Any CDL oppos?

"Hey Julie" (hey-julie) 11/24/2018 at 21:30 • Filed to: None

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Devon loves the mercedes

December will mark 6 months since my life unexpecte dly and catastrophically   collapsed around me which means I’ ve been a lube tech for 5 months now. I recently got my senior tech raise (basically poverty line wage in Colorado) which means I have nowhere to advance at my 50 year old, run down Valvoline.

This is how my manager likes to leave a shared workspace

I’ve spent said 6 months crawling my way back to an acceptable living situation with a roof over my head, a running car, and a measly cushion of savings so its time for me to focus on improving my life. The way I see it, I have limited options because I’ m 22 and jobs don’t grow on trees. I could parlay my experience into an apprenticeship at the Subaru dealership (because Colorado), j oin my “business partner” in taking his grow operation legitimate , (because Colorado) or use my savings to get a CDL and start as a driver at a fracking op ( because Northern Colorado ) The CDL is the most financially rewarding option by a huge margin and I have researched the steps to getting certified but I know next to nothing about the job market, work environment, learning curve or really anything else. Some life advice from someone more experienced would be greatly appreciated    

My car made friends with another 80s german sedan

Joe6pack > Hey Julie 11/24/2018 at 22:51

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You’re young, so you have plenty of options. I don’t know much about the CDL market, but I do know there is high demand. I guess you have to ask yourself if this is the life you want to lead long term. Some jobs like the trades techs at my work will allow you to get your CDL after hiring. This is for road work ( construction).

I’ll tell you what I tell my own kids. Get to know yourself and then figure out what you want to do. Don’t chase a paycheck or you will never be happy. And don’t confuse being a rockstar with the work it takes to become a rockstar.

If you enjoy working on cars, then that too is a noble pursuit. Modern techs are not the grease monkies of old. Today they are true professionals.

Good luck.

Spamfeller Loves Nazi Clicks > Hey Julie 11/24/2018 at 23:00

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CDL is basically write your own check and will remain so for the foreseeable future. All the people saying Tesla’s magical self-driving semis will change the world are, you guessed it, stupid motherfuckers.

Now that said, CDL isn’t going away any time soon . You’re still young. So’s the weed market. Assuming your buddy has an actual fucking BUSINESS PLAN (not goddamn optional, children, I don’t care what the VC shithead told you.) Take the gamble. Totally serious.

If you use the head on your shoulders and some creativity, you stand a good chance of being able to out-compete. And if it’s paying you a living wage, frankly, there’s no reason not to take the chance. Business, my friend, is business. The shit I learned about business as an SI applies the same to automotive engineering applies the same to banks and so on. It’s all useful skills down the line.

As long as you’ve got an ACTUAL FUCKING PLAN (seriously, NOT GODDAMN OPTIONAL ) and you’re going to be making a living wage? Take the chance while you can. Because believe me, you’ll regret it if you don’t. Hell, if you start doing your own shipping, you can expense your CDL license.  

MUSASHI66 > Hey Julie 11/24/2018 at 23:00

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My dad is a CDL driver with hazmat certification and years of tanker driving experience. There are a ton of jobs for drivers on oil fields. You’re expected to do a lot of hours, and you might be on weird schedule with a lot of hours involved.

Safeway/King Soopers are hiring a lot as well for driving trucks to their locations across Colorado.

My dad put his resume on Indeed and is getting calls left and right.

If you can pass a drug test, there are tons of jobs which pay $17-21 per hour - UPS, Safeway etc.  No reason to live close to poverty line in CO these days with economy booming.

Spamfeller Loves Nazi Clicks > Joe6pack 11/24/2018 at 23:09

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Yeah, but dealer work is a shitshow that’s only getting worse right now . The book times for warranty work and recalls are so unrealistic, you know somebody’s looking the other way while they break every rule there is.

I forget who, but I saw one manufacturer claim a tech should be able to do a bench rebuild of a transmission in 2.25 hours. Including removal and reinstall. There is no fucking way the ‘average’ tech is unracking two half shafts, draining fluid, dropping trans, tearing it down to the gears, and putting it all back together in twice that.

