Besides driving what...

I'm not on the road yet but will be soon. There are drivers on here that can answer these questions better than me, but I can answer a few for ya maybe. Being a driver you will be away from family,friends,etc.. AS for how many days, it all depends on the company. Some do get you home for the weekend,some want you out for 2 weeks at a time, and some want u out longer. There is a lot of factors that are involved in these questions also, such as weather and road conditions,delivery times,company policies. Like I said I'm not a driver yet, and this is definitly not all that is involved with driving, these guys put up with a lot out there. This is definitly the place to do your research at and ask any questions that u have, hope I helped u out at least a little bit.

 

The short answer to all your questions is, It Depends..............
The money you make each week will depend on what your mileage rate is and how many miles you run. Before I retired, some weeks I ran hard and made 1100-1300 bucks for the week. Other weeks if the miles weren't there I might only make 400. Freight is unpredictable. Some weeks there will be more miles than you can legally run and others you will be begging for miles. As far as loading and unloading it will depend on the load. Some loads are no touch loads, some are driver assist, some are driver unload. Most places that are driver unload are grocery warehouses and lumpers are usually available to unload it for you for a fee. Most companies will pay the lumper but get your dispatcher to approve it or you might get stuck with the lumper fee. Some loads are drop and hook where you just drop the loaded trailer and pick up an empty and go. As long as you stay away from grocery warehouses and retail store delivery there will be very little hand unloading, unless you take a job with an LTL company peddling freight in the cities.

 

The answer to your question about how long you will be out or how long you will be home is again, it depends.................
It depends on where you live, it depends on the company policy of the company you work for, and it depends on whether dispatch can find you a load going close to the house. Some companies will get you home every weekend if you live along one of their major freight lanes, and some will just get you home when they can. If you want to be home every day or every other day you will need to find a local job or a short dedicated run. There are lots of choices out there and it will be up to you pick the right one. When you talk to a recruiter keep one thing in mind. He gets paid to put drivers in trucks, so he will sugar coat everything he tells you. Recruiters and dispatchers will tell you more lies than a husband with a girlfriend will tell his wife.

 

And I am just now getting back into trucking so this is what I am finding out as I search for jobs. The easier it is to get the job, the longer you stay out on the road. 14-21days out, 2-3days home.Many companies 8-14days out, 2days home. It seems that the insurance companies have the most control over who a company can hire. Small companies require more experience so that they can keep their rates down. I am looking for a regional job or a dedicated account run so I can be home every weekend or several times a week. Seems like flatbedding gets you home every weekend if you want to do that. More home time, less pay. At least in general for us newbies. My priorities are good benefits, good equipment to drive and hometime. Money is not the "BIG" priority for me as I want to make money but mainly to enjoy my job and live life the best that I can with the least amount of stress involved. I know all jobs have stress factors but driving solo in a truck compared to working in a retail environment with a bunch of morons is like being paid to go on vacation!

 

most places you have the reciever unload if they dont usually grocery whs. will have the dreaded lumper will charge a heafty fee to unload ! make sure you hire on with a co. that pays for all lumper fees !!!!!! never pay out of our own pocket!
as far as getting home on weekends?? good luck it all depends on the co. over the road i'd say no ! regional maybe ? some co advertise home every weekend but this is the way it works .... unload fri morning get loaded fri afternoon then drive to wherever home is . so lets say you get home fri evening, you have sat. off, then depending where your load is going ( the load you picked up fri. ) will determine what time you leave sun. just keep that in mind, and keep in mind most co. require you to have a secure place to park your rig.
i have a buddy who drives for maveric and is home every week end and he likes it , makes about 50,000 yr , im lucky im home every fri sat and leave out at midnite on sun . try for a dedicated route

 

I drive for maverick. We have nice equpment and I get home on weekends.

 

They do have nice trucks and the best thing i have seen about maverick is they have some pretty good/respectful drivers as well.