I have started truck-driving training

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I have my learners license for driving trucks now (semi-trailers, long haul, 18 wheelers) and am going to be taking classes and getting practical training for the next 4 weeks. I am also getting a whole bunch of certificates for workplace safety for trucking and oilpatch work.... I am excited, I know I can do well out in this type of field. I will probably go work in the oilfield to drive a truck and do some work on servicing oil wells. I will finish college before I go though (I have about 8 months left before I finish my degree), because if I don't I know I will never finish. The guys I will work with are all rednecks and hicks, they don't really care about social skills (the kind you need for office/corporate jobs or dealing with clients) as long as you work hard and follow all safety regulations strictly. I probably don't need to say this, but if you are going to discourage me please don't reply, I am hard enough on myself.

Rock on dude, go for it.
I thought about it once.
Tell me how it goes.

Why would anyone discourage you? This seems like an awesome job for someone who likes driving. Good luck to you!

I do driving jobs, and always thought truck driving was a good aspies job and have tried out myself for training paid by a big courier company in scotland..unfortunately i had to be interviewed by three serious looking blokes.

It didnt go badly at first as, i am honest, clear and outgoing, but i was too honest in stating that really i wanted driving jobs which suited my personality like long haul.

Not that they had a problem with me being honest, but i realised i had just talked my way out of free training, that an NT might have been strategically silent about. They train me, and i am expected to drive the jobs that they want.

I started a thread on an american truck drivers forum a while back, asking them if they had aspies..one parent said they were considering training their aspies son for truck driving...

It appears like an ideal aspies job..plenty of movement between people, space and freedom
keep us posted about your progress.
.

I think you should totally do the job if you think it's a good fit for you! Though I do have to question whether "they don't really care about social skills (the kind you need for office/corporate jobs or dealing with clients)." As rogerharris alluded to, interviewing and meeting with your boss always involve some level of social skill. They may be "rednecks and hicks" as you called them, but nonetheless may have some social expectations... they just may be different from what other types of people have.

Good luck!!

I have been doing the training for a couple weeks... and I am pretty tired and burnt out. It is going OK though... I am learning it, and am up to the challenge. Yeah it does take some skills to get the jobs, unfortunately. So many places are desperate for work though, if one place doesn't hire you, the next will. I don't even care what I do now. I will apply for a slew of different jobs, and take whatever I get first. I don't care if I drive a semi, vac truck, water truck, work on a drilling rig, or haul garbage, or anything else... I will literally take any job I can get for the first year or so just to get experience and cash flow, so I think I will be fine.

Update: Well I finally got my license last week. Training was long, hard, and expensive. I was very sick for about a week, the road conditions are terrible (it was -40 for most of my training, with heavy snow for the last week, and ice all the way through). In retrospect, it would have been much easier to have done this in the summer. But after 4 weeks of training, a couple failed roadtests, and a small fortune later I passed my roadtest and got my license along with all my oilfield tickets. I am just going to get my last classes to finish my degree, and I'm off to work in the oil patch to earn the big bucks!

I think driving jobs work for aspies, because you can work alone and you just need to be good at driving, no office politics or co-workers to grapple with (in the vehicle anyway). Also it can turn into self employment, you need to have a good back though because of all the sitting.

I used to do delivery jobs.

Congratulations!

I will tell you Space, getting some winter driver training really helps to prepared
you later on, I did a 5 week course here in Calgary but got no winter training.

get a cb radio and tune it to channel 19

Cool!

I've considered truck driving many times. Like the idea of solitude and I love driving and road trips. Don't like the idea of unreasonable deadlines and sleep deprivation.

If ever I had the money, I think owner-operator would be tempting.

Good luck!

- Jo