Career choice, get my CDL at 20?

Some people like driving trucks, others hate everyone and everything and make their job miserable and more difficult.

Most companies start 42-50 maybe “up to” 60k but usually you’ll be gone away from home a bunch.

You’ll earn every cent too.

I started out with farm serv-u centers,
Lawhon Farm Services(defunct) then Farm Serv- U which was bought out by helena chemical (now helena agri) and stayed til i was 23, started at 18, the week after my birthday i was hooked to a flatbed heading N to Wisconsin.

I’d not recommend that, rolling tarps in snow and ice and then looking n like a truck tire(and just as heavy)

 

Rose colored glasses, is what I'm thinking.

You are 20 and own your own company, wanting more money and something else, and your main question is "how much do y'all enjoy being full time truck drivers?"

But that is not your main question, is it?
You want to know how much money you can make, plain and simple. The rest of your post makes that pretty clear.

The answer is obvious... not much to quite a lot. It depends on you and what you are willing to do to make the money.
Pretty much like in your current landscaping gig.
And with both, it depends on your ability and intelligence and motivation.

 

Trucking can be a worthwhile choice, if you:

• Are single & childless (& have no plans/desire to change that soon)
• Have a true zest for adventure
• Like the idea of being gone from home for weeks at a time
• Are ok/fine with not seeing anyone you know for weeks at a time
• Like working alone and being alone
• Don't want/need social/coworker interaction/feedback/attaboys to be happy or fulfilled
• Are an independent problem-solver
• Are either a "gearhead"...or a "gearhead" wannabe
• Have a genuine/mild case of wanderlust
• Don't have a problem sleeping nite after nite in a cab -- with truck engines idling nearby
• Can live/get by for a year or two on a modest salary (until your experience level commands better pay)
• Can adapt/respond quickly to new/surprise situations or requirements
• Are more patient than a grandfather clock
• Have a work ethic that rivals a freight train
• Not quick-tempered; slow to anger
• Good customer interaction skills

Bonus points: if you are good with a set of tools, &/or have a good mechanical aptitude.

If the above doesn't generally sound like you -- stick with landscaping (or something else).

-- L

 

Hi Ryan, welcome aboard. You'll get 10 different answers on this one. It's only natural for someone to recommend something they already do. 1st, and foremost, I'd get the CDL on your 21st birthday. I wouldn't necessarily use it now, but many here, me included are continually asked this very question(s). I blame the media hype. If you have a successful landscaping business, by all means, focus on that, and getting that bigger, which will require a CDL at some point. Pay is always the biggie, and some drivers do well primarily because they've been doing that for many years. As a beginner, you can expect $28-$35/hr., or maybe like .70/mile, but I do think many are simply unprepared for trucking, and fail early. Get the CDL, and IDK, get a cheap road tractor for your growing business, if you can find help, that is, and in the off season pull a flatbed on a limited basis and gain knowledge that way. To go full tilt into the trucking business, even as a driver cold quarter, from a relatively successful venture, doesn't make much sense today. Please reconsider, landscaping is HUGE here in Colorado, if they can find help,,that is. Keep us posted on any decisions, lots of knowledge here.

 

Wages in trucking have stagnated over the past 30 years and will go lower. Trucking has become a job for new immigrants as a quick entry into a mediocre job. Some companies are lowering wages as there is a glut of experienced drivers. Pursue a trade,,,any trade pays more than trucking,,,,,industrial electrician is in high demand,,,welders, boilermakers mechanics are good but its dirty work,,,however all trades pay around 40 per hour.

 

While it's true, I do think wages have leveled off, but in perspective, it's still twice( or Thrice) what I made in my best days. Trucking has always been a mediocre job, something one could do with little or no training, and still holds true today. The sad part is, since younger Americans don't want to do anything, trucking has become a viable source of income for just about anyone, including immigrants.I don't think there's a glut of exp. drivers, more like the exp. ones hung it up in disgust, and got to fill the seats, or no strawberries at Wallymart. Can't have that now, can we?

 

I'm happy doing this, and so are many others. But it's also true that there's very high turnover in the industry, and a majority of prospective drivers don't even make it one year in the business. Bottom line is you won't know whether you like the job unless you try.

There's a fair amount of variety in the driving profession. Post #4 above describes life as an OTR driver, but it's nothing like my experience. Starting out doing linehaul for an LTL company would probably pay somewhere around $75 to $80k your first year. That's working 5 nights a week. You might have the option of picking up a sixth day if you don't really want or need the entire weekend off.

For me, the pros are that I enjoy the work, and it's by far the easiest thing I've ever been paid to do. The cons are that there are plenty of ways to make more money, and even with a set schedule for local driving, things like traffic, delays getting loaded or meeting a relay driver, etc., can pop up at any time. You'll need some flexibility in the rest of your life. For example, just because your route should be finished by 6 am, don't assume you'll always be done in time to take the kids to school at 7. And those can be long nights - up to 12 hours or even more on occasion. You won't have a lot of free time during the week, especially if you have to travel a long way from home to your company's terminal.

 

You will be limited in employers until you are 23. There are legal age limits and then there are insurance requirements, they are not the same things. The industry is slow right now, they are NOT just hiring every applicant that applies.