Anyone been a driver? Semi? UPS/fedex? other?

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I love to drive...one of my favorite things to do.
Was wondering if anyone else has had success being a driver?
How'd you get your start?
How long did you do it/are you still doing it?
What do you think?

I have undiagnosed Aspergers. I read a Newsweek article which mentioned autism and Asperger's, looked in the diagnostic and statistical manual for it, and it was like I was looking in a mirror at myself. I don't need to pay money to have a shrink tell me what I already know.

In the '70's and '80's I lived in Fairbanks, Alaska because my dad was in the military. I finally got tired of the cold winters ............. and moved to Minneapolis. I was told that a driving job was open, and the rest is history.

I got started as a courier in Minnesota in 1989, just driving my own little pickup truck, and I loved it. I did that for 10 years there, and continued for another 10 years when I moved here near Cincinnati. I was replacing my trucks with new ones every 4 or 5 years. It was never about the paycheck, it was about traveling and sightseeing the country, and southern Canada, too.

I was always excited to get a delivery going out of town. I did notice that this was becoming less and less frequent as 2009 approached, but I wasn't sure why. I didn't realize that the economy has already crashed, and was going to get a lot worse.

Transportation took a big hit, and I went along with them about two years ago. My truck was repo'd and I had to go back to college at 46. It really stinks when you can't do what you love because the job isn't there anymore. But, I'm studying what I like, which is IT and accounting.

I've never been a professional driver, but I know other people who drove semi, or attempted to get jobs driving a semi. The only advice I can give for success is obvious stuff like not drinking on the job or doing drugs that show up on tests on or off the job, wear your seat belt, don't speed, don't waste time getting sidetracked on things not on your route, and be on time at your destinations.

No way would I attempt to work as a professional driver. Too many minor errors and attention lapses, which are getting worse as I get older. I can generally stay out of trouble by being over vigilant, but with a big truck the margin for error is much less, and the time of needing to be vigilant is much longer.

Sounds like a little piece of a dream.

There was a news story a while ago about how driving was one of the hardest hit fields, probably because of the gas so they had to increase prices. (Did you have to do the same?)

How'd you hear about being a courier?

What are you studying in college?

I think my first driving job was in a flat-bed truck delivering sheet metal (aluminum) to manufacturing facilities, and my last was a job hauling sand and gravel in a dump trailer (semi). That first job was all local deliveries around town, and that last job was about 500 miles per day making two trips from just outside Key West to the Florida mainland (quarry) and back. My failing vision now precludes me from driving much at all, but every trip or delivery I ever made was an adventure ... and I loved doing it!

I have and still can drive school bus. Generally in the US, you have to be 21 to get a commercial drivers license and most companies want to see 2 years of driving experience with a regular vehicle before they will hire you. You also have to have a pretty clean driving records (I think the occasional speeder is allowed but don't make a habit of it).

ya that's why I love driving, because it's an adventure. Nice to hear your story.

I've had one ticket last year and then a couple 2-3 years ago, think that is too much?

i've been driving since 17 so 4 years almost 5 but just pickups mostly. (Reg License)

I guess it was kind of a dream job for me. In my spare time in Fairbanks, especially during the short summer, sometimes I'd just go off and drive in and around town. I started thinking to myself how great it would be to get paid for driving. I never got up the nerve to drive to Anchorage though; Alaska is a big, wild state, and Anchorage is 400 miles away.

I was at a convenience store one time shortly after I'd moved to Minneapolis, and one of the employees in there told me about a driving job that was available just up the street. The job literally fell into my lap. Little did I know that I was embarking on a 20 year career that I enjoyed very much.

When gas prices started going up, the economy was still doing well enough that we were able to charge a fuel surplus fee that eventually got as high as 15 percent, so for every delivery we did, we got 75 percent of the total fee.

I'm studying information technology, I like working with computers. I chose the college I did though, because it's within walking distance of where I live. They claimed to have an IT program, and they do, but it isn't very good because it's primarily a business school. I found out while going to class, though, that I like accounting, so I'm going to finish up my associate IT degree, and then go for a bachelors in accounting.

Trouble is, I was young when all of this started, and now I'm nearly 50. I know what the older generation means now when they say that life is too short.