One thing I have noticed in potential drivers.

Best advice I can offer to wannabe drivers would be to hop in the with a family friend, neighbor or relative and go on a haul. But do it more than once, the first time is always a thrill and may not be the second or third time around.

 

For me I had hoped it would be a good career change, as America will always need/want something delivered.

 

The problem is they want/need less of it . More people out of work , less goods being produced and bought . Freight has been on a steady decline for a year . Werner said they moved 11% less freight in November 2009 than they did in November 2008 . That is why they REDUCED their fleet size by 10% as did many other carriers .

 

I never had a "thing" for trucks. never "dreamed" of being a truck driver. I did it because there was a demand for it. a HUGE demand when I started - around the first of 2005. I ran, and ran hard - good miles, good loads, not a second to spare. it was like that for several years until the economy went into the toilet in 2007 (which, for some reason, was obama's fault - even though no one had ever heard of him at the time.)

most potential riders would definitely benefit from doing a ride along. if most guys did a ride along and saw what it was really like, every truck driving school in the country would be out of business within a month. unfortunately, most people either don't know a trucker, or if they do, most companies won't allow passengers. so, the CDL mill industry rolls on.

 

Do yourself a favor and actually investigate this for yourself. No reason to believe us. This is a hard life for the ones that make it and trust me most don't. Thousands of dollars spent without any satisfaction. Alot of money if you are already broke...Think about it.

 

Freight tonnage (in 2009) was the lowest since 1982. Not to much of a future in OTR until this turns.

 

I loved trucks since I was 3 and never stopped loving anything that moved, ships, planes machinery. When I was 18 I started driving a B model Mack with 5 x 3 and a patient teacher. He took me on a trip, drove 300 miles and then said,"Its yours." I'd get on a mountain climbing and miss a gear and have to stop and he never said a word. I'd love to find an old B and have it redone like a new one, and pull loads with it.

 

I went on the road with a friend for 3 weeks and it did show me that the road life isn't all sunshine and roses. It also showed me that it was something I still wanted to do. I didn't get my Class A, but I did get my C, and I'm hopefully going to be on the road in a cargo van in the next few weeks. I'm excited, but I also know it is a JOB, not a vacation or sight seeing adventure. I've never been afraid of hard work, and I know this will be no cake walk. But I am going into it with my eyes wide open. I can plan to fail, or fail to plan. I like to think I plan to succeed, but that is something only time will tell.

 

I am still a newbie... I do not regret getting my cdl and being in this career field. For me, if it was just about the money, then I know there are other fields or careers I could do to earn more.
I enjoy what I am doing and the chllenges. Like the other day tarping a load of hay in the cold, windy, snowy weather... it was tough... but, when it was done and I was in th truck thawing and enjoying some hot coffee.. I also felt alot of satisfaction having done it.
I have always been like... like when I was younger and ran in my first marathon... the training was't easy, but satisfying in it's own way, same with the race, I didn't finish first, or even place that matter, but I did finish, exhausted, with cramps, in pain and winded... but, I did it.
I like the hard work and challenges that trucking offers me. Alot of people complain about not being able to idle, and I actually like to see how little I can idle...
I like the solitude of trucking a well... it has given me the opportunty to deepen my spirituality, strengthen my prayers and meditations, and have more self awareness and understanding... I like spending time with myself.
There are alot of things, life lessons, that trucking is teaching me or stengthening. It is a great way to learn to budget yourself, put limits on yourself and weed out excesses. I enjoy the minimlistic experience of it, and it makes me grateful for the abundance in my life.
The a few weeks ago, I was parked in a way off place in some small mountain town. I had just made and ate a nice hot bowl of chili. It was cold out and the snow was falling. It was actual quite beautiful. I just got off the phone with a friend and former co-worker who had just told me about the big champaigne brunch they were going have the next day to impress some potential new client and all. She was stressed and trying to take care of all the last minute details and all.
Well, after I got of the phone, there I was, enjoying the peace and beauty. I was sipping on a nice hot cup of cocoa, and roasting mini marshmellows on a tooth pick over a candle and thought.. "I am soooo glad I am not in that rat race anymore!"
That is the truth too.. The next morning, I untarped and unloded and was still very grateful.

I think tere is where I am lucky. I am not in it for the money. There are hundreds of little things I love about trucking and the fact that I get paid is a bonus.

Before, I use to work in sales and in the rat race, then would spend hundreds of dollars on weekend get aways and hobbies for some peace.