Is It Worth It?

Absolutely.

 

I did OTR for about ten years awhile back, Although I gave it up for family reasons I would not have traded that experience for anything. Find a company that treats you fair and you will have a great time.
Good luck,
Ed

 

It turned out better for me than I could ever dream of. But you've got to set goals and go after the best paying jobs. I believe in becoming a specialized driver where your skills are called for. Like hauling explosives, hazmat, oversize, gasoline, or specialized government loads. If you can catch that program on the history channel about hauling hazmat and see that Tri-State driver you'll see what I'm talking about. He was a good professional driver and you knew he got paid for his knowledge.

 

That is a loaded question. To be honest, trucking is not for everyone. There are people who love it, and people who don't as you will find by reading this forum.

I believe that everyone who is interested in trucking should give it a shot at least. If anything, you will at least know if trucking is for you. And is it worth it in the end? Well, you will get multiple answers for this question, but there is only one person who can truely answer it, and that is you. I know you are looking for motivation from other drivers and the like. I can tell you that I, personally, love the industry and I love driving. I do not like the politics that have taken over trucking.

I'll put it this way... If you enjoy freedom, independence and the lifestyle of a rambler, then I think you will do just fine in the trucking biz. Try to ignore all the BS you will hear, and trust me, there will be plenty of it. Be your own person and make your own judgement about your new career and try not to rely on too many outside resources to influence your decision about the industry.

Just my 2 cents!

 

It's been my dream since I was a young boy, I guess I never got over it. It's not like it use to be but it is still alot of fun. Like everything you need to find a job that you like and enjoy getting up every morning to to the best that you can. For me this is the good life.Hope to see you on the road....................

 

Wow, Skeeter, 19 years trucking and still happy is a fantastic testimony!

 

I went to school back in 1999, worked for a company for 2 1/2 months then they went belly up i guess, we were told to find employment elsewhere, i did, but my son got into son serious trouble and i had to put my back then (3500.00 training career) on hold, well finally after all the personal problems and what nots are gone i will get to start over again oct. 2, i just want to thank you guys on here for keeping my dream alive.,i loved it the few months i was out there and cant wait for oct. 2!!! drive safe

 

That, my friend, is a subjective question! You would have to look at the pros and cons and apply them to your situation:

Pros (Other drivers please feel free to add to this)

• sense of freedom
• great responsibility and independance
• much more flexibility in working hours than a standard 8-5 job
• challenging environment
• opportunity to see more of the country than 80% of the general population
• decent pay with most companies

Cons

• gone from home for extended periods
• great amount of responsibility
• could be sent into less than desirable areas
• S%*t always flows downhill so you will be blamed for items that were actually beyond your control
• possibility of forced dispatch
• lots of greasy restaurant food although a lot of t/s are offering much healthier eating options nowadays
• cost of living on the road is more expensive

I basically lived out of my trucks for the past 10 years, and I do not regret it at all. There was a sense of freedom that you just don't get working an office or warehouse job. I can still remember waking up to the sunrise on Hwy 93 out in the middle of nowhere to see a herd of wild mustangs thundering down the desert for example.