Leaving Prime

Look for a local tanker job; home every day and make more than you make OTR pulling a reefer. Most Cardinal Logistics divisions make between $50K - $60K and home almost every day. Same with most food service companies.

 

Good Luck,

you'll do great.

 

Well, trucking may not be so great anymore, depends on your perspective. Still money to be made. But whether u can live more cheaply than in a truck, I'm not so sure. If you're a co. driver, then it is the cheapest way. No rent to pay, shop at Walmart, stay busy with a good co., bank your money. I did that for 1 yr. when I started. The pay rate back then was like .18-.19 cents a mile, so guys nowadays need to wake up and smell the coffee. I saved most of my money, always planned to get my own truck. Ever since that first year, always been an o/o, later went independent. Probably the best advice is don't lease a truck through a co., just worked better for me anyways. I could leave when the time was right. Also, today with the internet, why can't you find a partner/dates online in your hometown/anywhere? Guys have it so easy today, I wish I was 23 again. Good luck.

 

Good luck dogchimp, I experienced the same thing when i was your age and driving and came up with the same results.
This career shouldn't even be considered at a young age unless your a stone loner and or driving a big truck is the greatest thing you ever did and enjoy it so much you would just about do it for free.

 

Oh please if you want to do the job you can handle it as a young guy. I started at 21. Had a family and until the bottom fell out of the economy my wife was by my side. Now a second wife, and she is kinda sorta hanging in there. Some people aren't built for this gig. Specially when they think they are going to make gobs of money. I only lasted a year and a half before I went local and regional, but after 3 years of that. The open road was calling my name.

Hope it works out for you dog. You seem like a guy with your head on your shoulders so I'm sure we might see you back on the forum in a few years with a company who can get out in the left lane and blow the doors off your former company. Good way to exit on the good side instead of being forced out due to incidents. Enjoy your new life, but I think you would have to turn in your cdl to do that. They wanted my life, social security number, and a hole bunch of cash when I got my class A

 

I agree with you in a shortened version, But take in to account the turn over rate in trucking, and i would think that dogchimps, experience and mine and all the others that try it for a short time is much more the norm than your 14 yr experience.
They (we) aren't all bad drivers or roll trucks and thats why we left or leave --its a tough job OTR --not in a digging ditches sorta way --but the life style --you know what i mean dinomite.
Maybe i should take out the word "Loner" --it might be construed in a negative way.
Funny thing though dogchimp, Dinomite is right about you some day thinking about coming back lol- i swore i would never do "Trucking" again --but am considering it again right now --some 30 yr's later.

 

I know that you were already thinking of leaving, but given the situation today your bailing before they can fire you probably won't help. Might not hurt either

They're gonna list your "incidents" with DAC. It certainly won't be "blackballing" given your own admission here of your reports to safety for damaging equipment.

You've got like 3 incidents, if I recall. Your just beating them to the you're fired punch.

 

And the Truth comes out!!