Truckers Report Jobs

Find Trucking Jobs

Company Driver Company Driver Dry Van Dry Van Flatbed Flatbed Refrigerated Refrigerated Specialized Specialized Owner Operator Owner Operator
More Trucking Job Searches ⌄ Fewer Trucking Job Searches
⌃

S you want to know what having a CDL and being a truck driver is all about.

Discussion in 'Questions From New Drivers' started by Pahrump, Aug 6, 2014.

Page 1 of 3
  1. Aug 6, 2014 #1
    Pahrump

    Pahrump Medium Load Member

    453
    391
    Jul 27, 2014
    Grand Tetons When I took The Pic
    0
    So you want to know what having a CDL and being a truck driver is all about.
    Most of the big trucking companies that hire rookies and some that hire experienced drivers have high pressure recruiters ,,former or wantabe used car salesmen,,They work on salary and commission, These companies,,Swift,Werner,Schneider,Prime, Stevens, Lisa etc have been crying about drivers shortages and have had ads in all the little truck magazines since the time when horse drawn wagons went out,
    They have very large driver turn over rates from 75 to 100% a year,.Low pay is one reason as well as more.
    Now why does this happen,, too many wantabe drivers that don’t really know what being a truck driver is really about or understand what it takes to be career truck driver.
    Carriers and recruiters paint a pretty picture about being a CDL truck driver, Yes you get to see the country as you go by at 60 MPH,,can’t stop and take it all in unless you are stuck at a dirt hole truckstop when you run out of hours and to eat at a truck stop will cost you big money for crummy food. It is also a lot of fun trying to find a truckstop or place to park for the night but don’t expect it to be quiet. When you get up in the morning you find pee bottles next to your step or real lucky to find someone crapped between you and the truck next to you.
    They don’t tell you that any mistake you make that you can get screwed around by a cop at a scale you be subject to criminal penalties. Not to mention to be treated as if you were one of the muslim terrorist that crashed in the the World Trade Center,
    They let you find out on your own that they expect you to work for 60 to 70 hours a week and stay out for 3 weeks or more before they let you go home for a couple days.
    Here is an other great thing about being a CDL truck driver when you load and unload some moron clerk is the biggest A-hole you ever met and you are in his kingdom not to mention the thieves, girls that want your money for sex and drug addicts hanging around just about everywhere you are trying to get you.
    Yes there are no federal laws that prohibit you from having a firearm in the truck but your company does not allow it and will never tell you that where they send you other drivers have be mugged or robbed.
    Trucking is not all fun and games,,trucking will keep you away from your friends and family.
    Trucking companies consider drivers,,no matter how much they tell you they will treat you like family, you are just the driver. Don’t expect to be making much more than you are today because they will find someone else with no experience when you quit if you don’t quit be sure they will try to sell you one of their worn out trucks so you can be an owner operator locked into their company until you pay off the truck that is worthless when paid for. If you quit many companies will report stuff you did not do to DAC and get you blacklisted from getting an other driving job

    There are good trucking companies to work for,They are the ones that you never see ads in magazines looking for drivers.
    Don’t ever think about owning your own truck unless you know a lot about being a businessman, you know a lot about finance and book keeping and be able to do most of your maintenance and repairs as well as have enough money in the bank to pay all your bills and run the truck for 90 days or more.
    Good luck to anyone that wants a career as a truck driver and hope that one day you become a trucker.
    Lots of drivers out here but few truckers,,

    Drive Safe, Take You TIme, Be Careful and rememeber you run the truck the truck doesn't run you

    Be Thankful that the government classifies truck drivers as unskilled labor
     
    Last edited: Aug 6, 2014
    Pahrump, Aug 6, 2014
    Pahrump, Aug 6, 2014
    #1
    blairandgretchen, TruckDuo, Gunner75 and 2 others Thank this.
  2. Truckers Report Jobs

    Trucking Jobs in 30 seconds

    Every month 400 people find a job with the help of TruckersReport.

  3. Aug 6, 2014 #2
    TruckDuo

    TruckDuo Road Train Member

    6,394
    9,373
    Oct 21, 2012
    Chicago, IL
    0
    Excellent post. Thanks !
     
    TruckDuo, Aug 6, 2014
    TruckDuo, Aug 6, 2014
    #2
    Chinatown Thanks this.
  4. Aug 6, 2014 #3
    Moving Forward

    Moving Forward Heavy Load Member

    723
    707
    Jan 14, 2014
    New England, USA
    0
    But... But... But, the instructors I had at the C.R. England professional truck driving school told me it would be super easy and I'd get rich fairly quickly as a Professional Truck Driver. Are you now telling me that's not true? :biggrin_25525:
     
    Moving Forward, Aug 6, 2014
    Moving Forward, Aug 6, 2014
    #3
    Western flyer, Chinatown and blairandgretchen Thank this.
  5. Aug 6, 2014 #4
    Chinatown

    Chinatown Road Train Member

    68,224
    143,082
    Aug 28, 2011
    Henderson, NV & Orient
    0
    I had a good career in trucking. Made some mistakes in the beginning with garbage companies because didn't have a website like this to glean information from. Never cared how many hours I worked or where I was stuck for the night; just looked at my take home pay each week and some type of family health coverage. Having a family to support, the take home pay was my number one priority; everything else was just nothing more than slapping at a mosquito or waving a fly away from my face.
     
