Is anybody REALLY happy?

You might not have any bills, but you need to keep in mind that every basic necessity of life is going to cost a lot more on the road than it does at home.

 

The big incomes can happen but don't expect to make big money hauling van freight or reefer freight and be home on weekends. The people making good money are either running their tails off or they haul specialty freight and make better rates or mileage pay. You will always read the grasses are always greener somewhere else. Truth is trucking is trucking and its about the same anywhere you go. Company recruiters get paid to get you in the door. How long you stay is up to you. Turn over is high in any OTR company. Union companies are better but you will work the docks or crap jobs for a while. Private companies that hire you to haul their freight are better but your still going to work hard. If your going to run OTR then get used to learning lanes and inbound and outbound freight volumes. Some states like Texas have lot of inbound but weak on outbound. Florida is the same. You think your getting a great rate to go to Florida but try getting out of there. I lease to Landstar and we as owner operators book our own loads through agents. Its a lot of freedom but some are probably better leasing to a forced dispatch company. Let a trained person decide where you go. We are all out here to make good money. But as the turnover rate shows. Most drivers are still looking for that Utopia company that pays really well with decent time at home. Is it out there? I guess for a few it is. Most of us are still searching.

 

Happy where I am.
Was at the cincy terminal earlier, dispatcher came down to the shop and started chatting a storm, we went for lunch and did some shopping at the Wal-mart, got back to the yard just has his lunch ended.

 

The starter companies have ceilings on pay, which is why their business model is to turn over trainees rather than retain experienced/quality drivers. There are very few "veteran" drivers for the starter companies. Once you hit say 5 years of service you don't get more than .42 cpm...after working your way up from .28 in your first 6 months. Most don't hop just for pay. They hop for conditions, loads, better dispatch, treatment, etc...or just for a change or break from OTR. You rarely hear about companies that value drivers hiring en masse, because obviously they don't need to.