New to trucking and I have the bug

Discussion in 'Ask An Owner Operator' started by SantiagoB30, Jun 5, 2025.

  1. Star Rider

    Star Rider Road Train Member

    1,474
    12,048
    Sep 23, 2019
    Michigan
    0
    You would have to contact them, I'm sure Ivan or Boris would tell you the details.
     
  2. Truckers Report Jobs

    Trucking Jobs in 30 seconds

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

  3. D.Tibbitt

    D.Tibbitt Road Train Member

    21,625
    147,442
    Apr 26, 2013
    Gettin' down westbound
    0
    First thing you need to do is put some time in out on the road...30k miles is barely a couple months.. I don't say that to be an ### , it's just that this industry will kick you in the balls everyday of the week .. u need to get a taste of some BS first before you throw away all your time, money, and future trying to run a profitable truck.... there is many a good hands out there that have really been struggling the past couple years... these are guys that have been thru this business backwards forwards and sideways and they are still grinding it out... this #### ain't easy... you don't just buy a truck and a trailer and make money....business doesn't give a #### how hard you work, it will take all your money and tell you to #### right off and try again next time.
    if you want to get into oversize stuff u need to start in flatbed and work from there...nobody goes from swining doors to running 15 wide unless you want to end your career really fast...theres alot of knowledge you need to gain..the best thing you could do is get away from run of the mill dry van, the only way to compete in business is to specialize in whatever it is you wanna do... as a company driver you can also adopt this mentality by gaining skills and experience outside of door slamming.. like getting into tankers or car hauling or open deck...always be constantly improving your skills and learning.. strike up a conversation with the drivers around you and be a good hand to the guys around you, that #### will take you farther than a guy would think and u never know you might make a lifetime friendship just helping a guy fold his tarp or whatever, I certainly have...

    Give it a couple years on the road before u dive in headfirst... I can certainly relate to the feeling of when ur first starting out. My first couple months were like that, but that feeling fades after awhile and it becomes work like anything else... that's when u really find out if u love it or not. That would really suck to ruin your finances for the rest of your life because you didn't give something enough time to see it all the way thru
     
  4. SantiagoB30

    SantiagoB30 Bobtail Member

    12
    14
    May 21, 2025
    0
    Hey thanks man I actually really do appreciate it. And generally I always talk to people I try to make friends everywhere I go. Like one thing that was and will always be memorable for me was when I was leaving Reno and we had the chain up I had no clue and I thought it was you lay the change down and roll over and then put them on I was making the job so much harder for myself I asked a couple of guys try to watch how they do it and then one dude probably around my age a local driver out of Reno he showed me exactly what to do he helped me chain up. Like from what I've noticed so far you have dudes that are going to be 100% selfish and dudes that are going to be helpful and genuinely cool people. I know once I get a urine here doing OTR Drive-In I want to switch over to a flatbed company and go from there. But another option I've always looked at or have been looking at that does peak my interest is transporting milk in tankers I hear it pays very well what is your opinion if you have any on that do you know anything? I try to look up all the time around different things especially Reddit but there's no real clear concise answer on much stuff. I feel as if there's a lot of gatekeeping I don't know if that's just me though.
     
  5. Cdemars316

    Cdemars316 Medium Load Member

    685
    3,756
    Nov 10, 2018
    0
    There's no real concise answer, because there generally isn't one, this is a weird business, I drove for 22 years before I bought a truck, and have learned a ton I. The past 5 years of crap I didn't know about the business. The driving part of owning your own truck is the smallest part of it. I already new that going into it, it's all the other compliance crap and all the little crap you never think about that make me shake my head. Also the whole heavy haul thing might be the toughest part of this business to get into and learn how to bud out loads properly so you actually make money on them
     
