What's your opinion on trucking ?

For SOME, it's still a good job that works for them, but it's important to emphasize "some". For others, it's not a good fit, but they feel obligated to stay for various reasons and they remain miserable.

It can be a "lifestyle" more then a "paying job", depending on the place worked and the individual. So, "worth it to become a truck driver?" ... yes and no. It all depends on where you end up, where you want to be, what family means to you, what money means to you, and what you're willing to put up with trying to get from start to finish. ("finish" means finding a driving job you enjoy and that works for you, not you suffering for the job)

 

The good-you will never be unemployed, as long as you don't screw up. The bad-very long hours away from home, many hours are unpaid if you are on cents per mile. A lot of drivers seem to develop anger issues from the lifestyle. But yes, if you survive the first year the job gets better.

 

You can make an above average income in trucking. Some segments pay more than others. The reason some complain about the pay is that the don't make the effort to hone their skills or to move into a more specialized segment of the industry. Some shippers do waste our time. When you are paid mileage or percentage, you are not making money when the wheels are not turning. Many shippers have gotten better in not tying up trucks too long to load or unload. We are grossly over regulated. That is my chief complaint. Many regulations I have seen in recent years are nothing but "feel good" legislation that does little or nothing for safety.

You will spend time away from family and friends. It is a trade off, like most things in life. You can earn an above average income, but will sacrifice time at home. There are some carriers who manage to get drivers home for a day or so on weekends, but most keep drivers out for a couple of weeks before sending them home. Some people come into this business with a false notion of what the industry is like. Those who do often leave the industry after a few months. This involves a change of lifestyle that they are not familiar and may not be prepared.

The up side is that you can get into this business with minimal training. Most only require from about 2-11 weeks of training. That gives you a career that has pay as much or more than many college graduates and for a fraction of the cost. Trucking is one of the most secure careers you can pursue. As long as you don't job hop and keep your MVR and CSA scores clean, you should never have a problem finding a driving job. After only a couple of years of experience, you should be earing in the $40-50,000 range. There are segments of the industry that pay drivers in excess of $100,000, but those are not entry level positions and take several years to enter.

 

It may be true that trucking pay has become stagnant or even reduced over recent years. But pretty much every industry has seen stagnant wages so I'd say its a bigger picture issue than just trucking.

 

It blows. I liked it until about 1999 - 2000...then everything fell apart. Over population, and the end of the "brotherhood" of truckers.

 

Those previous posts are really good.

You must be a hard worker or you won't make it. We often put in 60- or even 70-hour work weeks to get a nice paycheck. Can you do that? It's not an easy job at all.

Also stress can build up day after day, and even easy-going persons like me get short fuses. You will find out all these things if you get into the industry.

But $ will be going into your bank account.

 

Stay out of it. That is my opinion. This is about the most screwed up business I think I have ever seen next to the government. I work for one of the better companies and it still sucks a lot of times. Long hours late into the night, shippers that lie (could be dispatch?), nasty truck stops with some of the grossest human beings I have ever seen in my life, traffic and bad drivers including a lot of truckers that love to tail gate and carry the attitude "get the f out of my way or i will run your arse over", etc. I could go on. There is nothing special about this industry. Overworked, underpaid and never appreciated.

And I work for one of the better companies.

 

60-70 hours for what, a $500-600 paycheck? That's a joke.

 

I don't think that's a fair statement - $500-$600. If that was the case, then you'd have a valid point but nobody is making that if they have 1+ years experience. Nobody with a class A CDL and 24 months of experience or more should be grossing less then $1000 a week, consistently. That said, $1000/wk may be considered peanuts by some, big money by others. Everything is relative to the individual. But it beats the hell out $10/hr - 40 hours week at the feed mill loading trucks

Trucking is like anything else, you start at low wages, prove yourself, then work your way into better wages, finding your niche along the way.