What if you don't have a job

But you did this a year ago when more jobs were available and you had the sense to stay away from the OTR companies . No doubt you had connections to get hired . Whole different circumstances with wannabes now . My son's getting his CDL too but he'll be working with the same employer that is going from a straight truck to a semi with his business hauling cars to and from auctions .

 

If you decide to drive truck, don't just look at the "driver mills" like swift and the like. I don't know about your area, but out here, there are AG jobs available that many new drivers don't even look at because they think they'll make more money OTR which usually ends up not being the case.

 

This industry is always going to have its ups and downs, and the economy has caused many company's to go under. Most of the companies that have gone under were cash poor. Thats just bad business! I have been driving for over eleven years and was actually laid off in January as a CDL driving instructor.
My husband and I have always prepared so I am just enjoying some time off since he has a good paying job driving.

If driving is something you have always wanted to do and your wife supports you. Go for it! These big companies are still putting students through school because their are many drivers out there that still have the mentality that they have several years experience and continue to try to job hop because miles are down. The companies are just replacing these drivers that continue to quit.
There are also drivers out there that still do not managing time well and still continue to play around in truck stops, will not keep the door closed.
I have a friend right now that has his own truck leased onto a major reefer carrier and he is easily doing 2800-3200 a week. People still have to eat!
It will be tough the first year but work hard,keep your record clean and do not be like some of these drivers that whine and complain about everything. The strong will survive in trucking and the weak will go under.

 

Some of the posts on here are a bit extreme.

Yes, you could have bad weeks and only earn 300-400 dollars, but if you run your truck in a responsible fashion that will be the exception and not the rule.

Yes, food could cost you $100 a week, but food costs $100 dollars a week at home too. The difference is, that food on the road is tax deductible (per diem) and if you get by with 100 bucks a week on the road you will get it back 2fold or more at the end of the year.

Let's see . 1,000 miles at $.26 a mile = $260 a week . 40 hours at $8 an hour = $320 a week .

Also, compare apples to apples gentlemen. You are comparing the extreme low pay as a truck driver versus the highest pay as a burger flipper.

Trucking is a lifestyle choice. You can choose to flip burgers and be home every night drinking a beer in your flip flops and wife beater, in a ratty old recliner that you picked up 2nd hand at a yard sale, or you can choose to be out seeing the country in a top of the line truck.... eating tacos in texas, cheese in wisconsin, stopping for a 15 minute walk on the beach in Gulfport.

So much negativity. Tell it how it was when you wanted to drive. Perhaps this has become a dog eat dog world, survival of the fittest. If you're not making any money... someone's eating your lunch because I know plenty who are.

 

Anyone can answer this, but what's an AG job? I'm still looking with my new Class A, and I'd love to avoid the huge companies. Thanks in advance.

 

Apples to apples. McDonalds starts you out at $9 an hour here.

That burger flipper worked an honest 40 hours, and went home. While the trucker spent his entire week, trying to get a tax break next year with his per diem. These are not good times for a lot of companies.

Trucking is a lifestyle choice for some of us. It's a method of survival for others. Don't confuse the two.

I used to say if I was single, I would never come home. Now days, it seems like a waste of time for me to crawl in the truck. I can't get that time back.

I'm still making good money. But it's taken a back seat to the thing we call life. Strange how age does that to some people.

 

Short for agriculture. Fertiliser, tomatoes, wheat, pears, ect. generally payed by percentage rather than per mile. Many ag companies will also haul non ag like rock and such. It has its downsides but the worst its been for me seems to be regular for alot of the OTR van guys.

 

That burger flipper worked an honest 40 hours, and went home. While the trucker spent his entire week, trying to get a tax break next year with his per diem. These are not good times for a lot of companies.

Trucking is a lifestyle choice for some of us. It's a method of survival for others. Don't confuse the two.

It is a method of survival for someone who has been driving for so long. I decided last year to get out of a truck, after 6 years on the road. I did some computing and figured out that I needed a job that paid me atleast $25.00 and hour to keep up with what I was making weekly as a driver. Little chance of that. I'm off the road now, and happy, but broke. But I'm only 33, so starting over is a possibility.

This forum is meant for new driver's,so they aren't exactly in your shoes. The simple fact is, that if someone is choosing trucking merely as a method of survival and they are not crazy about the lifestyle they are choosing, they are not going to be happy, and they are probably going to quit after 6 months.

Question: How many people do you know, men or women, that have spent 23 years working at a burger joint? How many people do you know that have spent 30 years or more working as a truck driver? If these new drivers or wannabe drivers make this initial decision for the right reasons they can be happy and successful in their new careers. On the other hand, they will probably never be happy or successful beginning a career at McDonalds, regardless of their reason for deciding to work there.

 

At least 8 living within four blocks of me. I know 2 more. But they live outside of town.

Four...on my block alone.

Defining success as becoming the next Donald Trump....no they'll never be happy.

Defining success as becoming financial "stable". Has absolutely nothing to do with your chosen profession. Unless it's volunteer work, that doesn't pay.

Based on your own statements, and using that information. I would be it total crisis/meltdown mode at this very moment. I'd like to see $25 an hour. But thank God I don't need it.

However, our situations are not the same. And your definition of success will change, as you grow older.

I feel that I am a very successful man. I've helped raise 2 very respectable young people. That have manners, goals, and a plan for success. But most of all, they have ambition and a willingness to do whatever it takes to get there....except drive a truck.

I have a third child, that I've failed miserably. But you can't help those who refuse to accept it.

Most of all. I'm happy, and I'm content. That is the goal of any success story. Not the stuff, nor the money. But money sure makes life interesting when your bored.

 

"If it means keeping the house and allowing my boys to stay in their school I will do anything."

anything? like the truck stop ladies who knock on your door at 2AM? what can I get for $20?