    Rideandrepair and D.Tibbitt Thank this.
  6. 201

    201 Road Train Member

    12,275
    25,061
    Apr 16, 2014
    high plains colorado
    0
    Welcome aboard, you'll find you are among friends here. You came to the right place, many of us, me included, would have killed for a reference site like this years ago. You may get 10 different answers, however. What you want, is very typical of a newer driver. This is one case where more is not better, and I drove company trucks for 20 years before I got my 1st truck. The common problem we all have as truck drivers, is we have too much time to think. We struggle along in our castrated company trucks, seeing those fancy KWhoppers effortlessly gliding down the road, money just pouring out the stacks. Thing is, you don't know the particulars, and its a mess right now. Patience, my friend. Get some more miles, listen to books on tape, but forget about an O/O, at least for a while. I have a sinking feeling, we are going to see a disaster that will make 1929 look like a picnic. An O/O will feel it 1st, and company drivers will be in demand, even more so. Stay put, and listen to the dollars drop in the box;). By the way, milk is probably the least paying of all trucking jobs, trust me on that. If I was to do it today, either intermodal( with my own chassis) or flatbed. With the lack of OTR drivers, intermodal is going to become even bigger, you'll see.
     
    Rideandrepair and Crude Truckin' Thank this.
  7. Sons Hero

    Sons Hero Road Train Member

    2,244
    22,061
    Jan 8, 2021
    Indiana
    0
    [QUOTE="SantiagoB30, post: 13209226, member: But another option I've always looked at or have been looking at that does peak my interest is transporting milk in tankers I hear it pays very well what is your opinion if you have any on that do you know anything? I try to look up all the time around different things especially Reddit but there's no real clear concise answer on much stuff. I feel as if there's a lot of gatekeeping I don't know if that's just me though.[/QUOTE] I own a small dairy farm, we’re only milking 80 cows. my hat is off to the milkmen that do farm pick up! it’s about like the mail, through wind and snow and ice and all manner of horrid weather, that milk needs to be picked up! It does pay good however, and if you have a family, you can still be at home every night generally. My milkman has been running a route for 52 years now, and he says it’s been a great life. Just like any sector of the industry, or any other job, it has good days, and some not so good. As far as using Reddit, that’s not a very accurate place to go IMO. To many entitled crybabies on there.
     
  8. 201

    201 Road Train Member

    12,275
    25,061
    Apr 16, 2014
    high plains colorado
    0
    I own a small dairy farm, we’re only milking 80 cows. my hat is off to the milkmen that do farm pick up! it’s about like the mail, through wind and snow and ice and all manner of horrid weather, that milk needs to be picked up! It does pay good however, and if you have a family, you can still be at home every night generally. My milkman has been running a route for 52 years now, and he says it’s been a great life. Just like any sector of the industry, or any other job, it has good days, and some not so good. As far as using Reddit, that’s not a very accurate place to go IMO. To many entitled crybabies on there.[/QUOTE]
    To be clear, farm pickup and bulk transport are 2 different animals. I've done both, and farm pickup is by far, a much better deal. Great people, laid back, it's no wonder to me these old timers stay with it for so long. That's fading, my friend. I read, an astounding 1,000 farms fail EVERY MONTH in the US, that's 250 a week! Many are getting to the point, with thousands of cows, they have their own tanks, and Farmboy John hauls them when not on manure duty. The small farm is a dinosaur, sadly.
     
    Rideandrepair and Iamoverit Thank this.
  9. ducnut

    ducnut Road Train Member

    2,570
    7,741
    Dec 31, 2010
    SPI
    0
    His posts were being sarcastic; he’s not serious. The Chicago-based, lease-purchase scams are known to sucker dreamers into signing up.

    Stay a company driver. If you live in a metro area where there’s a UPS hub, that’s where you need to focus on going. Alternatively, any of the other LTL companies are worth looking at. If you have a Walmart DC, that’d be another great option. Make money; not headaches.
     
  10. Chinatown

    Chinatown Road Train Member

    74,669
    169,721
    Aug 28, 2011
    Henderson, NV & Orient
    0
    Where is your location?
    You mentioned Reno; are you in Reno?
     
    Rideandrepair Thanks this.
  11. Iamoverit

    Iamoverit Road Train Member

    2,141
    4,869
    Oct 31, 2023
    0
    Sounds like you already know better then us so why bother with walls of dreamy texts? Go buy yourself a combo unit, an over priced insurance policy and a gouging load board account. Waste no time, my friend. The big road and endless revenue streams are calling your name. Please, don't forget to come back and tell us about all the riches you've made with your "hustle."
     
    Last edited: Jun 6, 2025
  • Truckers Report Jobs

    Trucking Jobs in 30 seconds

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