I need good advice about becoming a trucker.

Some of us get lucky, my wife was able to quit working in this awful economy (because it cost her paycheck alone to get there and back), and come on the truck with me. We love it out here!

 

I say, go for it. You will never be unemployed as a trucker if you stay legal. Here is a pay breakdown from my personal experience:

#1 - Tanker/hazmat
#2 - Reefer/refrigerated
#3 - Flatbed
#4 - Dry van

Sometimes Reefer & Flatbed will flip-flop with each other on the annual pay.
Check websites of companies that interest you for their qualifications. Find out which CDL schools they recognize, their hiring areas also is important, depending on where you live. If you can, go to a truckstop & get those free little magazines, they are full of info on various trucking companies.

 

I am just starting out in a one ton chevy, I have hauled many things when I was in construction, left that for about 12 years in the oilfield, 8 of which were in the field as an MWD engineer, now the money was great, but you never ever knew when you were going to work or if you were, or when you'd be home, I enjoyed it for the most part but after my third layoff I am done with MWD, I may go back as a directional driller, but we'll see how this trucking thing works out. I know it will be a challenge and I welcome it! After all isn't anything?

 

Here's a calculation most don't use. Especially when claiming they are making more then the guys with degree's.

You are allowed to drive 11 hours and then sleep 10 hours. So If you add, 21 hours multiply it by 6days= 126 hours.

Lots of people like to make 1,000 dollars a week even though some see more some see less. So you divide the 1,000 dollars by 126 hours and you get. $7.93

This doesn't include all the other time we give away for free so if 8 bucks an hour working 126 hours a week is good money then come on down.

 

You can sit on your ###, hold a steering wheel. It's not hard at all if you know what your doing.

 

Holding a steering wheel is the easy part. Grabbing gears, backing up, and trying to figure out what the clown coming down the on ramp is about to do is the hard part. Not to mention an accident or 2 can cut your career short. As well as the guys in your companies safety department when you leave.

 

who cares about what's coming down the on ramp, unless its a big truck. All the rest will come with time. They aren't accidents anymore there incidents.