road vs city route

I'd stick to the city routes for now....

 

Well, lets say you do 500 miles on the road (250 out/250 back) That would be $280 at the .56/cpm. Add to that the hourly you would get for dock work, pre trips, etc. and that daily income could easily be over $300 a day. For a 5 day week that's $1500.

As a city driver you get $22.50 (just to stay at the same rate as right now). So if you work 60 hours a week (a typical expectation, 5 days, 12 hours a day) with overtime at time and a half your gross would be $1575.

Now I figured that out with optimum conditions of course. But I think you see that they are pretty close to equal. You would just need to figure out what you would like more... the highway or the boulevard.

 

It's really going to come down to experience... There are two types of experience in truck driving; experience like you see on a company web site, "2 yrs verifiable experience needed." and the second is the "life" experience that you now have yourself and will gain for YOURSELF as you drive.
What I am getting at with all this is that (don't be offended) you have never driven before and know what goes on out there and how long you will really be out on those streets or roads, which ever you decide. The money seems to come out right around the same amount either way you look at it, so it will come down to what you want to do everyday day in and day out. Do you wanna be out talking to new people every day at your different pick-up and drop destinations? Or would you rather drive one way, unload and drive home? Either way you will have to make the decision based on that information more so than the money. Do you have a girlfriend that would get upset? Being 21 I would assume you dont have a child, but you never know... With that said, do you have children? There are a lot of these questions that are more important to me as a trucker than the money.
I could make 1500 a week if i wanted to be away from my fiance and son for 2 weeks at a time and see them for a day and a half when i do get home.
I rambled on there and probably make no sense, but long story short... Sometimes the money isnt as important as the lifestyle your looking for.
Sorry for the long post guys......... I just couldnt figure out how to put all that in words. I was thinking what i wanted to say, just took me a while to get it on here.

 

That'll get you the dock experience...
I was at the Lowe's D.C. in Stockton and saw this one gal with a "Yard Dog"...She backed those trailers in better than half of the other drivers there.....

 

I would go with the yard dog job if you could. For .30 less a hour you have a lot less hassles. Even if ya got to hook up the dollies and trailers you still don't have to deal with traffic and the growing number of idiots and ***holes out here.

Freebird. Sounds like you have a good head on your shoulders and you sound like you are willing to learn, which is one of the most important parts of becoming a driver is the learning part.
You also sound like you enjoy a good challenge which would lean me towards the city routes, due to the constant challenge of finding your drops and picks and getting around in the traffic and docking and so on. For some people this is the only way, and thats a very valid way, and im amazed at these guys and sometimes jealous of them because they dont mind the challenge. I, myself would rather take the one way and then back again linehaul stuff. It's not the loading or unloading that bothers me ( i kinda like the workout when unloading or loading), but the most stress for me comes from finding destinations. I hate the feeling of passing a turn or a shipper/reciever's driveway and having to find a turnaround, some people actually like it.
The reason im so interested in hearing about your adventures is that im actually thinking of switching jobs and going to Central Transport, which is a ltl and fairly local company around here anyways (upstate, ny). I have a choice of a daily job driving city ltl or they have a linehaul (night time) job to jersey every night and back again. I'm finding that some of the advice that i have been giving you is actually helping me figure out which way i want to go, lol.
I kinda turned this post into a selfish topic, but if it helps you and it helps me, then i guess we both won, lol. Keep us all posted as to what you decide. Thx!

 

What ever you do, just stay with UPS.

 

Hey man, relax. You are 20 years old. You have time enough ahead of you to do it all!

Whatever you are doing, do the best you can, learn as much as you can before moving on to something else. Don't even think of spending your trucking career doing this "one or the other" bit. For one thing, that is not realistic. For another, what a boring existence.

Yes, it's always wise to plan ahead.

But remember that the plans you make today, will have to be revised over and over again as your life progresses.

With the economy the way it is right now, if you can keep on "doin' what you're doin'" you will be way ahead of a lot of folks. Get your CDL. Get experience wherever they decide to place you. Grow from there.

Good luck!