    Chinatown, Aug 6, 2014
    Chinatown, Aug 6, 2014
    #4
    amiller, blairandgretchen, "semi" retired and 6 others Thank this.
  7. Aug 6, 2014 #5
    joesmoothdog

    joesmoothdog Heavy Load Member

    737
    1,144
    Aug 5, 2013
    OTR
    0
    Beats the hell outta flippin burgers or takin away someone else's garbage. Mostly...well...um...yea. LOL.:biggrin_25523:
     
    joesmoothdog, Aug 6, 2014
    joesmoothdog, Aug 6, 2014
    #5
    BrenYoda883, Chinatown and blairandgretchen Thank this.
  8. Aug 6, 2014 #6
    Tonythetruckerdude

    Tonythetruckerdude Crusty Deer Slayer

    2,904
    41,299
    Dec 8, 2012
    hunting...../ retired
    0
    Sounds like the OP has some issues. While he makes a couple of fairly decent points , his view isn't completely a factual one. Sure there are places that will do the things he outlined, but for the most part trucking is still ,and has always been a really good way to provide for your family and yourself. It's a poor set of legs that will let a body continue to be treated badly. I'm wondering too if the OP had such a terrible experience in this field , why in he world did he stay in it for over 40 years. Sounds sorta like sour grapes to me.
     
    Tonythetruckerdude, Aug 6, 2014
    Tonythetruckerdude, Aug 6, 2014
    #6
    Puppage, GenericUserName, D33RHUNT3R and 3 others Thank this.
  9. Aug 6, 2014 #7
    CrappieJunkie

    CrappieJunkie Wishin' I was fishin'

    3,962
    18,325
    Mar 9, 2014
    In a van down by the River.
    0
    I'm with Tony...there are worse job. For a year and a half I took calls from brainless, uncaring, rude morons while working for the local cable company. A storm went by or power went out it was miserable. Want to see true side of a person, knock their tv out for an hour and they will threaten your life. I know, I've been there. They call you every name under sun. You think we are paid peanuts here. I was paid 11.25 an hour.

    Be a bill collector like I was....calling some poor sap who is trying to feed his family to get more money out of them.

    I know I know I didn't have to do those jobs but I had bills to pay just like everyone.
     
    CrappieJunkie, Aug 6, 2014
    CrappieJunkie, Aug 6, 2014
    #7
    BrenYoda883, hal380, cowboy_tech and 1 other person Thank this.
  10. Aug 6, 2014 #8
    201

    201 Road Train Member

    11,260
    22,829
    Apr 16, 2014
    high plains colorado
    0
    Good post, Pahrump, I can tell you've been around the block a few times. A post like that should be on CL, as I posted one similar to that once on CL, and got a few responses, just to let people know why there are so many transport openings, more than any other job listing. Many people have never heard of this site, which is a shame, as the wealth of knowledge here is worth it's weight in gold. I wish there was a site like this years ago, as I had many jobs I found out were lousy AFTER I signed on. I too, have had a good career in trucking, never got rich, but made enough so my ex-wife could stay at home with my kids, and she was a great mom, and I feel, they are better people as grown-ups, because of it. Even as an O/O, I did ok, with a fuel bill of 3 or 400 dollars a week, and I did most of my own repairs, it was the zenith of my career. Nowadays, I smh, and wonder how an O/O can make it, or a company driver can deal with all the new rules. I guess if you never drove a truck years ago, you wouldn't have anything to compare it too, but I wouldn't drive a truck now, if my life depended on it, and I would flip burgers, rather than being 30 minutes from home, and can't get there, because of some stupid electronic log telling the government what a monster I am for doing so.
     
    201, Aug 6, 2014
    201, Aug 6, 2014
    #8
    TruckDuo Thanks this.
  11. Aug 6, 2014 #9
    dca

    dca Road Train Member

    6,834
    11,424
    May 31, 2011
    Earth
    0
    When I sigmed on I wasn't promised anything but a job and put in a min 2 years otr for experience
     
    dca, Aug 6, 2014
    dca, Aug 6, 2014
    #9
    TruckDuo, Puppage, scythe08 and 2 others Thank this.
  12. Aug 6, 2014 #10
    BrenYoda883

    BrenYoda883 Road Train Member

    1,248
    1,422
    Sep 18, 2013
    0
    You know... this is a beautiful country.. even at 65mph... the other morning I was rolling along at sunrise and it was truly beautiful.. the sunrise through the clouds, the mist coming off the lakes... I was listening to my favorite music and enjohing a really good cup of coffee... I take cream a d a bit of sugar in my coffee.. and it was one of those cups of coffee wnere it was all just perfect.. just the reight amount of everything... I never had a view like that from my desk...sure, the motivational picture with the guy climbing a mountain was nice... but, not as nice as rolling along and seeing the beautiful sunrise and country side....

    You know.. you don t have to eat truck stop food... you can cook some great meals in your truck... I cooked my own meals and enjoyed coming up with some delighful concoctions... and it cost less then eating at the truck stop too...
     
    BrenYoda883, Aug 6, 2014
    BrenYoda883, Aug 6, 2014
    #10
    D33RHUNT3R, Chinatown, bergy and 6 others Thank this.
  • Truckers Report Jobs

    Trucking Jobs in 30 seconds

    Every month 400 people find a job with the help of TruckersReport.

    • Page 1 of 3