Thinking about trucking

Seriously? These questions.....I mean seriously??

Let's address the 2 big ones:

-You need money? - Won't find it in trucking.
-You want a lot of home time? - Won't find much in trucking.
(Naturally more home time = less money)

Out of every 100 people that start a trucking career, 97 of them are GONE at the 1 year mark...
....and usually in MORE debt than they started out with.

 

Home Run white sox win! Money will take time took me almost 2 yrs to see any real money. Home time will kill your pay if you not willing to stay out atleast 2 wkends a month. My 1st year I got murdered by debt. Had to pay credit cards with credit cards just to live. My above average credit went to making deposits before I could flush the toilet. If you really wanna be in a truck go for it and good luck but from what you said be best to stay away.

 

Random stupid answers

Company card
No toilet
Yes, internet everywhere
Limited parking and limited sleep

You sound like one of the Japanese fighting fish. You have the babies and then kill the mate. I forgot, they eat the babies too.

Why do you have a girlfriend if you don't care what she thinks?

 

I guess you didnt expect these kind of answers, did ya? With the kind of questions you asked. You better make sure you make it in your business. It doesnt sound like trucking would work for you.

 

Mr. Skivir, like they say there are no stupid questions, only stupid answers. I see you have received your share. Just for starters I see you a Naval Vet, so Thank You for your Service. Number two your a Divorced Dad, with child support payments. Been there done that. Wives come and go but kids are forever. I see your trying to balance this additional expense and relationship with your life style. Not an easy trick to do, but your trying. Number three, your starting a business in this economy where its hard to even keep a job, not to mention being a small businessman. This will be hard to do. I wish you luck my friend. Now on to the trucking questions.

There are two ways you can approach this problem. You will have to pay your dues. Companies like Schneider, Swift, Warner, and England will teach you how to drive and get you your commercial license. These companies are the bottom feeders, and you'll make 35-45K a year and live in the truck to do it, but you will acquire experience. You won't get rich driving a truck, but you can make an above average salary with a LTL Freight company. (LTL Less Than a Truck Load) Companies like Fedex Freight, ABF, YRCW, UPS Freight, are LTL Freight companies. These companies do not hire inexperience drivers off the street. They pay the highest wages and command the best drivers, so what do you do to get a foot in the door? You can start off as a part time dock worker. 10-15 dollars an hour with no benefits. Trust me on this one, they will bust you butt at first to see if you can handle the job, but then they will back off. Companies like Fedex Freight will teach you how to work the dock, and they also have driver training programs if they like you attitude and work. Most of your LTL Freight companies work on what is called the Hub and Spoke system. In a large metropolitan city they have smaller terminals located around the city. The local drivers pickup and deliver the freight. The freight is loaded into trailers and taken to the Hub terminal at night. These are much larger terminals that receive all the freight from the surrounding spoke terminals. These Hub terminals usually run 24 hours a day and offer the best chance for advancement, so that is where you want to look for work.

To answer your other questions,
Sorry no bathroom aboard
All companies have some kind of charge system set up at truck stops. If your ever asked to put in your own money to buy fuel, don't walk away, run.
You can park anywhere you want to but you have to be legally parked. At night you will see trucks parked on freeway ramps. This technically is illegal, but drivers do it to do paperwork, or catch a short power nap. If you need to spend some time then park at a truck stop where you can get some sleep, fuel, food, a shower, and supplies for the road in relative safety. Good Luck Ricky, TP