Thinking about trucking for a living

Only two wives? I agree,,its just a job. Only two wives,,i dont get that..two, dang.

 

Paralysis by analysis

 

So how about an update. Things seem more positive now?

 

Lol! I think I learned my lesson after the second one!

 

Hi Ind0792, I guess if you're willing, personal relationship info (married/kids etc.) would help us to understand your needs better. And thus, you'll receive better advise to your particular situation. If OTR driving would stress personal relationships, then consider local/Regional driving. I would recommend a large bulk hauling carrier (cement/fuel/asphalt/steel/gravel etc.) Some of which are unionized, home usually every 1-2 days, and the pay is comparable to OTR. Look in the yellowpages locally, and ask HR about possibilities and experience requirements. You should qualify for student loans towards getting a CDL. The hard part is getting the experience, mostly because of insurance providers restricting hiring criteria, for smaller companies. The big OTR carriers are mostly self-insured, and write their own rules regarding hiring practices and in-house training. That's one reason it's easier to get hired for OTR. Hopes this helps.
P.S. You're doing the right thing, taking your time and researching before you take the plunge.

 

I realize this will probably reveal too much to be anonymous, but anyway, I was one of the special drivers for Schneider in Canada with the 3 week rotation because I was from far away and I loved the idea of living on the road and going everywhere. I had the maximum possible hours driving from all the drivers in the center and basically I was making about $800-1000 per week there. (Gross income of course, in Ontario you need to multiply that by 0.76 to figure out a general purpose after-tax/EI/CPP amount.) It's not terrible but it is better than nothing, but you have to consider that a steak dinner within 500 miles of Guelph costs $20-30, whereas a steak dinner in a place like Laramie, WY has $16 all you can eat steak buffet. Bad thing is, Schneider doesn't know that Canadians can drive that far. Yes, I love my steak and mashed potatoes. Unfortunately, Smokies is closed in Kanona/Bath now as well, so Carlisle runs are no fun anymore. It's just plain old Subway meals now.

Schneider will pay you fuel mileage on your car to get to the center. Now, I'm not officially an accountant, but I got enough college training to figure out that the fuel allowance should be considered a taxable benefit, but there was no tax slip for it, so maybe in the future this is something that will bite me. Anyway, from what I seen, Schneider is the only company that offered a fuel allowance if you were far away. If you have a little 4 cylinder 5 speed car, you're basically making money on the fuel allowance.

The quickest way to get fired is, after noticing that your brakes are worn down to the pads and the mechanics won't replace your worn out tires, going to the office and telling them that you can get a better job across the street. Then again, I probably would have made more money packing meat into sausage casings for the other Schneider company. On another note, Schneider trucks never get pulled into weigh stations, so your chances of getting inspected are - you guessed it! - zero. My first inspection ever, was a level 3 clean inspection in Colorado. Just a big, important note; If you ever get to drive that far into the US, make sure you don't have the word Canada plastered on the side of your truck unless you are sure your truck is going to pass every inspection. If you aren't sure, don't bother driving there. Make sure you also know all of the CVSA inspection criteria like the back of your hand.

The only problem I really had with Schneider was the condition of the truck and trailer. I had one trailer with a messed up tandem slider that could have potentially become a major problem with a big bump on the highway. The mechanics didn't even care about it, but you know what, if you disagree with the mechanics, their word is above yours according to the operations manager. I still remember that trip - the first traffic light caused the tandem slider pins to jump, and the whole tandem slammed to the back of the trailer. I truly thought I was going to die when it happened. It could have been worse. If the company cared about the drivers concerns, I'm sure I would have been in a better mood. As it was, week by week I became more furious at the way I was being treated. Then again, it's a moot point to complain about it on a forum where nothing will ever be accomplished.

If you think truck driving is easy and doesn't require much intellectual ability, you're going to have a rough time. You need to be a jack-of-all-trades. Some accounting/admin for the paperwork involved, some mechanical knowledge to understand the physics aspect of why it might be bad to let your trailer wheels roll onto a soft shoulder. (Come on guys! Stop putting Orange trailers in the weeds!) It helps to be able to have a very strong reading comprehension because you are expected to know all the laws and regulations of every jurisdiction you visit, along with the type of load you have and what might be required. (Like maybe hauling alcohol or dangerous goods, requiring extra paperwork or permits.) It's not a job for someone who just dropped out of school.

To summarize, from all the companies I drove for, I think Schneider was the best one. Go there, get your experience there, try not to have an accident. (Random close call: Driving south on I-75 somewhere south of Detroit but in Michigan state, there was a giant feed bag sitting on the highway. Yes, I broke the rules and swerved around it, no problem, but my life is more important than anything the safety department will say about me. On that account, if you do swerve, pretend you're driving on a slippery road - that is - make gentle steering movements to get back into position. I could feel the trailer swaying, but gentle control seems to be the key there!) Yes, you will get brake checked. Don't forget that you also have a brake pedal. Using that pedal won't affect your insurance rates as much as hitting the car will. Use it. Screw the safety department. Again, your safety, and, not to mention your responsibility for the safety of others on the road, is more important than anything safety departments will tell you.

Buy a dashcam and truck GPS. The dashcam is probably the most important thing you'll buy, even more important than your safety vest or safety boots. No joke.

 

I’ve been driving stateside daily for 18 years. They don’t care if your truck is from Canada.