Advice? Don't become a trucker.

Or they can just read my signature!

 

Trucking ain't that bad. I've been driving a month now, and the work is much easier than what I experienced in the military. Also much less stressful than any office job I've done. And the pay isn't horrible. I've certainly worked harder for less.

Worst thing about it so far have been other drivers. Some are downright contemptuous of newbies. Wouldn't cross the street to spit on a new driver if he/she were on fire, it seems. Others have been fantastic, willing to share tips on how to back into some of these god-awful holes, or how to make life on the road easier.

 

The pay just doesn't add up for the time spent on the road and all the BS and aggravation that goes along with the job:
Traffic, tickets, DOT, all the unpaid waiting around, no parking, hometime a roll of the dice....to name but a few.
And that's the bottom line.
Which is why you see the massive turnover rates in this industry.

Put it to you like this:
I'll do $78K in LTL running dedicated terminal-to-terminal drop/hook freight and home every night and off every weekend.
Along with top-notch bennies for me and my family, to boot.
You'll be lucky to hit $50k OTR living out of a truck for weeks on end and spending nights/weekends in rest areas, filthy truckstops, parking lots, highway ramps, etc.
Bennies (if you even get them) are a joke.
And to reach the mythical $50k (nirvana to so many), you will have to LIVE out of that truck.

It's too bad, OTR was once a respectable, middle-class profession.
Deregulation did most of the good jobs in.
And yet again, with the uptick in the economy, I'm hearing the "driver shortage" phrase being tossed around in trade journals and publications.
Carriers are crying that they can't find enough drivers...well, do what every other industry does and raise pay and working conditions.
Nope, not trucking.
They want illegals behind the wheel for 1/2 the rate...and happy as a lark to get out of the fields and into an air-conditioned truck.
On their path to full-blown citizenship via the CDL while American drivers are put out to pasture...just like in construction, landscaping, port drivers, etc, etc, etc, etc...

If you're smart, you'll stay away from this biz.
Read the writing on the wall, it sure as hell ain't in English...

 

Sorry misc, but you haven't been in this industry long enough to form an informed opinion. And, quite frankly, neither have I (2 years). Listen to those with years of experience if you really want a good understanding of this joke of an industry.

 

driving aint that bad ive been driving 12 yrs and was ready to give it up not because i didnt like it i wanted a change so a friend of my talked me into getting my own truck i did now im loving it again if the good lord willing ill be driving another 12 years be safe out there

 

Well, driving for yourself has its own rewards, above and beyond that of money (with at least an opportunity to make some meaningful money).

But, driving for one of the mega carriers is border line criminal. The working conditions for a otr company driver are insane. And, the pure love of driving, might well be the only reasonable reason to remain one.

 

Trucking is what it is! you get out of it what you are willing to put up with. My advice, get 2 years solid all weather experience with a decent over the road outfit, then go and get yourself an LTL job. you will never look at trucking the same way again!

 

There's a lot of truth to what you're saying, but if you're a reasonably intelligent person with some drive you can do just fine. I quit college to start driving with three full years of chemistry credits in the bag over 8 years ago now. It didn't pan out exactly the way I thought it would but as I look back now, it really couldn't have worked out much better for me. Had I stayed in college, I don't believe there is any way I would make as much as I now do running line-haul at an LTL company. Those I know well from my college days don't make close to what I do and all but two are doing something non-related to their degree.

Another thing to keep in mind - a lot of my younger friends are entering the job market now with good degrees and are finding companies will only hire them on a "contract basis". In other words, no benefits and if they'll keep it that way as long as they can.

If you're looking at driving as a last resort it probably will not work - if you want to make a nice career out of driving there's really no good reason why you cannot.