a shortage of 200,000 truckers by the end of this year, according to the Dept of Labor. It used to be (and it still might be depending on where you live) that you would have to do the long haul, which means living in a truck with another guy and driving or sleeping constantly, but not anymore. Now you can get good jobs locally and be home every night if you want to.
He's driving tanker trucks. There are all kinds of thing shipped by tanker truck, food, fertilizers, chemicals, water even. The average tanker truck driver makes about $65,000 a year. With benefits.
So if you know someone who needs to make a living and has no marketable skills or their livelihood has disappeared - it's a good way to go.
There is a problem with a shortage of truckers in this country. A big one. The baby boomers are retiring (or so I'm told) and since they tightened the rules on who can drive a truck it's hard to find people. Lots of people who left trucking 5 or 6 years ago can't get back into it now. The government really tightened the regulations on who gets to drive a truck.
You have to:
~Pass a drug screen
~Pass a TSA background check
~Pass a physical - and there are a bunch of conditions that can prohibit you from getting a license, just like being a pilot. (and you make more money driving a truck than flying an airplane, btw. My husband is also a pilot.)
~Pass a barrage of written tests, it's a 3 part test with the DOT
~Have a good driving record - no DUI or Reckless driving in 10 years or moving violation in 3.
~Have at least a GED
~No felonies or drug related crimes
~Have to go to a school to learn to drive a truck
~Pass a driving test
Lots of companies will tell you you need experience, but when there is a shortage of 10's of thousands of drivers - not so much. My husband got a job 2 weeks out of school with a really great company. Washington is one of the best states for truck drivers. We have lots of big ports that face China and Korea and we grow lots of foods AND we are close to another huge port in Vancouver, BC. (which is why the bridge that collapsing is a big problem.)
The school he went to has asked him to come teach for them when he has racked up enough time to do that. I would like him to do that. He's a great teacher, he teaches ground school for pilots. He would be well suited for it.