If you could do it all over, would you still drive?

I did pretty good driving local, but I was lucky enough to find a company that paid hourly + night differential and I was running nights. We also recieved a bonus each month based on the average that the truck made. IF you drove at night this was easy to do, no crazy driving involved, just not much traffic to deal with. Local I did anywhere from 38,000 my fifst year ( not quite a full 12 months, plus starting at the bottom of the pay scale ) to 49,000 my last year. Keep in mind I only worked monday through friday, I turned down all weekend work. There were plenty of people who wanted it because of the money, that time and a half after 40 hours was nice. Normally I had some of that even without weekends. I also took a lot of time off to go on field trips with my daughters school, as well as taking vacation time off.

I dont know how that compares in reality to OTR since I have never done that. I have also herd that OTR pays better. Now that my Husband is an O/O it is better than company pay, but miles are going down where he is so we are looking into other options as far as who to pull for.

Good luck whatever you decide, you have to do what works for your situation. Oh, and when I started with the local company, I only had 2 months of class A driving experience, I had a couple of years of B driving, but they didnt care about that. I spent a few days with a trainer ( paid ) then I was on my own.

 

Dear Dave thats understandable about not haveing the money to go to a private school.Schneider is a very good compamy for what I was told and they are not fare from your home so that even better. Trucking has its goods and bads just like anything else.If you and your wife love driveing and see new placese and meeting new people then I would say go for it. As for me I love it I would not change careers. Im also married and have kids that are young so sometimes this is hard to be a good fater and husband do to you will miss birthday,hollaidays,est.But if your kids are growen and your wife whats to do this with you thats great . Trucking is a lifestyle not a job.You guys will it or hate it.I hope this letter helps you and your wife.



GONZO

 

I agree, Its a LOVE / HATE relationship!

You guys who run team my hat's off to you. I did that once and NEVER slept right while doing such. It was hard for me to relax and calm down after my shift was over. And SLEEP? yeah right.... more like rest up a bit....

I will say this to you thinking about trucking, and im SURE you'll see others agree with me and some disagree.

ONCE you do drive the KING of the road and get a little fuel in your veins... You'll always have it their.... I have been a diesel dummy for 15 years or so...

I hate working on them in the COLD, but LOVE driving in the southern states in the dead of night in 70/80 degree heat. Again... Once you got that feeling... It will always remain....

My 2 cents, worth nothing.....
Matthew

 

Probably NOT as I gave up a LOT of my Life in order to run circles in this country.
The "average pay" is just that: AN AVERAGE.
There are weeks when one doesn't roll well and there are weeks where one rolls a lot. It isn't a balanced system yet sometimes it just doesn't matter.

BEFORE going OTR, go to a local Truckstop near you like Ontario East/West on Milliken Avenue. You'll get a real good idea of what Trucking is all about by the "friendly" folk that frequent these two run down, disgusting sites otherwise referred to as Truck Stops.
Start with this scenario:
1) Take a shower.
2) Enter the (if) available restaurant and try to enjoy a meal while listening to or engaging in a conversation with the other patrons.
BE SURE to remain till nightfall to "enjoy" the many varied aspects of Truck Stop nightlife especially observing the wonderful "people" that offer their services for a mere pittance of YOUR money.
Be Wary of those that have the repetitively monotonous "stories" they wanna share in order to effect their financial structure while diminishing yours. "Stories" like: "I was left here by some friends last night and need to get somewhere, can you help me", "I need gas for my car to get somewhere"(yet they rarely have a car), "I can polish your trucks rims for a mere $5.00 a wheel", "I'm a fellow Trucker that got stranded here with my wife/girlfriend/husband/boyfriend/daughter/son/dog/etc...and am trying to get a bus ticket" somewhere, and other creative yet old "stories" to elicit funds for their reasons. Some of these "people" will be "stuck" at these Truck Stops for quite some time because of the new "suckers" that arrive daily. While $5.00 is somewhat of a help, $20.00 is better. People can effect a good living just from doing this as there are a LOT of fools being parted from their money.

Talk to Truckers BEFORE SIGNING ANYTHING that a Trucking company offers.
DO NOT LEASE ANYTHING unless you're financially independent and if so DON'T GO INTO TRUCKING unless ya wanna be broke quickly!!

I work for and with Two friends (married couple) that have been in the Expedited business for over 15 years and while their credit is superb, they rarely have more than $200.00 in their Company Bank Account.
They do not have a personal bank account as it ain't feasible.

 

NO! Gone every weekend while the kids are home, cruddy food, nasty 4 wheelers, nasty toilets and showers, tired all the time, 18 hrs a day when you own your own keeping it polished etc, tired because the driver next to you had to swap trailers w/ another and threw 10 chains off and 10 on a flatbed load at 3am, Lousy coffee, snow up to you expectations, wind from the wrong direction all the time, flash flood in the SW, wrecks, the worst on Glorietta Pass when 2 guys were thrown from a pickup and torn up bad, bad coffee, bad service, nasty customers, tarps at 20 below and 30mph wind, lot lizzards asking if you need company just affter you go to sleep, cold coffee, the mechanic who always greases your 5th wheel, flat tires, 3 am deliveries, greasy coffee, having a wreck on I 40 in AZ because the torsion bar snapped and being pined for 1/12 hrs. That was good coffee w/cream and sugaa even. Thanks to whom ever you are, you were an Angel sent from GOD that night. The shipper who says "the last guy here from your co. took 55,000 lbs." My answer, "Name him" and truckstop coffee.

 

My fav: In savaannah Ga around 2 am, a huge black guy climbed on my Pete running board and banged on the door. I stuck my head out and said What? and he said "Cand you loan me some money, I ned to take my little boy to the hospital" I screamed "Call 911". He left.

 

Hehehe... Call 911 indeed.

Anyway. I would still do it. I may be new, but I have seen just about every state in the country in my 7 months out here. Some places are great, others not so great. I can say I hate my company, but I love my job. There's something to be said for waking up in the morning at some trash-stop, knowing that.. "I don't have to be here tonight!"


When you get to the Pilot and people start begging for money, just tell them it's all on plastic. They leave you alone because they know there's no way you're going to an ATM for them. Wheel-Shinners are great though, they do for $20 what the truck wash does for $35+.

Have you seen the eastern rockies? How about at dusk? With some clouds rolling overhead, light shining down through the cracks in the sky... It's a sight to behold.

The people are a trip, some are nice, others rude. But they all have their own way of doing things depending on where you're at. Kentucky has some very nice people who don't sound like the Beverly Hillbillies at all. WV is a strange place, if you take NYC.. and mix it with.. Tennessee.. and a little.. South Dakota. Yeah that's West Virginia, lol.

There's two times in life one should start trucking for a living I think. When you're young, like I am, and before the marriage and kids. Or when your kids are all grown up. Those two times offer the most freedom, no PTA, no Soccer practice, no juvie court lol.

I say go for it, it's an experience you won't regret, even if you end up hating the job, you'll be glad you did it. Besides, when you get to that retirement home you'll hav a whole lot more to brag about

Let's see, where all have I been now.........

 

Because after spending 30+ years in Big-Shaky (CA) they decide maybe there's more to the US and wanna go see it lol. No, but seriously, it's because the West-Coast recruitment method is MAJORLY geared to recruiting teams. The east slightly favors Solo/Dedicated. Solo drivers with SNI that live on the left have an even harder time getting home than I do. They will run you out with a great load to get to the mid-west, then tool you around here for 5 weeks all the while "trying" to find you a solo-capable load home.

Since you're going team, you'll do fine with SNI, brand new equipment, great miles, etc... Teams get all the prefference.