Leaving a career job for trucking

I get to be a carnivore as well. Only because certain foods = fuel to get things done like moving 45000 pounds off the floor in a few hours. 120 pound boxes at a time.

Trucking was not always good, but it was way better than being trapped in a cube dying 8 hours a time. Particularly when I found what I consider my niche, high value pharmacy loads with emphasis on narcotics. It's tracked beyond reason because it has to be. No problems with it ever. I'll get back into it if the body was repairable in certain ways. What with the advancing medical technology has done in my lifetime.

It is a journey, the morning commute to work is about two steps between your bunk and the office in that drivers seat. And you could stop anywhere you knew served good food. In short you were free within the limits of your appt time for delivery. You cannot be late ever.

 

My first move had some lessons in it. Many.

Do not own anything you cannot lift by yourself is the first one. =)

And stop renting places on the top floor is the other.

 

I worked as a journalist for a number of years before sensing the upcoming depression in media and jumping ship. I still love writing, and I do it as often as I can, but I'm glad I don't have to deal with that to make a living anymore.

 

Come on in, the waters fine

 

Vietnam, college, manufacturing quality control manager, store manager, trucking in the early 80's, never looked back. semi retired now.

 

I am also a college graduate out of Cal State Univ, Long Beach. I taught public high school for one semester, and then moved on, unfortunately. I was too young, and lacked some essential stress-management skills. At the time my focus wasn’t about money. It was about having a career I would “love” doing until old age or until I could receive all my retirement benefits. Now, I must say it’s more about the money and achieving early retirement through high income and very low personal expenses.

OTR trucking is tough on the body and the mind, but with lots of work, it is manageable. If you make the leap, go in for the kill. Climb the ladder as quickly and safely as possible. Don’t get stuck in one stage. I recommend the business route, but the employee route is also possible, although probably a longer route.

 

If you go the employee route, find a local job once you hit 6-12 months of experience. The pay for a local class-A driver should be 60-80k in a big city, and possibly higher if you do hazmat, tanker, or double/triples. A legit local job is one where you are home every day.

By the way, when people talk about how terrible trucking is, we are talking mostly about over-the-road trucking. It does not apply to local trucking.