Is it worth? Please advice

Some 'starter companies' will screw drivers. Some are a fair (if not profitable) deal. Some are a good deal. Depends on your MVR and location largely.
Your first year with a company that trains you, will probably just be OK. You wont get all the hometime you want and the pay wont be that great. And you could always do better or worse than that.
Some people are successful buying a truck and being an O/O off the bat. However they all are familiar with the transportation industry, and have proficient business practices. An ok used truck is about half of your current annual salary. Plus taxes, fees, maintenance costs. Can you really afford that risk?
A good company will give you a load and a time and let you put your training, skill, and experience to get there on time, intact, and safely. Freedom is a bit bit to trucking, and you will find truckers to be a very independent lot. I'd keep away from any company that wants to keep you caged up.

 

I would love to buy a truck myself and run under my own however it's not the smart thing to do.
First insurance would be impossible for a new driver and two you need to learn a lot to be successful.
Sure you could chance it without much knowledge but is it worth losing everything?
As much as I'd want to be an O/O I wouldn't do it without at least two years experience and $30k in the bank.

First year company driver can earn 40k+
Second year can earn 50k+
If you do your job and aren't lazy nor pick a crappy company.

With experience you can move into a good local tanker or LTL job where you'll get home a lot more and still earn 50k plus with benefits.
Yes the cost of living on the road is high but you get back good money from your taxes when you are OTR.

You can have vacations sure, mainly 1 week paid time off after working 1 full year.
If you think you can get time off here and there and get back to see you're family whenever you want.. this is NOT the job for you.
You don't know how the industry works to be an O/O, I've read and researched for over a year, been driving nearly a year and still don't know enough for me to take a leap to be an O/O but that's just be.
You can go bankrupt real easily being an O/O if you don't fully "have it together".

The real question you should be asking yourself is...
What is your goal...

To make more money for yourself and your family
or
To spend more time with your family

you can't have both and get into trucking
maybe after 1 year you can get a good local job being you live in tanker heaven there
but this those from what I heard are 12 hour shifts with weekends off, it's not easy but you'll be home unlike OTR.

 

What he said... It's really a tough road. Realistically, you start with a mega. You'll run, not much home time. If you tough it out the first year or two better choices will open up. Buying a truck is the easy part, getting rejected by every insurance company isn't. No insurance company will consider anyone with less than a year of commercial experience. So that's not an option. IMO after a few years driving and accumulating truck industry knowledge an experience I'd jump to O/O, I feel its a next step for many drivers especially those business savvy. Then some of that freedom will come.

Of course its all case by case, take it slow, read read read this board do your research. Good luck

 

Roberto 0512, I would say that trucking is a great choice for you and here is why:

1. Right now you are struggling to make $31K a year working TWO jobs, both of which are PART TIME and neither of which offer you benefits.

2. If you become a trucker, even going with one of the "dreaded" megas, you can easily make AT LEAST as much as you are making now WITH full benefits. I just finished my first year with Swift and made about $37K. Granted, I've been OTR and got home on average every month or so for a couple of days.

3. Once you have one year's experience, then your options for higher paying jobs and local jobs increases. After two years your options increase again. Even your first job out of the gate can pay much much higher than the $31K you are currently making. You have to ask yourself what your upside is working two part time jobs versus what you can make with ONE job in trucking.

4. Regarding freedom, I'd say as an OTR driver I do have a sense of freedom that is greater than when I was working an office job. On long multi-day hauls I set my schedule and don't have anyone "looking over my shoulder". Most communication with dispatch is over the Qualcomm computer. If I do my job well and deliver on time there are few hassles.

Regarding getting your own truck, I STRONGLY recommend you DON'T do that until you have a few year's experience working as a company driver. Learn to be a good driver in all senses of the word with someone else taking the risk of mechanical failures. After you have gained that experience, then get your own truck. With the 2-3 year's experience you will be easier to insure and can lease on with a company. Stay away from lease/purchase programs. If you can, save your money and buy a used truck AND have at least $20K in reserve for repairs and operating expenses.

In your area there are a lot of high paying jobs working the oil fields, many which can get you home weekly or more often. Take the plunge and get into a career that has a future.

 

Years ago I was a road trainer for Navajo
The very first thing I would tell a new driver before he/she even stepped foot into my truck was this:

Trucking isn't a job- it's a life style
There are no grey areas- meaning you will either love it or hate it- it will never be "just okay."
If you love it- it gets in your blood and you will do it the rest of your life
If you hate it- you'll want to get out at the first truck stop and be on a bus home
It's not "BJ and the Bear" you do actually work
If you plan on being an owner-operator give it five years before you even think about doing it
And finally- if the day comes that you think you know it all and can not be taught anything and don't have respect for the equipment and what it can do or for the road and it's hazards- it's time to get off the road because then you're a danger to yourself and other drivers.

I hope that looking at trucking this way will help you. Best of luck

 

Pick a skilled trade that will lead to self-employment and let you get home every night. Plumbing, auto mechanics, HVAC, painting, landscaping, electrical, or roofing come to mind. Forget benefits. The few companies that offer benefits just limit the hourly pay to compensate for what they spend providing those benefits. Get paid and you can buy your own benefits. Be your own boss, set your own rates, and get home every night. Get your training on the job. That's the way to go.

Trucking is no better than having your two part-time jobs, and worse, being stuck on the road away from home.

 

Trucking rocks!! But that's only if you have diesel in your blood. Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee Hawwwwww!!!

Oh ya who wants to be home with a couple crying kids. Leave them with the wifey and enjoy the open road. Nahh

Also after you get some experience maybe you can get on the JB Hunt dedicated Budwieser account. That was some pretty good coin back when I ran it wow guess its been over 10 years ago. You can be home every night with that gig. Pretty sweet benefits as well.