Welcome ErnieDee

[Harry]

http://bestsmileys.com/welcome/8.gif
Glad to have you here,enjoy TruckstopCanada and tell us a little about you:23_50_5:

[ErnieDee]

Introducing myself...

- 54 years old and married to a wonderful lady.
- 2 kids - 13 year-old daughter and 7 year-old son.
- Have owned three companies over the past 29 years.
- IT / Business Development for the last ten.
- Fed up with big business and getting ripped off by dishonest people (don't get me wrong, I'm not sour just need a change).
- Have always wanted to drive a tractor, and driving is one of my favorite things to do - always has been.
- Brother-in-law is involved in the trucking industry through his job in mobile television.
- Have spent many hours in the big rigs with him.
- Changing careers late in life.

So, having discussed this with my family to the nth degree and with them 100% behind me, I am in the process of earning my ACZ licence through enrollment with Crossroads Truck Training Academy in Ottawa. I checked all the schools in Ottawa - found this one to be the most professional with certifications. I have spent the last 7 weeks in reasearch mode to make sure this is something I can do. Have done all the prelims - medical (passed) - 3 year driving record - criminal records check - applied at MTO for ACZ - submitted my FAST application to the feds. Hopefully, if all goes as planned, I'll have my AZ licence by mid November.

What I'm expecting...

- To listen and learn as much as I can over the next few years to become a safe, professional driver.
- Not a big choice of companies in the Ottawa area, have talked to the following [Kriska (Prescott -excellent), Schneider (not so good - Montreal too far), ERB (would absolutely love to work for this company - close their entry level over winter), Trowbridge (need 2 yrs verifiable), Triple K (small family owned - nice), JED (small family owned - nice]
- Look for work with a small, saftey concience, family owned business.
- Start from the bottom and get the routes no one else wants.
- Expect to make 35K-42K (maybe more if I'm really lucky) in my first year. - huge pay cut - but doing something challenging that I enjoy - priceless.
- Don't do any illegal stuff - regardless of how good it sounds.

I have spent about 4 hours so far reading many, many posts on this wonderful forum. I look forward to being a member for a very long time.

So, there you have it - another green newbie coming into the trucking industry - the old-timers must be shaking their collective heads at me wondering if I've got mine screwed on sideways! >:o)

[ErnieDee]

Thanks Dave, Harry..

I'm sure I will be full of questions soon enough. I haven't been this excited in a long time - I feel like I'm 30 years old again. I'm sure that will be one of the first things to go though! LOL!

AL

[hellcat_99]

Welcome Al.
You have just joined a whole new way of life & new family member's.
Trucking has changed in the last few yr's, but you can still find some good old driver's with great experience to learn from.
All the best.
Holly:23_11_60:

[ErnieDee]

Thanks again Holly..

Great site full of nice people. Looking forward to becoming part of the 'family'.
As far as the learning part.. I'm just starting and this forum has already helped me a great deal. Some US based forums I've been reading have sent shivers up my spine but I'm getting the feeling that if I'm going to drive international I'll have stay clear of bad stops and use a lot of common sense.

As I noted, my bro-in-law will be a great mentor along with the experienced people I meet here and along the way.

AL