Is It Really WHorth It?

It's worth it if you work for the right company...plenty of them out there. No need to settle for crap.

 

What he said lol

2 1/2 years in, over 50k last year, home almost every weekend, new truck.....they're out there. You don't have to settle for a bs bottom feeder if you do your research and homework and choose wisely.

If you have the background and mvr to get in the door anyway. The better companies generally wont take just anybody with a pulse either. Their standards are somewhat higher but if you make the cut it's worth being there.

 

are you an o/o , independent or co driver?
Sometimes I ask myself the same thing, some of these brokers sound like brainless robots trying to convince you how good their rate is.

 

Worth it how?
Financially? Hell yeah.
Phisically? Time will tell.
Psicologically? HELL NO LOL

 

hold them to the same standards that they hold us.think of all the faxes and whatever involved.proof of all the insurance,rate confirmations,etc.
Charge what you know it's worth and provide the service you promise.when the loads can't be delivered by those that run so cheaply,those brokers will be blowing your phone up.mega carriers just can't seem to get it done when it matters and those that do,well,look at the unkempt driver representing that broker.service mandates a premium and that broker eventually learns that you provide that service thus keeping him brokering that particular account.They don't want to lose it.

I am referencing the drivers that have to shut down at the shipper or consignee and shower once or twice a week because they cant go out of route a short distance or run out of hours and the like.you know,the 65mph top end drivers that speed thru truck stops and construction zones because they are on that box.I certainly would not want that driver representing my freight.that shipper or consignee remembers who stinks and looks ragged and if they don't,the person dealing with that driver does.i know you've heard them talking about drivers like i've described.that talk gets back to the broker.

also charge them for any incidentals that was not part of your deal.most of them are fair if you are firm.

i just got off topic again i think.

 

Nope not one bit...just explained to the OP the way it should really be handled. Good service comes at a premium. I only worked OTR for a short while , but the company I worked for ran coast to coast , and they needed plenty of west bound freight to keep them going....one of the biggest accounts they had was given to them simply because 2 representatives of that account were passed by one of their trucks , the guys followed that truck til it pulled into a truck-stop , the Petro in Weatherford Tx. The drivers got out , went inside showered and sat down to have a meal...all the while being courteous to the waitress , clean-cut and looking like professionals. Those 2 representatives reported back to their boss just how impressed they were with that company , and it wound -up earning them a very good contract for even more west-bound freight.

People notice the small things that you don't think they notice..newbies like the OP...NEED to know this. Keeping yourself , your truck , clean and tidy are 2 of the most important things a newbie can learn....IT IS worth it ....to the OP....you just have to find the right niche.....

 

Very True ^^^

 

If you have to ask that question maybe you should ask another along the lines of did I make the right choice for me.

For me the answer is a very simple yes.

 

Hi. I started OTR when I was 41 - back in '98. Fuel was less than $1/gal. Logs were simpler to understand and a person could grab a nap without affecting hours of service. We just logged off duty or sleeper for a couple hrs and away we went again all rested up. It was an 8 hr break instead of 10 and max 10 hrs driving/day. I liked it a lot better. I bought my own truck after a year. Biggest mistake I ever made. I literally lived in that truck for 1 1/2 years 'till that old '92 Volvo blew its engine. Then I bought a brand new truck - bigger mistake. I was doing OK but I lived in it too - paying $2300/month payments.

Then i bought a fancy step deck trailer. The market really crashed in about '02. I filed Chapter 13 in '03. I got everything paid for then the motor blew in that truck after 635000 miles. I drove the other man's truck for almost 2 years, living in it too. My engine repair was $16,000. I got back in the truck and ran for a couple more years. I started putting on weight, came down as type 2 diabetic and felt horrible and had no energy left.

I sold my truck and trailer for next to nothing and now I am a broker. It's not easy finding freight, offering customers competitive rates and trucks to pull the loads. It isn't a living really. I made more as a dirt poor driver. Being a company driver pays better than what I am doing now or owning your own truck. You can, at least, walk away and do something else without having to sell everything at a big loss. Living on the road is horribly unhealthy. Triglycerides, cholesterol and all that go out the roof for lack of exercise and eating things like pizza and burgers etc. Look at the older truckers. So many of them have heart bypasses etc.

Get out while you have your health. That's my advice to you. It's not worth the stress and health risks. The first couple years were OK. I liked it. I even liked it a few years after that. But I was getting older and feeling it. I wish I had started when I was younger and in earlier times. There are a lot of factors and those are very individual. There is more to dislike now than when I was doing it a couple years ago.