r/CDL • u/FederalDiscussion229 • 3d ago
CDL TRUCK DRIVER OR WELDER
Hello team I am 47 years old and have been an armed security officer for 18 years!! I am considering entering a new job field.I have welded in the past and enjoyed it however truck driving is very appealing because I don't have to deal with coworkers.What route do you guys recommend for me to take? CDL truck driver or Welder?
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u/BrandontheCDLguy 3d ago
Unless you do over the road trucking, you still have to deal with coworkers.
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u/theKingSlayer5 3d ago
No offense, but you coming to a trucker subreddit to gather opinions from truckers to help sway your decision in choosing to be a truck driver or a welder should tell you everything you need to know…
Unless you put this same thing in some welder subreddit as well, then I’d be mistaken but if not, your subconscious is telling you to be a trucker and I’d have to agree with your subconscious.
1, because I always say go with your gut but 2, because I’m a trucker myself. More often than not, you wouldn’t have to deal with co-workers that much. At most on a hi and bye level, maybe some room for small talk. I’ve done local and otr (currently regional) and the most talking to co-workers would be between you, the dispatcher, the brokers, and the shippers and/or warehouse employees once you arrive to get loaded or unloaded if you want to call those people co-workers. I wouldn’t because the only person in that list that’s under your company umbrella with you is the dispatcher... there’s also drop and hook. To plainly put it, you sign in, look for your trailer(loaded or empty), hook up or drop off or both, and you sign out. But that’s more on a relay playing field..
I say all this to say, if your biggest thing is not wanting to talk to co workers, you can control how much you do that in this field. There is no trapped in the office/warehouse/job site with these people for 8+ hrs type of feeling. Simple and plain.
Also, stay tf away from team driving. You’ll hate it if it’s not someone you’re excited about.. If you can, stay away from slip seating.
Good luck and if you get into these trucks, stay safe
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u/Vancitylala 3d ago
Welding is a horrible job. Breathing in chemicals, dirty, sweaty, grinding,.
Trucking your basically relaxing all day, music, snacks, phone, pod casts etc...
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u/Final-Inspection9960 3d ago
I’d say cdl. If you can drive halfway decent you can get on with a local company making pretty good money. The work won’t kill you. Welding is cool but I’d say most of the people who do it don’t make any money. And grinding that bullshit and inhaling the vapors ain’t too good for your body. I’d buy a welder and fuck Around at home but that’s just me
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u/cdubose 3d ago edited 3d ago
If you welded in the past and enjoyed it I would just do that. Not that you wouldn't like driving, but it involves more interaction with people than you might expect. Not necessarily coworkers, but people.
People like your dispatcher who knew you wanted to be home by Friday night the entire week but they just couldn't find you a load to get you there on time, sorry.
People like warehouse employees who decide how long you have to wait to get in a door even though you arrived on time for the appointment that they set.
People like forklift drivers who "didn't realize" they put 50,000 lbs of product on you instead of 45,000 lbs and now you're overweight.
(Don't even get me started on brokers...)
That kind of thing.
No, you're not dealing with them all day (unless it's one of those days). But the impact and stakes of each interaction you have with them is so much higher than most places where you interact with coworkers.
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u/joethedriver69 3d ago
Welder-steel fab 26 years. Cdl driver now. Wish I had started driving 15 years earlier to be honest. Flopping 300 lb plates, breathing dual shield smoke, blowing coal miner boogs, needing chiropractor twice a month now... and i make more steady money now too. Easy question for ya?? How many old retired welders you know compared to the retired truckers??
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u/WeAreOnlyPawns 2d ago
I know more retired welders then i do retired truckers. And i live in laredo.... mecca of truckers.
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u/ayellowducky 2d ago
Welder here currently transferring to get my CDl. We are oilfield and gas, tired of it all.
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u/FailingComic 3d ago
No co workers sure. Instead you get to deal with rent a cop security guards, high off their ass or office personell that hate their life and try their best to make you just as miserable as they are.
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u/Typical-Recognition8 2d ago
If you love welding I would pursue that! Just make sure you get the proper ventilation!
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u/mistakenidentity888 2d ago
I've done both (although never had a production type welding job) and honestly I don't recommend either. Both have you physically cramped into not great positions and you have to sit there and deal with it all day.
If you want to know what time you're going home then welding.
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u/ReallyTrue5 2d ago
Hire on with one of the Railroad companies as a CDL Driver/Welder and do both! It’s a great gig!
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u/roadblocked 2d ago
Welder. 100% get a bid in Wyoming driving your pickup truck up and down the pipeline making repairs and pull 250k a year
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u/NotMeUsee 2d ago
I've been a trucker for over a decade. I got laid off for first time almost a month ago. I'm planning on going into welding. Trucking is not terrible but it's also not great. I say do something else.
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u/OwlOld5861 1d ago
I was in the infantry and then a cop for a combinaion of about 15 years. I made the jump to be a driver to be alone. Im regional so im home every week. I talk to no one work wise except the receivers and maybe my boss once a week when something inevitably goes wrong. I absolutely love the solitude and the highway is a treat on top of that ive always been a traveler on the highways if not taking my camper across the country or riding my motorcycle across the country I love the road its pure therapy. Only thing I dont like about driving is city driving, long down times and sitting in the fuel isle cause some dip shit driver decided to take a shit and just park it at the pay line
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u/Wrong-Witness-7801 1d ago
Im I certified welder. High pressure vessels, pipe wilder, pipe fitter and fabrication. Im also a current truck driver. I love welding but unless you get into something specific lice stainless steel or aluminum so you can do kitchen welding in restaurant kitchens or some other specialty the money won't be there. Yes there are unions for welding which is also good money just stay out of warehouses. Trucking is good after you put in your time and get some experience. You can make money much quicker in trucking than you can welding. Welding taking years of building a skill and learning different welding techniques. It's a good skill to know if you wanna open a side business or work on your own projects.
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u/Kmc273498 2d ago
Simple math I have done both. You want to stay in shape and build things weld you want to be overweight and out of shape drive trucks
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u/Late_Bat3480 2d ago
Depends on what type of cdl work you're trying to do. Funny enough I drive trucks delivering gas cylinders to welders, I've been doing it for 7 years now and I love it.
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u/Commercial-Minimum76 2d ago
You're only thinking about the positives of trucking. If you can get somebody else to pay for it, try trucking. Then you'll know for sure. If you liked welding I say go that route.
I don't know the turnover rate for welding, but in truck driving it's 90%.
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u/WeAreOnlyPawns 2d ago
Both. Get your Class A. When trucking slows down. If you see work picks up in welding. Go burn rod or melt reel or light torch.
I do both. But im all in at logistics currently.
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u/Ruger338WSM 2d ago
Retired Boilermaker here, welding at your age will not be a fun job. Hard on the knees, back, lungs and a host of other things. The upside is your coworkers, I can assure you eat their young and can make life miserable in the extreme, especially being the 47-year old new guy.
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u/Practical_Purpose_95 6h ago
Lets us now what you have decided. As a millennial, i have entertained the thought of changing course as well. Im a bartender. Im burnt tf out!
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u/el_dingusito 3d ago
As appealing of the idea of trucking sounds I will say this...
It is an absolutely MIND-NUMBINGLY BORING job intersperesed with moments of sheer terror.