who to believe

You'd be surprised at the responses you get when you talk to some truckers face to face. When I started looking at a career change, my homework started at truck stops. I do a part-time job during the week, and play music with a band that travels in a tour bus every weekend for 3 and 4 days at a time, traveling about a 25 state area. Driving that 45 foot Eagle Tour Bus for 10 years, trading off with 2 of the other members gave me a new perspective on driving.
I see the stupidity of 4 wheelers around big vehicles at 70 mph, but I also talk with truckers at the fuel stops at 3 in the morning. If you see a company driver, from a company you're interested in, ask them about it. Find out how long they've been there, and how long they've been a trucker.
Some off days, I'll even sit in the lot, drinking my coffee, waiting for certain company trucks to pull up at the fuel line. I've learned alot. I even hit the cafe a few times, and offered to buy a meal for one or two if I could sit with them and ask questions. When you want answers, forums like this, and going to the source have helped alot.

 

Hi guys.. & gals.... driving a truck is not just a job.. it's a career & lifestyle change. You make what you want out of it... if you hate to drive or hate to travel you can bet you are going to hate driving.. cause that's all for the most part you will be doing. Some trucks have
"co-pilots" but it's not like you think.. that's a team environment which is a whole different posting in itself.


Think about it.. the next time you see a truck go down the road... That driver could be having the worst day in the world.. or the best day... That driver could be miles from home or live in the next city to you.

You shower, do laundry, eat in crappy restaurants, deal with road rage on a daily basis, deal with fatigue, deal with people that can simply can't drive (4 wheelers & 18 wheelers too), ignorant people no matter if they are sitting on the dock or in the office, in the next truck to you, or anywhere.

If you hate the cold, don't drive.. if you hate the hot / humid weather, don't drive.. Unless you stick to one certain area, you will find yourself in all of these areas sometime in your career. You can't get along with the opposite sex.. whew... don't drive.. You might need their help sometime down the road. (this isn't meant in a sexual need either).

There are alot of factors to consider for a trucking job.. Almost every driver out there has something to say about every trucking company. Who do you believe who ya don't.. Watch for the pattern.. we are telling you the truth about CRE... alot of us have been burnt by them.... but for the most part sometimes you have to find out for yourself. I'm not saying go to 6 or 7 companies try them for a month and quit.. find one that will give you the training.. experience, hometime, etc... But keep in mind.. you aren't going to get home for awhile.. You have to pay your dues. You have to put the time in.....

Where else can you go to see the sights, sounds and countryside. You are a paid tourist... Now, I didn't say you get to STOP to touch the ground.. you just get to see those areas.. LOL .... Now granted, some places depending on your time schedule you can actually stop and "smell the roses" and drivers will take that time to do that.

You can see the sunrise one day and sunset the next day, be in chicago one day, tenn the next...

Once it truckin gets in your blood, even if you leave, you'll usually go back to it....where else can you make decent money... other then maybe win the lottery? ... Money can't buy love... Money can't buy happiness...but Money can get you out of debt... "hopefully"...

Talk to drivers at the truckstops, get their opinions..and then form your own opinions... talk to recruiters.. but remember a recruiter's job is to get you in the door!


Good luck in your decision on whether to drive or not...

 

Sorry it has been so long. I dont get on here much while on the road.
That school you mentioned is owned by the same guy that runs the Central Ref school in medina NY.
It is the route I would take if you can. As a real school they should offer student loans, just like a college would. That is the one I was talking about in Niagria though. I thought that they contracted with the Community college as well, you may want to check.
Well I am getting ready to get picked up to head to tonights Sabres season opener. Good luck.

 

Well, I'll tell ya...

I love trucking. I have been doing it for about 15 years now. Mostly Class 'B', Dump Trucks, and such.....Last year I went and got my class 'A' thanks to my brother in law who owns his own rig. I was all egar to get out there and do some regional trucking, when I was quickly schooled that my 15 years of commercial experience meant nothing. And that as far as everybody was concerned I had ZERO experience....Especially since my family was used to around a $45K per year income, and me home every night. And should I have gone with one of the many carriers in most cases, I would have to complete their training program for Class "A" (Keep in mind I already have one) and still go out for weeks at a time with a trainer making around $300 per week and being away from home.

