I'm looking to become a trucker and have several questions?

Those are good questions
But they have been answered many times over
My suggestion is use our search feature
Here is a link on how to use it Using our search feature
Take some time do some reading you will get your answers

 

You will be able to find a great bit of information here. The questions you asked are some what subjective, so there is no real straight answer.
Also, a phenomenon that often happens is that when you receive an answer, it triggers at least 3 more questions.
What I have found, is that by reading and responding you learn a great deal. tt is hard to just simply answer a question, for example, what is the worst thing about trucking, a simple question, but it is differet for each driver.
Just join in and you will discover a wealth o information as well as make some friends and contacts.

 

1. The answer is irrelevant because hiring with that company is no guarantee you'll be getting good miles . You'd likely be on the low side of the average .
2 . This is the best indicator of how the economy is affecting trucking .
http://www.bts.gov/xml/tsi/src/datadisp_table.xml . Although there have been very slight increases in freight in recent months freight is still the lowest it has been in years .
Here's an article from the latest issue of "The Trucker " . Free issues of "The Trucker " can be found at many rest areas .

http://www.thetrucker.com/News/Stories/2009/11/6/Joblessratetops10percenttruckingloses7500.aspx
3. Some drivers with families make it but most of them are the experienced ones . Many newbies complain of not getting miles and making less than $300 a week .
4 . Again , irrelevant unless you have 3 or more years experience and a clean MVR the best won't hire you .
5 . If you mean worst it's being a good professional driver and losing your job because some abusive , bottom feeder company came in with a cut throat rate . This is happening to drivers for Emerson Electric . The company is shutting down their private fleet and giving the work to Schneider .
Adding an h to your spelling would give some interesting and appropriate answers but get me in trouble with the staff .

 

1. Whereever you can get a job at
2. Depends on what you haul/ willing to work
3. Im sure many people have done it but prolly pretty hard
4. Stating out is good anywhere you can find a job...stick it out a year then move on
5 Hardest part for me dealing with 4 wheelers and big cites

 

I'll give these a shot in my opinion

1) Team drivers or solos who run a few weeks at a time
2) If people are not buying, things are not shipping
3) Depends on your wife can she handle any problem while your a thousand miles away such as the furnace going out to a death in the Family?
4) to many variables here, depends on what you want Miles, hometime,Area run Etc.....
5) For me it is being out on the road when the Fireworks are going off in the sky on 4th of July, being stuck in a truck stop in a snow storm on Christmas eve, and sitting in loading docks for hours and hours and hours.

 

Well you have to decide what you want. Pay, Home time, good equipment. Very tough to get it all unless your going to run local or regional short haul.

If you go to Stevens (and most OTR companies) your going to have to request home time 10 days in advance. Your first year you'll be lucky to clear 40,000. As to your first truck being, well just say your the new guy... There going to make you pay your dues... Good Luck.