If you could do it all over

What are your reasons for wanting to be out of the industry?
Hate it?
Or are you screwing around with containers around Vancouver area? I would really hate that.

 

I feel the same way sometimes.
The money has to be worth it to you. For me, I have no idea how I'd make the money I make doing something else. And it would be very difficult to be someone's employee again. So I soldier on.

If you are making good money and putting away a healthy amount every year, consider this. If you can sock away maybe 200,000 while you are still relatively young, say under 35, that gives that money about 30 years to grow until you draw on it for retirement. Once you reach that amount, you can, in theory, do any work you want, while spending 100% of the disposable income. As long as you never touch the 200 and invest it wisely, you can ease retirement money thoughts. It may be an escape plan for me should I decide I am done trucking. You can adjust the math and time and return % and end goal and see where you think you want to be. The thing is when you're young, time is on your side. But you won't be young forever. So where is the balance for you?

 

I saw the country and saw lots of changes , some good some not good .
Regret it no ! And learned a lot .
Some back home in Minnesota , the dakotas, Iowa and Nebraska assume things about other parts of the country
....we see it !
Some when they hear me talk think I'm from jersey but never lived there .
Spent half my life there tho and NYC ,

Its been kind of cool to see roads improve from what they were in the 80s and the truck I now drive evolve from a single bunk cab over on springs with a 310 cat and a 9 speed to a luxury unit I now own lol .
Lots of personal losses and heartache tho .
Do it again ? If I had it to do over?
Nope !

 

I had fun,I had heartace,i had fun times I had bad times I made lots of money I spent even more money, would i do it again i sure as hell hope i would not ,i would had enjoyed life better got a unipolar jobs with benefits and retirement package,trucking jbh aa too many ups and downs .
I have talking.more people out of being a driver than I ever talked into it.
As far as no bosses ,well let's see you got dispatcher, safety,people, maintenance people, you brokers shippers, dot ,state police scale masters, local.cops who think they are your boss and treat.you even less.
Being married to anocxupation is no life ,paying shops 4 times.more than you make is no fun.
You could loose your job ,marriage ,house life savings, life in a instance without anyone caring one iota.
This.job is not worth the risk and chances you have to take on .daily. ask a risk manager.about this job and they.tell you its.a.lose.lose.at best.

 

Honestly wrenching isn't hard on the body. They make jacks, cranes, hoists, ear plugs, face shields, kneeling pads etc for a reason. I've wrenched full time for 10 years and I have no aches or pains. The money is excellent too!

 

I'd have stayed with trucking when I first started, twenty two years ago. I'd have a gold card in the coveted million miles club. Probably own my own truck and maybe even be co owner of a company.

I left after just a month's for all the wrong reasons (excuse me ladies, but a woman had a lot to do with it) I've been back for about seven years and have never been happier with what I do.

 

Merchant Seaman

 

Finished college to get an electrical engineering degree.