I couldn't see how one could even break in to freight side of the business without going bankrupt to do it. Then the starting pay.....$0.27 cpm? What the hell is that? Running 3000 mi per week in 6 days (which alot of truckers in here will tell ya, NOT the average) only brings $810.00 per week gross. What about road expenses? How much does that take up? Then there were the horror stories....Out three weeks only to pass by your home and pick up another load traveling 800 mi. the OTHER direction. And if you do get home on say a Friday night being told that you have to pick up your outbound at midnight on Saturday night? Nah....That scared me....

So I knew a friend from the dump business that had started a company several years ago and had some dump trailers, doing the same thing I had been doing, but in a tractor/trailer. So I contacted him and started driving a sweet '06 Pete 379 with an Alumitech trailer. Life was pretty good. Until last Saturday....

While turning in my paperwork for the week, I was informed that one of his trailers was sold, and a tractor was soon to follow. So he had nothing for me....The pitfall of working for an O/O I guess. So now here I sit typing to you guy's at 6:30 am wondering what is in store for me, rather than motorin up the road to Manheim PA, enjoying a warm cup of coffee, listening to Quinn and Rose rail about something on the radio, and waiting to view another glorious sunrise on the road. Sometimes the curves are just a #####!

At least now I have some experience to get my foot in the door. I am going to hear from Cowan today, and I talked with MKM distributors yesterday, and that sounded pretty good. But I am still angeling for the regional thing at most.....I really don't want to go OTR if I can help it....But at least I know that whatever I do I will at some point be behind the wheel again.

There is nothing like it....Picture, the sun is just starting to crest the horizon, the cab is nice and warm, (fall now) you just got done over the time off cleaning, and detailing your truck, so it is supremely comfortable. CB is on, but at a low volume, and the gain turned up so as to allow only those close to you to register. Coffee is hot, and the Raido is on with your favorite program on...You leave the exit ramp, and grab another gear and set the cruise. Your wheels are shinin', your truck is gleamin' .....Is there anything better? You are a big truck driver. A professional, Capitan of the ship. A man in charge of his own day. How in the world could anyone be couped up in a cubicle, in some climate controlled office? Nah.....It's the road for me, with all the bad, and good....Wouldn't do anything else!

j-mac

 

Well, Mike started driving truck, straight truck, five years ago. Decided to go for Class 1 and the big rigs and has been doing that since June of this year. We're now with a company that treats us well, I'm on the road with him 24/7 as his navigator/co-pilot/spirit lifter/friend etc. and we really enjoy it.

I know it's a lot different in Canada but we'll make $50,000 a year or more easily so, without a university education, that's good money around here in Nova Scotia!!! Also, my kids are finally grown so I don't HAVE to sit home alone so it works for us.

We work for a small company and they treat us very well. We get home when we want to, get over 2,500 miles a week and get paid to cross the border as well as for all picks and drops. We should actually clear around $900 a week on average whilever we're on the road. If we want to stay home for a good while or take a longer vacation, the money goes down but that's life when you're basically paid this way.

I've been self-employed for years so I'm used to it. You don't work, you don't get paid. At least we now get paid for vacation time, statutory holidays and have a health and RRSP plan!!!

So we're very happy with this life. I do miss being home at times but I was home for 20 years and will be home again some day so, for now, as 40-somethings, it suits us well and hopefully will for 20 years or more

I hear, from here and other places, that it's not nearly as good in the USA these days due to too many truckers but I really don't know. To me, it's all in the attitude I'm considering driving, too, some day but we'll see. For now, I'm happy with our life and so is Mike

EDITED TO ADD:

Oh, gosh, j-mac, that sucks!! I hope you find something soon! Hopefully you've been OTR long enough now that it won't take too long. Good luck with finding something fast!!! And to all you others out of work, too!!

 

Well said, totally agree with your post

 

Sorry to hear about you losing a good gig that you enjoy but I'm hoping for you that another good job is just around the corner!

Thanks for the positive words and view of trucking. I'm considering it as a career and it gets kinda depressing to hear so many people on this forum talking the job down. Hearing from drivers such as yourself helps keep the job in perspective.

Thanks.

 

since i was a kid i wanted to drive a big truck. i have been around truck about half my life and finally took the step and become legal a couple years ago. Great decision!!!! There are only a handful of occupations where you have the freedom and get to see what we see out on the road. I love my job! just like any other job we have issues, but this is a forum to ask questions and solve problems. maybe thats why you heard alot of negative.

No one is gonna post that they just pulled a load of $4.10pm, why tute your own horn?!!!