24 yr old looking to get on the road

by big al
(new york)

looking to become a trucker. Anyone out there with advice on how otr driving is? do you have to unload trailers? and i just got a ticket and 5 points on my licesne the ticket was for passing a school bus, i do not have my cdl yet, but will this hurt my chances of becoming a trucker?

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Feb 27, 2009
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Big Al has questions.
by: Jimmy

How is OTR driving, you say. That's an open ended question, Al. It's like any job, you might like it a whole lot, or just a little or not like it at all. You just gotta try it out and see.

Most of the time, you do not have to unload the trailer. In the "old days", you did have to sometimes. Lumpers are available to hire most of the time, or the consignee unloads it. There are exceptions, and you could find yourself doing the unloading. Sometimes you have to "tailgate" it, which means you get the freight to the back and the consignee takes it from there. Flatbed freight is always unloaded by the consignee.

As far as your ticket (5 points) on your license, again some companies will accept it and some won't. It depends on their insurance carrier.

If you live near a truckstop, go down there and hang out and ask questions, but be prepared to get an earfull. Jimmy

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