35 years old, thinking of becoming a trucker.

She probably means $75,000 before the gov takes $20,000

lol.

 

What's your past background? I made the switch to trucking at 34 after many many years in retail. I had a dream it would be almost glamorous seeing the sights, etc. It was for awhile. Then it started getting to me...

...1 week to multiple weeks away from my family (3 kids and wife) at a time.
... brushing teeth in a dirty truck stop bathroom while listening/smelling Joe whoever having his morning "ritual
... absolutely zero daily consistency.
... you will work about 15% (or more) of your (up to) 16 hour day for free. You don't usually get paid for anything except actually turning tires or a preset load/unload amount. Sitting, waiting, fueling, pretrip, maintenance/breakdown downtime... all free work on someone else's truck. Maybe the carrier you sign on with will give you paid wait if you surrender like the first "X" hours free. For me at one place it was 2 the other it was 3.
... actually feeling myself getting fatter and worse shape.
... many many many hours of solitude to think and dwell on whatever troubles you. Sounds like I'm being a whiny #####, but trust me, you can be your own worst enemy on the road and it's hard to shut it off.

I changed to a different long haul company that went into the states thinking it would get better. The scenery changed, the lifestyle didn't, the paychecks certainly didn't, and crossing the border and buying anythjng at these exchange rates makes you go bankrupt.

In the end I have found a local job for a good hourly rate plus overtime. I generally work Monday to Friday 10-14 hours a day. I'm now home every night. Not much of a life because after 14 hours it's pretty much eat, shower put the kids to bed and then go to bed. But at least I'm getting paid for the work I'm doing, I'm not eating or spending money on the road, I'm sleeping in my own bed and seeing my family (albeit briefly) every night. This is a good position until I figure out how the hell to get out of driving.

Unless you're completely single, don't require any sort of substantial income to sustain life and don't really care about having a routine or a social life, stay away.

Also, I was in a similar position right before I got into driving. I had my class 1 but my dad was diagnosed terminal cancer. I got to see him only a few times before he passed. Even that wasn't enough, and I regret daily not talking to him more or spending time with him and now it's too late. So like others have said, if you can hold on to something else and see your parents more, I'd highly suggest it. No job is worth sacrifcing your family.

 

Hit the nail square on the head.

 

Some things I forgot to touch on about the daily life of driving....

1. You are responsible for everything. Everything. Weight. Truck. Trailer. Load and securement. Everything. Get an inspection at a scale or roadside and that little air leak on the line that goes to your chair and that oil sweat from your million mile motor... now listed as a "requires attention" and is on your abstract. That may not be a big deal, but it shows that everything ends up on your record and they're looking for it. I get that it's to keep only safe vehicles on the road, but wait until you're in a predicament with your employer who doesn't want to spend the money to fix it.

2. Almost everyone you encounter on a daily basis is against you. The general motoring public, various DOT, police and border control, a lot of shippers and receivers, and unfortunately for some your own company.

The general public hates you on the road. You are a slow moving obstacle keeping them from reaching their Starbucks 36 seconds quicker. They don't want to let you merge in, they want to race around you just so they can hammer the brakes and make the next left turn, and when you're back in up off the street (especially when you're new at it) they'll race in behind you as you're reversing, rip in front past you as you're correcting. Lots of interesting people.

DOT and enforcement agencies always look at you with an eye of suspicion, and are out to collect fines. Cross a border and get your truck interior inspected, they rip it all apart and leave you to put it all back together later.

Shippers and receivers view you as a necessary evil. And unfortunately a lot of them have simply had bad experiences with other drivers. You'll see this when you get somewhere and they have a no washroom policy Plus some are known for giving horrible directions to get you in, and a lot don't care about your time in the least. You'll sit there all bloody day.

Your own company. You're a number, and nobody wants you to give suggestions or try to improve anything or you sit at home. Your dispatcher will give you unrealistic loads with unrealistic time frames. Or let you rot in a truck stop. Question him, you sit at home. Some companies are known for budget stretching maintainence "programs". Basically they try to save a buck and not fix things until you're right in their face about it. Sure, you can be the guy that refuses to drive it until fixed, and see how far that gets you with places.

Oh... and pissing in a jug at 236am because it's -20 out and you really don't feel like going outside is fun...

There are some good days. When the weather is good and you're not worried about about your truck, or the load, or rushing to get where you're going, you can turn up the radio and cruise down the road. You will make money, and it will be a job that you can always fall back on if you need to, but you're not getting wealthy. And if you really cost highway pay per hour, a job at A&W can look like it pays better. It is neat to see a lot of different places. In 2 years I've seen just about every province and about 35 states.

But in the end there is a lot of crap you have to deal with and and a lot of sacrifice to do it. Personal time, family occasions, health and well being.

Just be aware of what you're getting into. I should have done more research before jumping into it.

And in all my experiences thus far, I have not had a blowout or complaint against me with any customer, shipper, receiver. Have been inspected but have so far always passed. No accidents and no road violations.

 

This guy speaks the truth. Takes awhile to find a good company.

Looks like a boots truck at the top of Rogers pass?

 

Maybe. .... not naming any names. Lol. The other company I mention is a well known flat deck and van carrier southeast of Winnipeg. ..

 

Big Freight !!!! BIG FREIGHT !!!!

 

I was going to guess transx and deckx

 

I was thinking Big Freight.

TransX is located right in Winnipeg.

 

I've been driving since I was 19 and reading some of these posts makes me want to stop lol.