Being an Owner Operator vs. City Unionized Driver

Well...I know someone who made a similar move successfully.

@Banker

 

I would sell my truck in a heart beat if I could skip the seniority line and make what you do with benefits for 52 hours of work!!

Being owner operator is never ending work LOL...

 

Describe lease payment on truck. If you are talking about what I think you are, you just might be better off driving a pizza delivery car.

 

If your lucky you might get up to minimum wage .... oh that’s before @&$$)((;/-!?((& and a few other charges that no one on earth could figure out.

 

The real issue that I see is finding a niche form of trucking that many can’t or won’t do that you might actually like. Most of these that I am aware of you won’t walk right in the door and start making top money. Pulling a van for a mega carrier may not net you drivers wages and definitely not union wages with benefits. There still is money in some forms of trucking and it seems like some forms of specialized will generally keep rates up. I wouldn’t personally leave a good paying Union job that you like, just to own a truck. If there were other factors in your decision, I would research the pay before I made the leap. The city job vs the road is a whole different issue that only you can decide. I usually run short and am home most every night, but when I want I can run the road. I left a good Union Gig to get away from nights and weekends. If I had a day job, I may still be there. If I could rewind 30 years to being a young city driver at CF again I would, but I don’t have that option.

 

I left out a part of my experience of transitioning to my current gig. When I left my Union Job working nights and weekends I became a company driver for 4 years in the field I am in now to get experience in this new field. That job was union also. When I felt I had enough experience in my field to become a successful owner op, I had to leave the union company because they did not have owner ops.

 

Stay where you are, you never will have it better.

 

Stay in the union!

50 hours a week? I would be so happy if I only had to do that plus benefits. You guys hiring?

 

I was a Teamster for 4 years always at or near the bottom of the seniority list. Great money for the hours worked although running near junk equipment and having incapable management made the job not worth it.
I'm making more money and have less stress as an owner operator. Freedom is priceless!