And that’s before all the shops that treat their apprentices as disposable and won’t send them to any training. There are actual courses required for things like ASE, Gold Master, Meister, etcetera. They cost money. It’s fair to wait a few months to see how someone does before committing to an investment, but lots of shops will just say “yeah, no, maybe next year” until you get fed up and quit.

IOW, do a shitton of research and talk to actual techs before picking a dealer. Any dealer will take on an hourly apprentice (because you’re way cheaper than book.) Especially if they don’t have to train you how to do oil changes and mount tires.

fhrblig > Hey Julie 11/24/2018 at 23:09

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At my last job we couldn’t keep CDL drivers for long. Mostly because our pay was crap compared to everyone else. If you have a CDL you’ll always be in demand.

The Safeway warehouse on I-70 has been begging on the radio for both drivers and warehouse staff. If you don’t want to drive trucks, the pay they’re advertising for warehouse pullers is pretty damn good too.

nermal > Hey Julie 11/24/2018 at 23:12

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Getting in at the start of a (legal) weed growing operation provides the highest risk and highest reward.

Getting a CDL means you have pretty much guaranteed employment for the foreseeable future. The catch being you ca n’t do something dumb like getting a DUI or mowing down a herd of children in your truck.

A CDL job with an oilfield company means lots of $$$ but also lots of hours. Pulling in $80k+ isn’t unheard of, but neither is an 80 hr work week.  

Joe6pack > Spamfeller Loves Nazi Clicks 11/24/2018 at 23:29

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Like most things it depends on where you go and with whom you align. My neighbor’ s kid is a certified BMW tech and does quite well and seems happy . If it we re me, I wouldn’t go anywhere near a Nissan dealership for instance. This is just based on my personal experience dealing with the service writers.

If the dealership s aren’t providing the necessary training, then the OP may have to get the training on his own. No one ever said there wouldn't be sacrifices involved.

Here in Georgia, you can practically go to trade scools for free.

Again, to the OP, if driving a truck sounds like something you want to do for the next 30 years, then by all means.

Hey Julie > Spamfeller Loves Nazi Clicks 11/24/2018 at 23:32

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Thank you for the sincere and thorough response, without going into it too much we’ve been on the interstat e side of the business for the last 3 years so we have a plan, we have Infrastructure , and we have experience. unfortunately that’s the exact reason I’m in this situation right now and I have nobody to blame except myself. My main worry is that we wont be able compete in the legal instate market with the already established big budget investors but everything you said rings true. Essentially   the choice is between the security of a CDL Job and the freedom but risk of striking out on our own in a saturated market

Hey Julie > Joe6pack 11/24/2018 at 23:36

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Thank for the response, what worries me is I definitely don’t want to dedicate my life to CDL, but I don’t relish putting in a decade of hard work as a tech (work I’m much more passionate about) to earn a salary comparable or greater  to a entry level CDL. I guess the easiest option is never the best in the long term

Hey Julie > Spamfeller Loves Nazi Clicks 11/24/2018 at 23:40

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This is what worries me, I would love to work on cars for a living but I’m painfully aware of the realities you just described and it makes me wary of committing 

Hey Julie > Joe6pack 11/24/2018 at 23:43

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I really don’t want to drive a truck for the next 30 years but I have a powerful need for fast cash, my girlfriend just moved to Atlanta to work at the CDC and I really want to move out there and marry her so what you are describing appeals  to me

Hey Julie > nermal 11/24/2018 at 23:44

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This is the crux of my debate, the risk worries me, but the security bores me. 

M.T. Blake > Hey Julie 11/25/2018 at 00:02

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Focus on the one that is most stable. I got out of automotive work a little younger but at the same point. Every mechanic I worked with told me to run away from the industry. I found something stable, yet physically hazardous at times, that is also rewarding. For you I’d say go get the license; screw the fact it’s hard and long hours. The pay will be worth it. If you budget yourself right you can move into something closer to home and take a little less money when it comes to it. 

Spamfeller Loves Nazi Clicks > Hey Julie 11/25/2018 at 00:07

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So, I’m gonna share some hard-earned business wisdom with you. This is something some asshole will charge you $35,000 for a bunch of DVD seminars to learn. But I’m too stupid and ethical to scam people, so here it is for free.

