Originally Posted by bduke

Originally Posted by gar-rose

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I guess I should have prefaced my original comments, "with all due respect" you are a lying SOB! Sincerely, Ricky Bobby

All kidding aside, I have read ET's posts for probably a year. His stories from the road partially motivated me to apply at Crete. In fact I am supposed to be at Orientation in New Kingstown next week!

In one of the posts ET mentioned he was home and sipping scotch. He remarked about the scotch hitting him hard because he had been out for 7 weeks.

Apparently, up to that point I never realized how much sacrifice went into making $60K at Crete. From there my mind started racing - smart guy, great gal, nice house - why, why why. The "somethings fishy" is a comment made by Randy Moss a couple years ago when the Bed N Breakfast guy was the Raider's Offensive Coordinator - it is an ESPN classic. Using the quote was a bad attempt at a humor on my part.

Moving right along, the original question (sans the bad humor and verbosity) was simply -

Dear ET:

Wouldn't a job making $45K with less travel (and less road expenses) keep you in the same relative financial position as the $60K you are making with Crete?

Sincerely,

Garfield

I wanted to ask that question because I am also an OTR driver. During my 2.5 years as OTR'er I have never paid for a hotel or rental car. I have never gone to movie, sporting event, rock concert, or strip club while on the road. I was always taught/advised to minimize road expenses cuz you can quickly end up with "not much." I am not judging ET, putting ET down, or calling ET a spendthrift - I am just trying to explain the context of my question.

ET - nothing was meant to offend you! Also, no need to respond because a. your readers have responded for you and b. it's none of my business!

Again sorry if I ruffled any feathers.

I have decided against going to work for Crete. Therefore, I will refrain from further participation in this thread. However, I will lurk because I enjoy ET's posts and admire his "Terminator" like dedication.

Thanks, you guys are great!

Originally Posted by jdrentzjr

Addressing gar-rose's question about spending money on the road...

If one was to be at home making $40k-$45k annually, and thought that they would not spend money on a movie or an occasional nice dinner, they are deciving themselves. Since the expendatures would still occour, wheather otr or local, it is a wash financially.

Give your self some enjoyment on while on the road will help keep a driver's sanity intact!

ex., I'm in Tracy,CA.. Delivered yesterday afternoon at 1300. It was the end of my day and I can not pick up next load, in Stockton,CA, till 1200 today. The only truck stop in Tacy is a hole-in-the-wall that you have to pay $10 to park. Next door is a Motel 6 with limited truck parking. It had avalability. With no TV in my truck, a long wait, and Monday Night Football coming on later, I decided to get a room and stretch out.

The time away from the truck, watching the TITANS beat Indy, a good night sleep, all priceless. Well worth the $40, and it's a tax write-off, so I will recoup some of the expense at tax time.

I think what you maybe misinterpreting is the fact that ET does not make those expenses unless he's had a hard week of running.

My point is that one needs to be able to enjoy themselves, where ever they are. All work and no fun makes Jack a dull boy!

Originally Posted by knighton5

I agree with you, everyone is arguing over pay. pay for this/ pay for that, find a job that makes you happy and one you can live with. Before I became a PROFESSIONAL Trucker, I was paid very well and had saved quite a bit of money, however I hated my job and could never wait until friday so I could get my 2 days off away from there. So hopefully everyone can find that job where they are content and happy (and pay your bills also), otherwise life isnt worth livin!!! Drive Safe

Originally Posted by NomadDaddy

This is my first post. I have read ET's forum from front-to-back, and have enjoyed every minute. I am considering a trucking gig for 2 reasons: I can't find a job in Atlanta because of my age (55), and I was raised a military brat (always moving....), so the OTR for a year or 2 doesn't bother me. My bride of 2 years and I have talked about it, and we both agree our relationship is strong enough that we can weather the storm for however long it takes. With that said....

I took an overnight trip Monday to visit my Mom and brother in Montgomery, Al from Atlanta, Ga. During the trip over and back, I paid attention to who was running I-85. It seemed like there were more Schneider's out there than anyone else. I'd guess that I saw 20-25% of the drivers for Schneider vs. JB Hunt, or Crete. Maybe that's an over-estimation, but it just seemed like it.

I told my bride that with us living in Atlanta, I'd have more of an opportunity to breeze through Hotlanta, and thus have a good chance of sleeping in our bed a few times a week. I hope I'm not deluding myself.....

I have been on unemployment since the last of May, and I only have enough left to get me through February or March of 09. If something doesn't open FAST, I'm going to have to pull the CDL school trigger right after the New Year. Not looking for sympathy....it is what it is....

Ya'll drive safe!

Originally Posted by knighton5

Notice your the only one here without a sense of humor. But I wouldnt have one either if I had to drive local in Los Angeles and then go home every night. I guess Crete wouldnt be a good choice for you since they dont have any local openings in LA. If you ever decide to go OTR (when your kids grow up) I would just suggest calling Crete.
And dont take the truckstop (T/A east and west) thing personal, it was my humurous side talking. Have a good weekend