Soon to be student

I wish you luck matt! I would give the speech i gave my cousin this time last year when he started driving a truck. but, it back fired. and he is now from what I under stand from the family. working in a factory down the road from his house. he lasted 6 months driving a truck.

if you are willing to listen. and think about who and how you are. then the advice i can give you will work.
if you like hanging out or volenteering as a fire man or any thing of that nature. then trucking is not for you. if you like getting paid on a 5 day clock and having every nite and weekend off. trucking is not for you. if you like spending sunday on the couch watching the game. trucking is not for you. if you like having friends, and having them stop by at nite and on the weekends. trucking is not for you. if you want to be married one time and like tucking your kids in at night. trucking is not for you. if you don't like working long hours for low wages. trucking is not for you. if you like spending the holidays with family. trucking is not for you. if you are not willing to drive thruogh recorded breaking wether. trucking is not for you. If i had a penny for every snow flake the hit the wind shield of the truck. I would be retired and rich.

trucking is a life style and a complete way of life. and it's truely not for the faint of heart. and i think the tv shows out about truckers. is going to do more harm then good. you pretty much have to be a loner in order to be a devoted truck driver. other wise you won't make much. you have to be willing to let the life you know now go completely. you also have to be willing to spend 2-3 months on the road. and only be home for a few days. this puts the brakes on for many people. you also have to be able to put up with people of all types. you have no idea. trucking pays on an 8 day clock. no other way. very few companies pay by the hour. and no company pays for detention time. you have to pay all your own travel expenses. which can reach as much $300 a week. depending on habits. most drivers in the industry don't have money. they get there check on a fuel card cash it at a truck stop and spend with in a couple of days. and by sunday. they are flat broke. planning how to split the money up and only keep what you need to travel on. is a key thing. this splits the men from the boys. many drivers do not have bank accounts, homes or much of anything else that doesn't fit in the truck. more often then not. you'll be layed up in a truck stop waiting for a load. which can take a couple of days it takes a while to put a load together before it can be shipped. and that's all i am going to say. the rest other that have been in the industry for a while. will tell you more. me personally. if i could go back to where your at now. I would have went to school for something else other then trucking. and that is no joke.

what i said about being married to a trucking company for life. weather you stay or not.it's like being married to the wrong person. exccept you have to explain it the rest of your life. and there will always be a record to haunt you until you getout of the industry. so think about the company and decide on the one you want to talk about the rest of your life. you get one chance at trucking. and that's when you start it. after that. there are no do overs.

 

Welcome to the party!

 

Hello and welcome to TTR lots of great information here, days worth of reading.

 

There is some folks on here that use the forms just to vent their frustration with their job. It can't be that bad across the whole industry. If all trucking companies were that bad they would have to mass hire illeagal immigrants. However, there is companies out there that will treat you like dirt, and they are well represented on this form. Just do research about what it is like on the road and about different companies when it is time to get yourself hired.

 

that's what my cousin told me in spring 2010. he hated the people he work for. and went to school to drive a truck. they sold him on a pack of lies. said he only had to pay $100 dollars. then told him if they were not sure he would get hired some where in trucking. they wouldn't have signed him up for school. then one day the school came to him wanting $4400 dollars. he didn't have the money. so he had to get a loan. I didn't find this out for a few weeks after they pulled this on him. now he did get a job driving a truck for a company. he had i believe 2 months of training with a trainer. the trainer wouldn't drop him off by his house. instead the trainer dropped my cousin off at a truck stop 40 miles away from his house.so my cousin got out of trianing and got a pretty sweet dedicated run. things were going good. and then one day my cousin had something come up at home. and needed to go home. I still don't remember what it was. but, i do know how it ened. when my cousin was denied by the company he worked for to go home. he got mad! it seemed like it was something to do with his son. anyways he quit. and know he works down the road at I believe the great dane trailer factory. he only lasted 6 months trucking. he had a choice to make. his family or the road.

it sounds like you are getting into it for money and hopes of a better life. which is understandable. one thing is: trucking is not stable! they job you have now. is going to be more stable in pay and life style. then trucking is! those who know me. will tell you! I do not waste my time making up stories or lieing about anything. I'll tell you the truth no matter what. and no i don't try to make anything i say negative. the truth is just that. the truth. what you do is what you do. I'm not posting to stop any one from doing anything. if you are going trucking. atleast you will know that there is one person in the whole industry that told you the truth. and you can't come back to me. and say you lied to me. and maybe you will find a better life in trucking. and get that great income drivers dream of. and companies lie about. well any ways. good luck and take care.