Your own worst enemy in competition is first and foremost, yourself. Period. You are your own worst enemy. The second you say “man, can we even compete with these multi-billionaires?” YES. YES YOU CAN. It’s what I’ve done for years. Put your heads to it, and find the weak points. You cannot be everything to everyone, neither can they. So find where they’re weak, and target them there. Don’t trade on quantity, trade on quality. Don’t be “quirky” and “cute,” be “accessible” and “professional.” If the competition uses an IVR system? Someone answers phone calls live.

Think about unusual partnerships as well. Partnerships are something that cost nothing to explore, next to nothing to operate. Find where the big boys customers are complaining, solve those problems. Win the customers by solving those problems. Be graceful in victory and defeat ; it’s not a zero-sum game. Give your competitor their fairly earned wins, and they’re less likely to go after your niche. (And the ones that cheat and do shady shit, go after with the lawyer. Always.) 

There’s a million ways that won’t cost you much more - or anything more - to differentiate yourself from the competition to give yourself an edge up. And I don’t mean “cool logos.”

Get an attorney up front before you do ANYTHING and draw up an agreement that is fair to BOTH parties. And be prepared to work harder than you ever have in your life. When it’s your business, it’s not just the business on the line. It’s you and your future. Nobody will judge you should you fail due to the weed market collapsing. They will only look at what you did to try and keep it from hurting you. Just having TRIED will look better on your resume. It could open a lot of new doors for you as well.

Spamfeller Loves Nazi Clicks > Hey Julie 11/25/2018 at 00:10

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Yeah, I committed for a time (obviously.) And every time it was “well maybe next month.” I was working my ass off after-hours doing the self-directed training, I was taking on the electrical problems nobody else could solve, I was the only guy the owners trusted with their high performance cars. And every time - “maybe next month.” I achieved full warranty service certifications for three manufacturers in just 4 months and personally handled as much as 50% of the recall work. “Maybe next month.”

I don’t regret it all in all, but I definitely regret not doing my homework up front.

Hey Julie > Spamfeller Loves Nazi Clicks 11/25/2018 at 00:22

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Thank you, I’m not sure anyone has ever been as frank, well spoken, and helpful to me before  in my life

Khalbali > Hey Julie 11/25/2018 at 08:37

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I worked at groove Mazda in centennial for 3 years until my whole life fell apart last summer and I had to move back to chicago. I don’t know you and can’t vouch for you, but I learned a lot there and they’re good people. I had never even done an oil change before, I started as a salesman and when I realized it wasn’t for me, I asked to be a lube tech. In less th an 2 years I was replacing engines and transmissions, good techs are hard to find and keep, and like truck drivers it's only going to get worse, either one has long term security. Just saying, if you wanna be a tech, Mazda isn't bad and if Dan is still the service manager, he was a really great guy to work for.

nermal > Hey Julie 11/25/2018 at 11:17

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I’d do the weed business, with the goal being to mirror the marketing tactics of the tobacco industry in the 80s and 90s. Think Marlboro Man or Joe Camel, but with weed. Come up with branding icons that appeal to children while adults don’t really see the connection. Add in things like Marlboro Points to keep dumb people hooked on your product and buying more.

Then sell out and retire before it hits the fan and your company goes into a recession. 

gogmorgo - rowing gears in a Grand Cherokee > Hey Julie 12/30/2018 at 21:30

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Older post I know, but I kicked around doing menial jobs like that after I couldn’t afford to go back to university. And yeah, repaying student loans when you didn’t get that sweet engineering job after school because you didn’t make it far enough to graduate sucks pretty hard.

But I’m currently an apprentice heavy-duty mechanic. It wasn’t something that I planned on making happen, but my experience in wrenching learned mostly from not being able to afford to pay someone else to fix my junk was recognized by an agency I was doing unskilled labour for , and I was encouraged to apply for the position (at the same agency). Apparently I blew the competition away during the hiring process.

I finished my first session at school a couple months ago. Many of my classmates were in their late 20s or 30s, and had come out of truck driving or other oil-field labour positions. Almost all of them said the same thing, yeah they made money, but they had near zero job stability. There’s always work for mechanics, but oil and gas jobs are very volatile as the market goes up and down, and frankly fossil fuel extraction is going to start declining in the near future by necessity. Having a trade to fall back on now will put you ahead of the group realizing they need something more stable during the next slump.

