Truck driver or not ?

It all depends on your personality, and yours, and your family's needs. If you can tolerate being home 34hours a week if your lucky then your in good shape. It takes a different breed to stay in a truck, I myself wouldn't go back OTR with my kids being 5-6 years old, I love driving, and have never wanted to do anything but this but with a family it is hard and you will miss a lot. I made the decision to start hauling scrap for the local scrap yard and I make good money and I am home every night. Kinda bounced around with this but I hope it helps.

 

Is it good or bad?

All I know is I've got a full schedual of work waiting for me at my company. I know this economy is crap, judging from what I'm hearing in the papers and on the news, but personally? I'm not feeling it (other than the inflation of my grocery bills)

Really depends on what kinda company you end up with, I work for a bedbugger outfit now and as mich as I hate doing it (I got my CDL to get OUT of backbreaking labor!) I just can't seem to help myself from fingerprinting a load. Plus our movers have gained a fair amount of respect for me, "the fat lazy driver".

But if I was to go to a straight out freight-only drop & hook OTR outfit, I don't see why I couldn't keep doing this into my 70's. Right now, job securty is my most important asset.

 

After reading several of the replies to your question "Would you do it again", I have to say yes.

Like some others have pointed out, it's no bed of roses, but I'm good at it and I appreciate the things this job has allowed my and my family to do.

I worked for American Airlines in the "fixin of computers" end of things for 14 years. Things turned sour in 1998 and the company started looking to shed some of what they considered "overpaid" employees. I wasn't protected by a union or anything like that. After witnessing management's attack on a few others, they came after me. Being in a "employee at will" state, I had no recourse but to accept what they had already decided and left AA. Silver lining: I still get a pension from them beginning in 2017 (if they're still alive) and my stress level has never been as low as it was shortly after exiting AA.

Took a well deserved two week vacation after leaving AA.
I had always toyed with the idea of being in the trucking business.
Went to CDL school run by the state (that my taxes were already paying for) and was hired on graduation day by the company I'm currently leased to.

Worked as a company driver for several years and learned the in's and out's of transporting petroleum products.

Went O/O 8 years ago and haven't looked back.

I haul regional, and in those 8 years I've been away from home at night about 5 times.

Started of OTR.... 6 months of that crap proved that it wasn't for me.

So, yeah. I'd do it again. Only sooner.

 

I think "seeing the open road" is what shocks most new drivers - as seeing the same highways, dusty towns, docks and truckstops constantly for months, will take that "special feeling" away.

"Waiting around" (after racing to get there) will be ... pretty common.

The most difficult will be the training and adapting to the long hours, numerous delays and general hassles - and your driver trainer (much easier for a younger person IMO).

 

My CDL has never let me down. for 20 years since I got it I have never for even a minute worried about having a job. I worry about many things in life but employment has never been one of them. I guess that is worth something . I am a person who always planned to be a trucker though since childhood. Could never stand being couped up all day indoors and that included being in school. I always knew where I was going and what I would be.

 

If i found a job today that paid 40k plus a year and was home every night my truck would be cleaned out in a minute!
I have just done this too long and sick of the way trucking has went in the crapper.
I work for a 12 truck specialized carrier,paper logs and no tracking crap on the trucks.
I'm home a couple nights a week and on the weekends is the only reason i'm still driving.
No way i could work for a big carrier or drive a 65 mph truck!

 

Interesting to see that there are alot of others like me out here. I drove for about five years and got the opportunity to work in the office for the company I was driving for at the time. I worked my way up to terminal manager after 13 years. I was layed off in 2008 and found another management job pretty quick. I only lasted about a year and I realized I was sick and tired of being tied to a desk and under someone elses thumb. Fortunately for me I had kept my CDL current and drove enough "part time" to still be proficient so I bought a truck and trailer, got my own authority and been on my own for 18 months. I don't think I could go back to working for someone else and so far I'm pretty happy with my choice.

 

I hope that " 1 year driving contract " isn't your 1 year obligation after schooling . You have no options to get out of the obligation. The carrier is far less bound. They can terminate you for any number of reasons then bill you thousands for schooling .

 

Been thinking about getting my own equipment as well. Just not sure where/how to line up the clients.