don't become a truck driver

You are forgetting something. Trucking means travel. The job will always be there. Now what about all the places you live? They are all closing plants. Where are you going to work if your at home job goes away?????

 

The train tracks don't go up to each store either. CSX isn't going to be laying tracks up to the loading dock at Walmart any time soon.

 

Don't hold your breath, The country would need10,000 times the Railroads we have now... It's not going to Happen.

 

and i deliver furniture, and people needs beds to sleep on, and chairs to sit on, and tables to eat off of, and a bunch more. when storms hit places, or fires detroy houses as the are out in cali right now, people are going to buy furniure.
or the guy deliving car parts, people still need to work more now then they ever had, so car parts are still getting shipped around. and the list gos on and on for whats needed today.
yeah, i think everyone has seen or herd about the train commericals, but think about it, trains move slower, trains only go straight, they dont make random turns to the stores or shops or whs where the freight they are pulling is going,
its not like the old days where wearhouses were built right alon side train tracks and they unload right into he wearhouse. freght still needs to be moved off the train.
id say that were safe for the most part untill they figure out a way to move freight faster and cheaper then trains, trucks, planes, boats, cars, horse and buggy,
however i do agree with your idea of pullig a ref before pulling a flatbed, cause yes people will eat before they build a new home right now,
but the commercials that we are seeing is to scare the trucking indutry, and hope that us drivers decide to give up trucking and become an engineer. cause they are going to need them,
but this is only my .02

 

Good points from all

Part of my thinking for wanting to get into trucking now is that it is slow...I shouldn't be overwhelmed, especially since being a complete noob to trucking...I think I stand more of a chance of succeeding at this now rather then trying to change careers when trucking is at full steam ahead...which it will be someday, this slowdown can't (hopefully not) last forever. As long as I can find someone to hire a noob for training, if I choose that route, or someone that will hire fresh meat from a cdl school, if I choose that route, this should be the "easiest" and best time to learn.

 

Again your overlooking something. Reefers are for food, but how does the soup co's get the cans to put the soup in? How about pop, where does that can come from? How many times do you see them loading coils in a reefer to make these cans with? You can't seperate one out fit. You need tankers to haul fuel, milk etc. You need flats to haul coils to make cans. You need vans to carry butt wipe. You can't count on one mode of transportation.

 

And THIS is why I laugh at people who say freight is slow, freight is bad, there are no loads.

Am I wrong??

 

Freight is slower right now. People are buying less, which started when gas prices jumped up so high this summer. Things do still need to move, but there is less of them moving right now.

It's also the time of year when freight normally slows down some anyway.

 

I haul RR material for a CSX contractor, so stay busy CSX!!!