cdl testing& life

Driving OTR is a love it/hate it thing. It's not an easy job by any stretch, but I know people who have been doing it for over 25 years, and would never consider doing anything else. I also know people who have given in to the demands of driving.

I drove OTR for 2 years back in the 70's for a leasing company. I essentially had the same 2 runs from Brooklyn to St Jose, Calif. and them a return run from San Diago Calif, to Shrewsbury mass, and a short hope from Shrewsbury to Mommoth, NJ. I was living in Jersey at the time, so I used to end up about 40 miles from home. That was before the interstates were completed all the way across the country,

Sometimes I'd run the NY to Amarillo to Charlotte and back to NY.

I did it for 2 years. I was single at the time, and made enough money to pay for college. I knew after the first 2 or 3 months that it was not how I wanted to make a living, but, I also remember meeting a lot of good people, and having a lot of fun while doing it.

It was a vastly different experience back then. No GPS, no mickey Mouse in the cab, no cell phones, quite a few incomplete interstates, and truck stops were not nearly as nice, as well equipped, nor as abundant as they are now.

Rt 66 was still the best road across CA. AZ, NM, TX, OK, and into Missouri, The Will Rogers turnpike was a premier road of the time, cops were just learning about radar.

When I first started long haul, the rig was a Mid 50's Mack "H" model, similar to the ones in the links below but the twin screw version. No auto trans, no a/c, and no power steering. I drove those things for about 14 month before I saw a tractor new enough to have 4 headlights. lol

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LaPD2eT7r2k"]Cabover COE 1954 H-63 Mack Truck Tractor Diesel 673 Duplex - YouTube[/ame]
[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5s720maiWm0"]1962 H 67 Mack tow truck 673 diesel duplex - YouTube[/ame]

As I look back some 40 plus years, I remember more good times than bad ones, but I also remember the summer heat, and the winter cold, and the 68 mph top speed on a flat plane. lol Driving across the country back then involved going through the Rockies, very often on 2 lane black top, and not very quickly.

I wish you all the luck, and I hope you're the type who truly enjoys the work. It could be a real good life.