Double Yellow's Company Driver to Independent Thread

Discussion in 'Ask An Owner Operator' started by double yellow, Nov 5, 2014.

  1. spyder7723

    spyder7723 Road Train Member

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    Yes and no. While i wouldn't call it hard work, in order to have any hope of consistency on the big hit jackpot moves would involve years, maybe even decades, of dedicated study.
     
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  3. Oscar the KW

    Oscar the KW Going Tarpless

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    Not to mention balls of steel to lay out that kind of risk daily.
     
  4. spyder7723

    spyder7723 Road Train Member

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    Yep. No doubt about that.
     
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  5. boredsocial

    boredsocial Road Train Member

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    Your ability to remind yourself of that is admirable. I'm being super serious here too. It's not just about making the money, keeping it is the real challenge.
     
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  6. spyder7723

    spyder7723 Road Train Member

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    It was extremely difficult to stay disciplined. I've never really been big on gambling and could never understand how guys could lose their life savings on a weekend trip to Vegas. Craps is fun and all but to keep going back to that atm machine every half hour? No way.
    Well i have a lot more understanding for those guys now. That was a huge internal battle.
     
  7. double yellow

    double yellow Road Train Member

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    It is an acquired skill - it takes a lot of effort to divorce yourself from your previous actions and see each situation from a clean slate.

    At the Berkshire Hathaway annual meeting this year, Warren Buffett put up the stock chart of his first purchase & sale:

    [​IMG]

    Lord knows I've done that same thing a time or three: buy undervalued stock, watch the price keep going down, begin to doubt yourself, see stock come back, cash out quick for modest gain, then watch it slowly triple over the next year or two...
     
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  8. Nostalgic

    Nostalgic Road Train Member

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    I was happy to be able to get out of AAPL when it finally came back up to $85. Only to watch it climb to what, $800 before the split? Luckily I don't remember how many shares I was trading to torment myself with what could have been, and I avoid even seeing what a single share from 2009 would be worth today...
     
  9. csmith1281

    csmith1281 Medium Load Member

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    And how you can have partially hydrogenated oil in a food and it still comes out to 0 g trans fat per serving.
     
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  10. roundhouse

    roundhouse Road Train Member

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    Bumping a great thread

    I don’t want to be Debbie downer , but truck driving can be a pretty crappy job

    It’s one of the few , maybe the only job where you are expected to work 14-16 hours a day , six days a week .and zero overtime pay

    At a normal job you get time and a half after 40 hours and usually double time after 60 hours

    Remember that when a recruiter talks average yearly earnings , you could make the same money working the same hours at a fast food place

    The only way I would recommend anyone getting into trucking is if you get a decent hourly rate driving someone else’s truck , OT after 40 hours and good benifits , health insurance , good vacation and holiday pay etc

    And don’t forget that in trucking you have zero room for advancement
    Your starting pay is the max you will ever get
     
    Last edited: Jul 14, 2018
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  11. roundhouse

    roundhouse Road Train Member

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    I’ve been out of trucking for a while
    And not planning to get back in but I wanted to say thanks to double for all the info and advice

    I made so much money with one truck , leased with Triple Crown Service in Atlanta that I bought several more and promptly lost my shirt
    Those of you who think a hired driver will work as hard as you are very mistaken
    My hired drivers worked 65% as hard as I did
    And the Maint cost went through the roof

    A clutch would last me five years , it would last my drivers about nine months

    Also Double , have you looked into Lifestyles Unlimited real estate ?
    They have a ton of good information and their members are very open with sharing their numbers
    The members will have an open house at an apartment complex and open their books and show you the profit and loss statements etc

    I enjoyed trucking and made some good money
    It’s like construction , when times are good you can make a ton , when times are bad you have to go find another job that pays by the hour

    I was young and single didn’t even have a house or apartment , and sold my bandit trans am to help buy my truck

    and I built a shower in my sleeper , that saved a lot of time , since I could shower while at a loading dock , and helped me stay alert , a nap and a hot shower really makes you feel better

    I put two 10 gallon tanks under the sleeper , dropped a heater core in one ,
    Had a 12v pump in each tank so I had hot and cold water just like at home
    I got a laundry sink and cut a hole and dropped it into the sleeper floor just above the driveshaft , was a flat top 36” sleeper .
    I modified the bunk and mattress so I could fold them out of the way
    And made a shower curtain I could Velcro to the roof

    Also got a fuel tank that was meant for the bottom of a small fishing boat
    That fit right in between the fuel tanks below the driveshaft to catch the dirty water
     
    Last edited: Jul 14, 2018
    Pumpkin Oval Head and blade Thank this.
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