Major personal fork in the road, could use some advice :)

Everyone posts they make good money or a comfortable living. These statements are far too subjective to have any value. What Fred calls a comfortable living could be what Pete calls flat broke. What you call good money could be less than I make working a 40+ hour a week job and sleeping at home.

 

Your right and I make more than most guys that stay gone for several weeks on end and I'm home at least every weekend sometimes nights during the week also. Unless your working for a company that basically runs you on nothing but 400 mile runs day in and day out you accomplish nothing by staying gone for weeks at a time on the current HOS except setting in a truckstop for a reset instead of setting at home. Why would I want to run 70 hours in 8 days when I can run them in 4 1/2 - 5 days and spend 2-2 1/2 days a week at home instead of setting in some truck stop to get my hours back? Also I know guys that are home everyday that make $80k plus. Show me an OTR company driver that makes anywhere near that. I doubt you can unless they are in some very specialized field of trucking.

 

Usually paying your dues, working the docks and being a fill in guy that is on call 24 hours a day till you work yourself into a regular route which could take several years. Or just being at the right place at the right time.

 

You can make that hauling crude oil. You'll have to move to the area and work hard six days a week. You'll probably work 62 - 68 hours a week. Usually you can't live in the truck because they run it 24 hours a day and you're on it 12.

There is some activity on the "trucking jobs" and "seek employment" sections.

 

Sorry for the subjective post. I guess my point is you dont have to stay out for weeks on end to make money unless your company sucks

 

And I apologize because I did not mean to beat you up. I was hoping you would share what you considered a good living.

I know there are good jobs but what percentage of the total jobs do you think they make? How many will someone that doesn't have two or three years experience get.

So many new drivers think they know how to drive out of school, little do they realize it will take 2 - 3 years before they are experienced drivers.

 

Don't buy a truck.

 

Unfortunately as new drivers have limited options staying out for longer periods of time is what's needed to be done to make it. Experienced drivers have the ability of driving for companies that can reduce the time spent out.