Advice for starting out in the trucking industry

Get a girlfriend and run team, then marry her. You'll retire in 15 years, play your cards right. Save your money and invest.

 

Pay for your own training! If you go with a company that pays for your schooling then you can be held hostage for as long as the agreement says! Consider every aspect of the trucking industry! Flatbed companies require more work strapping/chaining and tarping but also offer good pay and regional work. Last but not least find a company and stay with them for 2 years! Show future employers that you are reliable and not a job hopper. You also want to protect your CDL by keeping it Accident and ticket free and keeping CSA points off your record.

 

Training companies only require a year in most cases and its all about insurance. You can tell which ones are student oriented, a lot of them have rules designed to protect them from getting burned, and not all in house training rules are fun, but quickly accepted.

If you are lucky, you might find an owner op willing to pay you $1500 a week, but figure making peanuts otherwise learning the ropes with a big co, in six months you usually catch on and do better.

 

You shouldn't have started it then with your little passive-aggressive comment.

 

Dont do it. Heres why; because most people in this industry have family at home and theyre missing out on life. Hence the reason for the stern replies.

If you're young with nothing holding you back then do it 100%. Just dont have kids or else you will be out here driving while all the money goes back home.

The job is more exciting when i know all the money is going to my bank and im getting richer every week.

 

I admire the minimalist lifestyle. Makes me wonder how my own life would be different if I didn't have a family. Anyway, from what you have said, I think trucking would be a worthwhile endeavor for you. I say go for it. You might love it, you might hate it. But either way, it is an experience you will never forget.