25 years 1 ex wife and 2.5 million miles and a small fleet of trucks . I can say the pay isn't like it used to be ( I made 70K a year in 95 working 55 hours a week , and my last year I made 42K working 70 hours a week same type of work ) , you will make more in a warehouse or at Mc donalds if you keep track of your hours

Originally Posted by Prince Roy

Hey guys! Just joined up today. I know the old-timers may consider me a naive dunderhead, but I've been drawn to the trucker life for as long as I can remember.

here we go, another one...

I love driving and being on the road.

yep, here we go again, like we ain't heard this before....

Yes, I know doing it for a living is an entirely different ballgame. That's why I'm here: to learn from the pros.

uh...huh...

My questions are these: what can I reasonably expect to earn in this profession?

you can expect to work LONG hours for what will ultimately turn out to be less that the national set minimum wage, are you ready to be working from paycheck to paycheck..??

Do any of you feel you are getting ahead through otr driving?

you NEVER get a head.....

Are you able to save up for retirement? Build a decent nest egg?

no....there is never enough for you after you live on the road for a week or 2 or 3 or 4 or 5 at a time..you will spend more than you have to, to survive..

the only "egg" you will get, is the $2.00 egg at the truck stop

Can I hope for more than just to make ends meet?

ABSOLUTELY....!! you can hope, dream, wish, pray.....

I've got a good career now, so if I ever make this leap, it would be in about 10 years, and be a second career.

then you had better smarten up, and keep your FIRST career.

Anyway, props to all of you out there!

i'll take what i can get.

You don't get the credit you deserve a lot of the time,

and YOU THINK that when YOU become a trucker, you WILL get "props" too...??

but there are a good number of us out here who admire truckers and longingly steal looks into our rear-views when we pass you guys on the highways...

no you don't, "a good number of you" steal looks in the rear view mirror when you cut us off and laugh at us as we have to back off and not slam into your arse....

Sorry to see you've gotten your knickers in a twist, Rerun, but I posted my questions in good faith. I'll give you the benefit of the doubt that you're having a bad day. Thanks for taking the time to reply. I guess.

Originally Posted by Rerun8963

here we go, another one...




yep, here we go again, like we ain't heard this before....




uh...huh...



you can expect to work LONG hours for what will ultimately turn out to be less that the national set minimum wage, are you ready to be working from paycheck to paycheck..??




you NEVER get a head.....



no....there is never enough for you after you live on the road for a week or 2 or 3 or 4 or 5 at a time..you will spend more than you have to, to survive..

the only "egg" you will get, is the $2.00 egg at the truck stop




ABSOLUTELY....!! you can hope, dream, wish, pray.....


then you had better smarten up, and keep your FIRST career.


i'll take what i can get.



and YOU THINK that when YOU become a trucker, you WILL get "props" too...??




no you don't, "a good number of you" steal looks in the rear view mirror when you cut us off and laugh at us as we have to back off and not slam into your arse....

According to some posters they made MEGA $ , ( 1 super hero on here drove for 14 years , retired to Florida in his mid 30's ) others got into it to try and make a living as they were flat broke and are not much better now.

In reality the good $ jobs are far and few between if your just starting out , thats 1 reason the big turn over with the big companies.

It is not the dream job that many dream about when that Chromed out PETERMOBILE slides by in the outside lane , on the dry highway , nice sunny day.

yeah, that's becoming more and more apparent. I know it's not an easy life, but I was just hoping it was possible to earn a decent living. Paycheck to paycheck is not going to do it for me.

Originally Posted by FLATBED

According to some posters they made MEGA $ , ( 1 super hero on here drove for 14 years , retired to Florida in his mid 30's ) others got into it to try and make a living as they were flat broke and are not much better now.

In reality the good $ jobs are far and few between if your just starting out , thats 1 reason the big turn over with the big companies.

It is not the dream job that many dream about when that Chromed out PETERMOBILE slides by in the outside lane , on the dry highway , nice sunny day.

Originally Posted by Prince Roy

..... I've got a good career now, so if I ever make this leap, it would be in about 10 years, and be a second career .....

I’m new here myself and yes, lots of great people and information here and my reading previous threads, I’ve found all the answers you are asking for (not saying you should not ask again, only the answers you are looking for are here if you want to find them another way. The search feature works well)

Anyway, asking about something that you are not considering starting for another decade would be impossible for even an expert to answer! A good phychic would be your best bet for this question!