The more I learn, the more I cant believe the amount of risks truckers take.

Every part of life carries risk......every job carries risk...….stay in bed,
or get up in the morning, both carry risk.

My rule is I do every thing I can to be as safe as possible...….if some
ambulance chaser comes after me my biggest concern is was I doing
anything wrong. If I do something wrong and kill somebody I would have
a hard time with that...….


I guess my point is that when friends call or visit me in prison and they ask that
question "Did you do it" I want to be able to look them straight in the eye and say
"no I didn't" My advise is stick to the job you want to do......be as safe as possible.....

 

In the great words of Lt. Vincent Hanna "YOU CAN GET KILLED WALKING YOUR DOGGY!"

 

Do what you enjoy before it is to late, your body takes a huge hit as you age unless you are one of the lucky few. I did the ski bum bit in my early years, enjoyed every minute of it but some of those stunts I pulled has left me limping sometimes. Then after blowing out the back went into trucking, enjoyed that until they started saying deregulation and gave us regulation on steroids so became a lineman which as we age we learn sometimes we have to stand back and let the younger at it. Made better money fixing the crap they left but then technology took over. Now back as a ski bum listening to all them youngsters trying to keep up saying "hurry up grandpa". And at the end of day they can barely walk and I have the same old limp. Just do what you enjoy. life is short and almost everything we do does not matter.

 

Dude, settle down.

We all know the score, it is one of the most dangerous jobs in the world. it is one of the few where fire fighters and cops have less risk.

The problem is too many people among us don't give a crap, their in it for the money and will run over anyone who gets in their way - sometimes literally.

Just read some of the threads about piss bottles and poor drivers, how many drivers and "veterans" alike accept this as being OK?

A lot.

 

The thread was interesting but took a turn when the Op said that owner operators don't have Independence and freedom and aren't Their Own Boss or whatever he said.

In most businesses being the boss does not give you Independence and freedom. It gives you more responsibility and gives you people working under you that constantly want to work that you have to monitor- you have customers that you have to monitor and interact with on a continual ongoing non-stop basis. There's rarely a situation when someone is Their Own Boss that they truly have no one to answer to. I also disagree that owner operators are buying themselves a job.

I will tell you if an owner operator can make over $100,000 a year let's say, and then anytime they can park their truck and take off for a couple days or a couple weeks that's pretty much Independence and freedom.

You decide what freight you pull, you decide which truck you drive, you decide the rates you are willing to work for, you decide when you are going to work.

That sounds like Independence and freedom to me.

And especially, most especially if you can make over $100,000 a year and have no employees you certainly have freedom and Independence.

If you ever would like to feel the opposite of freedom and Independence, have a gang of guys looking at you that want to work everyday,, and you are responsible for them earning their living.

 

As you prove yourself in the industry with a good driving record and a stable work history the opportunities for these “unicorn” jobs begin to present themselves. Sometimes it can be a company expanding that already has a list of people on a waiting list to work there, or people getting their foot in the door at a company because an older driver may be retiring in a couple years. These connections come from drivers you meet, be it on the road or on social media.

The above average jobs aren’t going to hire a person with 2 years experience who has bounced around through 4 different mega companies in that time. I’ve been at this game for 22 years. I left a really good job on Aug 22. It was a flatbed job, but the money was great, I rarely worked more than 50 hours a week, and I was home on the weekend. But I was presented with a once in a lifetime chance, not because I answered an ad looking for help, but because they reached out to me via social media. It’s been a year in the works and I start next week.

 

While I agree with the point you are making, misrepresentation of statistical data is a major pet peeve of mine. Until you address the fact that there are more than 100 times more passenger vehicles than commercial vehicles you are really comparing apples to oranges.

 

If you want more perspective here is an Washington Post article from May of this year.
The author was ill informed but with 1.6K comments it is entertaining.
Analysis | America has a massive truck driver shortage. Here’s why few want an $80,000 job.
Much like life itself, your lot in it, and your happiness, is what you make of it.
If you've not the penchant for the risk then those of us that do appreciate your recognition of that and hope the best for you, wherever your next career change takes you.
Today I've a 470 mile out and back..looking forward to it.

 

That weighs 80,000 lbs and could kill people with a moment of distraction. You have that pressure stacking boxes?

 

The sky is falling.
The sky is falling.
The sky is falling.