Any Advice?

david,

There's a truck driver from Jax, drives for WSE. Read his posts, he is an accountant by trade.

He did exactly what you want to do, and he made it............

Search posts by 94nole.................................................

 

Don't get me wrong david,

There are truck driving jobs out there. But the pay isn't always what's advertised. Those ads never mention the out of pocket expenses that you will have as an OTR driver either. There are a lot of potential downside issues for a newbie driver. Yes, you can make decent money, if you get with the right company, but when 1st starting out? It's entry level pay, long hours and a lot of headaches.

I drove OTR for a while right out of HS, I rather enjoyed it. I drove team in a single bunk old Pete cabover with no A/C or P/S. After being out once for 3 straight months with no home time, my fiancé said it was her or the truck. I picked her.

 

David142, if you made 6 figures for several years, I think you would probably agree that you overspent. But, I guess most of us are guilty of that. Did you buy a house at the peak in 2006? I think a lot of people in Florida are underwater on their house. I know in that Cape Coral area houses are now worth about 60% of what was paid in the peak. I such cases I believe you are really better off walking away that to continue to make outrageous high mortgage payments.

Why don't you stick around on the board for a while. I think you will get a better feel for whether or not you want to be a truck driver. I think a local or semi-local run would really be suited to you. I don't think your an OTR type of guy, but maybe you could put up with it for a year. You're in good health. That's the most important thing.

 

Just read more here, especially, in the "Bad Trucking Companies" section. There is absolutely nothing I could say to accurately describe what it is like out there as a newbie. If you have been in the military, or were raised on a farm, rough environment, you will be more prepared. I was a college punk when I first got into it, and I was in and out for years before I settled into it finally for better or worse.

I think $40,000 in the first year is a bit generous for whoever mentioned that. You're probably looking at more like 27 to 30,000 in your first year if you are lucky and everything goes right. Of course there are always exceptions. Someone will come on here attacking me saying they made $80,000 in their first year.

 

Per post #20, david bought his house 17 years ago.

 

They would be lying.

 

Did you actually overspend, or merely spend within your income as it existed at the time? There is a difference.

 

Sgt, did you used to post on the Yahoo California Amplifier board? I think I remember you from there, but maybe I'm mistaken. Anyway, you can't PM on here until you have 50 post. Please contact me at [email protected]. Thanks.