Pay

No you did not forget. I was mentally adding up the day's cost in three proper meals, a case of bottled water to boot. It's going to be in the order of 40 to 60 dollars. Full retail truckstop for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

 

If you spend $25 a day now at home on food, figure double that on the road. So now you have to subtract $2.08 per hour from your hourly rate for the extra food cost, which brings your hourly rate down to $12.13 per hour x 11 hours = $133 per day in income. So now your hourly rate is almost $2 per hour less than your current job, using the 31 cents per mile rate you quoted in your first post. You can do the math using the higher rate you quoted later on.

I just want you to realize your hourly pay rate will be going down, but you will make up for it by driving 11 hours a day instead of working 8 hours at your current job, plus working one hour a day on average with no pay for that hour.

 

As said by many others in other threads, ( check out questions from new drivers),... you will save your Gatorade bottles to piss in, work anytime day or night, be treated like shat from low life people at shippers and receivers who look down on you so much they will let you stand and shat yourself before letting you use their toilet,when you do get to a toilet (probably at a truck stop with no place to park if it's after 4PM) you'll be afraid to use the facilities because they're so disgusting and choose to crap yourself anyway,abused by your dispatcher who doesn't care you're tired, away from any friends and family for long durations, barely sleeping because you switched your sleep schedule in the last 24 and there's a transvestite lot lizard banging on your door to see if you want company,etc...And don't be mean to the tranny or it will cut your air lines as you try to go back to sleep praying to God to help you forget the encounter that just took place. Oh.....and you won't get 600 miles a day everyday or make good money at 31cpm your first year out. Thoroughly weigh what you have now to the sacrifice you will make. This is just some of it. I wont even get started on trainers and whatnot.You will essentially be a slave. Allll Aboard...the slave ship.

 

There is no making up lost pay by working more hours on a route that deducts 20% sometimes against HHG Miles or GPS miles or whatever it is they use to issue a gross pay and final paid miles and not hub miles you actually drove.

A 600 mile day might work out to 15% less paid actual.

I stick to the guns by saying go class B day route at a hourly pay of at least 14. Rather than try to make it OTR because week to week, you are going to experience sometimes wages that are pittance.

 

$14.00 hr. isn't enough to ever have a decent standard of living. You're making the right choice by going into trucking. You may not make big bucks starting out unless you attend a private or community college cdl school; then you can start at $60K + with all the endorsements.
If private school isn't an option, then attend a trucking company school and while with that company get all the endorsements. After your obligation is complete, change companies to a better paying company.

 

I'd do it if it were me.
You're in Texas, so there's several trucking company schools there:
FFE (Frozen Food Express)
Millis Transfer
Stevens Transport
Raider Express
Swift Transportation
Western Dairy Transport - good place for tanker experience hauling milk (www.wdtmilk.com)

 

Here's some information that can help. For new student drivers that are strapped for cash, take a duffle bag of microwave foods. Microwave use is free in truckstops and probably where you will be training; motel or trucking school break room.
Some trucking company schools provide meals & lodging.
Between now and when school starts, stock up on instant foods:
Ramen Noodles
oatmeal
coffee
Beanie-Weenies
etc.
You can still have a decent balanced meal every day at a restuarant. You can park at a truckstop and usually walk to a cheaper place to eat. Use the instant microwave foods for other meals until you start receiving paychecks.

 

Here's some more items you need:
original birth certificate
original social security card (not laminated)
steel toe work boots - slip on style are best
work gloves
flashlight

 

31cpm is a good rate for a trainee.

 

I haven't read the whole post but I made it to your post where you said KLLM. Listen to these guys who are steering you clear of them. Their doing you a favor! Horrible outfit and Lease/Purchase is a scam that translates into "convincing a truck driver to buy the fuel and pay way to much for crappy truck."

I'm defiantly not going to talk you out of trucking like some will. Trucking has been really good to me. I set my expectations very high in what I wanted out of this job and in order to attain the simple comfortable life I wanted, I ended up pulling tankers. Bulk is better!