Driving a Truck vs Mowing Grass.....

So how much did you make the first year cutting grass?
It's not going to be good money for the first year or so, if you
get the experience and don't screw anything up the money is there.
I've been driving 46 years, no tickets or accidents in the past 20 years.
I'm making a very good living driving a company truck for a small company.
It's a drivers market now , nobody can find good help.
But you've got to get the experience first.
I will say if you have a young child and enjoy your time off on weekends
you should maybe keep doing what you're doing.
Or look for a local driving that will train you.
Good luck whatever you decide.

 

Yes it’s all true

The schools are recruiting ya, like any other recruiter they make everything sound as great as possible.

After a couple of years pay does improve.
An experienced trucker should be paid more than a rookie right?

A whole lot of the outcome of your experience depends entirely on YOU.

Luckily you’re in a good location @Chinatown will be along with some questions and recommendations.

 

You can make good money in trucking, eventually.
Starting out usually means long stretches between home times. 3-5 weeks.
Even then you may find the pay better the longer you are out.
As the saying goes... if the wheels are not turning, you are not earning.

With a newborn you are better off not getting into trucking.

 

I found this out the hard way. Was laid off last year from March to July. Son was born in April. Spent those 3 months by his side. I’ve always been on the go either trucking or oilfield. I THOUGHT I would be ok going back OTR at the end of July and only staying out 2 weeks. Well December came and I couldn’t stand it any longer. Quit and came home. Some can do it. I sure couldn’t.

 

Let’s see. I had a company tell me I could make $70000 my first year. They paid $0.38 per mile. So a little math:
70000/.38 = 184210 miles need to be driven a year. That’s 504 miles per day for 365 days. That driving can be done in 8 hours without traffic and never opening the door. We’ll say 9.5 hours with pre/post-trip and fuel. Therefore you can just keep rolling over hours and you don’t have to take a 34. That company would also go in and change your hours on your eld so you’d always be legal and could drive more.

But wait in that Perfect world you never hit traffic, never back to a dock, never have to wait 30 min in the fuel lane because some jackhole is taking their break in the fuel lane.

long rant over. In reality as a first year driver you’ll make around $40000 as a mega driver.

 

There's jobs you can easily bring home 60k+ after taxes and be home every day. But it'll take a few years to work up to that point. For example, the guys who deliver gasoline to gas stations.

 

What do you consider a ‘real truck driver’?

If you’ve been watching this forum, you will notice that there’s a good percentage of these people who come in this industry who

1. Are getting their first job at age 30
2. Have ZERO work ethic. They say they could make more flipping burgers, but no burger joint will hire them.
3. Are unwilling to put forth any effort in researching companies. Someone handed them a prehire letter, and in their mind, that sealed the deal.
4. Are Braindead. Their whole plan of trucking is to hold a steering wheel and watch the money hit the bank account.

If you ran your own business, you should be better than average. So, take the average pay of that company and multiply it by 1.5 or 2.

Do not bother being average. Be good at what you do. Luck in battle.

 

I'm assuming you're in Houston, Texas. Be prepared for hair follicle drug test.
Here's a job that's perfect for you - Click ---> Tuition-free CDL Driving Academy - Truck Driver Jobs ...
`

• 100% paid healthcare for you AND your family
• Great pay. Road drivers first year expected income $60-65k plus