New here.. Looking for advice.

I'll answer your questions, based on my experience.

1. You should make much more than $29,000.00 annually. After a few short years, can shop around and get in the $45K-$65K range (tankers/reefers OTR) Food service companies pay good, but you end up with a very bad back to enjoy in retirement years.

2. DOT physical - cough

3. Miles and loads can't really be predicted. Tanker usually stay busy year round/reefer can be seasonal hauling produce, but the plus is reefer can also haul dry van loads. Hard to give a good answer to this question; too many variables.

4. Sleeping arrangements - ideally truck has bunk beds or you stay busy enough to sleep while the other is driving. Worst case, one in bunk, the other laid back in a seat. One time I put brackets in the truck and strung a small camping hammock in the ####pit area. Only seen one other trucker do that.

5. Showers are private and door locks from inside.

6. Road expenses vary by driver. Most of the time I ate at salad bar every day(to keep weight off) & ate one full buffet meal maybe every 2 or 3 days. I stayed very healthy.

7. Since you are self-employed, be prepared to show your tax records to prove employment. Show or tell the companies you apply to, without them asking. If they have to ask, they may not, and just tell you , we have more qualified people to fill the positions.

Also at the bottom of this website page is : Truck Driver Training Scholarships
Best wishes & enjoy your new career; I certainly recommend it.

 

I was a small business owner myself and still run it part time since everything is pretty much automated online and I have a staff who offers support. No kids, single as well so you and I are in the same boat. Chinatown pretty much answered all of your questions. Yeah before I became a trucker I thought we had to share a shower too but heck that is the best part since it is like having your own private bathroom. Some truck stops have really nice showers as well, with the mosaic walls and stainless steel appliances that look brand new. My checks are steady but ever since I get a new, slower truck, I run less miles now since it takes me longer to reach my destination.

Make sure that whatever company you choose doesn't govern the trucks to 62 - 64. It makes a huge difference, my last truck could do 68 and my new one goes 64 max. 4 mph in 11 hours of driving is 44 miles. So I am now 44 miles behind me last truck when it comes to deliveries. That is a big deal if you have to travel a long distance and need to take a 10 hour restart that wasn't needed with the fast truck until I already arrived. Sometimes I was able to squeeze in two or three stops in one day since my truck was so fast and now I can only do one and my checks are $300 less per week. I don't understand how the so called fuel savings is greater than a profit made by carrying more loads in the same timeframe. I still get the same mpg with the slow truck.

 

Do you drive for a company in Nashille? Interstate Distributor in Lebanon is needing drivers.

 

hurricane, I'm not a driver yet but kinda in your same position and have been doing my research, so will give my thoughts, mainly about your first question about pay. The other things you ask already been answered and those have to do with the lifestyle of trucking, which you will have certain preferences that will be found out as you do the experience yourself. I will say about the last question about being self-employed, it might be a little rough topic with the company-sponsored companies, basically you need to be well documented in what you can provide to them, including reference people they can call, meaning business people, not your family & friends....I don't know for sure how that will go but be well prepared also before you ever fill-in an application to the point you have practiced exactly what you can say about your self-employment plus the written records proof. Think it over and over your "script" or gameplan how you are going to explain it.

You asked $29,000 in your first year driving = probably will be right around there, to slightly lower in your first year. You did say going the company-sponsored training option (same as me), so from what I found the first six months you can expect approx. $500 per week gross pay (kinda averaged out - remember you typically don't get paid at all during the first month training period until you actually get the CDL). That's $13,000 for six months, so its a pace for $26,000 annual. But you can be earning a little boost from the 6-12 month mark, it will depend on the pay rate "cents per mile" (cpm) of the company you are with, and of course the miles you are given to drive.

About the miles, this is a huge unknown for me also, never been a driver, but talked to several companies so far and based on the forum info here, for company-sponsored OTR company I am figuring 2300 miles per week seems like a safe assumption. I have heard that weeks can range from 1800 to 3000+ but just use 2300 seems like a fair conservative number for miles. Keep in mind you will have some low weeks and some better weeks, so its important to manage your money very well (don't blow some off when you get a good week or 2).

Having said all of this, there are probably training companies out there if you get on with them you can certainly earn $33,000 maybe more in your first year. Maybe on the high-side $40,000 or slightly more. My advice is if you expect your first year earnings will be $26,000 to $29,000 you will be better off to think of it that way. If you wind-up getting a gig with more dollars then of course it will be a pleasant surprise. Low expectation is the key.

Expectation overall should be ready for a crummy experience in the first year or two, if your going to do the OTR thing. Best advise is buckle-in and be ready for it, kinda think of a cross between army boot camp and well, camping outdoors. You're gonna have to go with the company flow, always have a good attitude, willingness to learn, and overall be appreciative of the opportunity to get your experience driving, so that you can move on to a better job with a company after getting minimum 1 year solid put in. These are things you probably already know, but from what I've found it is the most important to stay vigilant about your attitude. Low expectation is still the key.

You do that while driving as safely as possible and learning everything you can. Then sometime after a year you will have much better options with companies to work for. And comes with better pay when you get hired on after your first company.

To say it another way, your first year is very much like an investment. We all heard the saying "Time is money" correct? Think of your time investment and if you are making $26,000 to $29,000 in your first year it is well worth the investment.

 

Nope, and thanks for the info as I was hired immediately when I graduated trucking school so didn't even have a chance to explore trucking companies out there! I am happy with my current company but I am OTR, and there are times when I wish I was at home so I could go out with young college hotties like I did during my last hometime when I partied all night.

 

I never did army boot camp, but want to say it is waaayy more rough I'm sure. But same type of mind preparation meaning it will be tough. Another thing about the pay, you might already know this, but I think freight really gets slow in January and doesn't usually increase again until spring time. Just saying that in general. I know shipments always slowed at that time of year with previous companies I worked for who shipped their goods. But again, never been a driver so I'm piecing this info together.

A final thought for you, because it sounds like you want to become a truck driver and make a career out of it. If you pay for the school on your own it could cost anywhere from $1500 to $3000 to $6000 (the 1500 are out there but I have no idea if those are kinda fly by night schools that might not be a great choice). But let's say $2500 is the average cost for a reasonable truck school to get your CDL. Factor that in also to your expectation about pay. If you make $23,000 your first year + $2500 "value" of the training by doing the company-sponsored thing, consider that too.

I think company-sponsored way has both advantages for some people, and disadvantages. Many people warn us to go that option only as a last choice. I think it makes sense, but keep in mind you will be on the hook for the bill if for some reason you don't finish your contract time. And I've been told by a few people, some companies could look for an excuse to fire you "with cause" meaning they can claim to have a valid reason for terminating you, and still owe them a bill for the training.

Sorry for giving you much more to chew on. But word to the wise, proceed with caution and think long and hard.....worse case scenarios.

 

Homophobic? Pee-pee shy?

Not raggin on you but did you notice what just about every one of your questions is about?

Personally I wouldn't stress on anyone touching your pee-pee or looking at your pee-pee or sleeping with your pee-pee. Haven't really run into that much of the pee-pee scenario's out there during my years on the road.