For me the mechanic apprenticeship means a solid semi-decent paying job for four years, at the end of which I will have a trade, and it also will allow me to save up to go back to school, should the desire occur. Plus I’ve effectively turned a hobby into a career.

I don’t necessarily regret not taking this route straight out of highschool, as it was something I’d considered, but now that I’m in it, I definitely see the advantages of having a solid trade to fall back on. And for what it’s costing me up front, (like, $2000/year, plus tools etc) I really do think it’s a worthy investment. Contrast that to the $15-20,000/year I was paying for university, and for what I’ll be making as a journeyman mechanic in contrast to what a first-year EIT makes, if they can even find an engineering job, it really seems like a no-brainer now.

As far as where you go, I’m basically in a municipal fleet shop. Not the best paying, but the benefits are great, and no one’s breathing down your neck to get something finished on time that you’v e never done before. And if you screw something up, you haven’t screwed up someone’s ride to work the next morning, or messed up someone’s pride and joy. It’s a great environment for learning. After talking to some of the other students who do work in dealerships, I’m pretty happy I’m not having to learn in one. It sounds like a pretty harsh learning environment for sure. I think if I wasn’t in a municipal fleet shop, I’d try to get on with some other fleet, as opposed to a dealer or other shop that works on customer-owned equipment. For me I see a pretty wide variety of equipment (chain saws, golf carts , boats, sleds, automotive stuff , tractors,  loaders, graders, plows, semi trucks, and more) that I wouldn't really get to experience if I was just in a transmission shop, or just working on one make of equipment. 

Hey Julie > gogmorgo - rowing gears in a Grand Cherokee 12/30/2018 at 22:50

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It seems like we are in a very similar situation. I ended up taking on an apprenticeship at nissan, unfortunately I have little interest in working on late model Sentras   and altimas but it’s the opportunity that I was given. None of the other options are off the table yet but where I’m at seems like a decent fit so far. Everything you said rings true to what I’m experiencing day to day. I really want to move to Atlanta to be with my girlfriend  where the cost of living is a fraction of what it is here and technical jobs pay better and are more numerous

Hey Julie > gogmorgo - rowing gears in a Grand Cherokee 12/30/2018 at 22:52

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And making those $500  loan payments after $800 in rent on a lube Tech salary does indeed suck prett hard 

gogmorgo - rowing gears in a Grand Cherokee > Hey Julie 12/30/2018 at 23:20

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I don’t really have too much interest in working in highway plows either. They get the shit kicked out of them all day every day, and they basically live under a salt pile. If one of the taillight sockets outlives the bulb that’s in it, it’s a bit of a miracle. The other day I had to undo a half-inch bolt and couldn’t even budge it with the 1" impact. The trucks are just s olid balls of rust.

But where I’m at isn’t too bad. This is the view from the shop:

I inti ally moved out here sorta following a girl among other reasons , but I figured out pretty quickly that something I thought was there wasn’t, and then it really just seemed like an expensive mistake. It’s a fairly remote resort town and the cost of living here is quite high. I’m fortunate enough to have employer-subsidized housing, because otherwise it never would have worked out, especially given loan repayments (only eight more years to go!!). Dingy illegal basement bedrooms with a hot plate for a kitchen and a 4'x4' full bathroom shared four ways go for $800/month here. A garage and space to park cars and store my parts horde doesn’t exist for anywhere close to that .

I’ve been in the shop here since February, and my quality of life has definitely improved since then. I’m only making a touch more than I was initially, but my pay rate increases with every year of school, and things are starting to look up again. I’ve even managed to start putting away savings again, which what little I had was fully depleted on the move out here.

I don’t know that I would want to move back to the city. I deliberately did my school session in the smallest most remote location I could, which worked out well. I also don’t think I’ll be moving for a girl again, although if you know for sure it’s what you both want, then maybe you’re a step or two ahead of me on that one. I still don’t particularly want to live here, but I don’t have much other choice right now. It would cost a fortune to move all my junk again (throw it out, yeah I know... but it’s good parts still!) and right now I’m set for the next three and a bit years, so I’ll stick with the evils I know, and burn whatever bridges I come to when I get to them in three years. Maybe by then I’ll have this life shit figured out. Or I’ll just keep w inging it. Either or.