Advice? Don't become a trucker.

I quit college to start driving and would not trade my current job or income for any job/career a chemistry degree would have landed me. Been driving almost 9 years, almost 7 at this one now and only had two jobs - that said if something happened to this one, unless I was able to land real well off the bat at another good LTL company I would find something else to do..

 

Ah yes, it's amazing how the long and winding road of trucking goes...
We start out all full of piss and vinegar...ready to make our mark on the "Highpay Highway".
Then for most of us we realize this business isn't really what it's cracked up to be.

To all you newbies, let me answer your questions in about 20 seconds:
Trucking sucks, recruiters lie, your way is NOT going to be a NEW way to go trucking.
There are no good "leasing" programs.
You will lie on your logbook.
You will spend nights sweating/freezing trying to win the company's idle reduction contest.

Dont be fooled...like so many others i was.
I tried different ways of making it work...and guess what?
It took me getting off the road for good to realize how bad it really was.
The closest i came to being happy was the last company i worked for.
But I still had to be gone for almost a month at a time.
After six years of being on the road, I finally came out of the clouds and realized the truth I tried to avoid realizing:
THIS BUSINESS SUCKS!!!!
For so many...it leaves a trail of bankruptcies, collections, broken marriages, lost friendships, and bad health acquired along the way.

Look folks, there's a reason the turnover rates are through the roof in this biz.
Contrary to what all the loudmouth supertruckers will tell you...you DO NOT get out of this industry what you put into it (at least for MOST drivers...more on this later...).
You won't get paid for all the miles you drive, your time is worth zilch...as is your labor...tho you might get a few scraps thrown your way for working off the clock or sitting around for hours upon hours.
You sure as hell won't get home when you want to/need to.
Benefits...if you even get them...are some of the worst around.

Now, my friend Jakebrake is right...there are still some good truckin' jobs out there in niche areas like LTL, UPS/FedEx, private fleet (Wal-Mart), Overdimensional, tankers, hauling cars...that sort of thing.
But what you must understand is that these are NICHES...meaning they are in the minority of all driving jobs.
And sadly...the pickens gets slimmer with each passing year.

For every 10 trucking jobs, maybe 1 or 2 are in one of these niche areas.
Would you go to the casino and lay your money down on 10 to 1 odds favoring the house?
Of course not...it's like throwing money away.
Then why the hell would you do so with your life and career?

 

WOW some one don't like what he does or did. Lots of people make a good living driving truck. Maybe it was the company or type of trucking you did to make you so unhappy. Don't tell the new drivers what it's going to be like for them. Just because it did not work out for you don't mean they won't do good at it.

 

I've been lurking on this forum for a few months now, but now will chime in. Boy, there are some unnerving stories and thoughts about the trucking industry in this thread!

I just got my Class A four days ago and am in the process of talking trucking companies' recruiters and doing all the reading I can and talking to drivers about the
industry and various companies. From what I've learned, there is something good and somethign bad about every company. There are happy truckers and then there are very, very unhappy ones. I know the economy is not so good, therfore companies can treat you disrespectfully 'cause they know if you quit them they've got a stack of resumes ready; they'll replace you by noon tomorrow. Most of us from other inudstries are dealing with this or have dealt with it in the past, you're not alone!

I also have a college degree (Business) that's about worth 1/2 of the cost of the paper it was printed on. Never able to find one job with that degree other than cubicle phone jockeying or commission only sales type jobs which I learned years ago just is not what I want to do with my life. I too have many friends from college who are working in fields unrelated to their degrees for much lower than expected pay, struggling to pay off student loans.

I worked in the automotive industry either as a mechanic or a service advisor/customer service position for the last 10 years and I can attest that there is a lot of dislike about that business as well. Long hours, lack of respect from superiors, nothing more than a "produce more now!" attitude from the top, it seems, which can well break down the human drive and spirit if you allow it. I can only assume that trucking and the companies involved are similar; good and bad things about each one, good and bad things about being a truck driver overall; I guess I'll just have to jump in and see for myself before I can come up with a valid opinion. I think my love for the road and driving will go far to overcome the bad.

Having said that, I very much appreciate this forum and all your posts, it's encouraged me (and at times discouraged me!) to go forward with a trucking career.

 

My last year of running the road...in 2004...I made .40 cpm on practical miles.
A lot of guys I talk to nowadays are getting anywhere from .27 to .34 cpm.
Some are getting less than that.

When you factor in the cost of living on the road these days, it hardly seems worth the effort.
Like I said before, it just don't pay to be out there anymore.

It's a sad state of affairs and getting sadder by the day...

 

I haven't read all the posts here but did feel compelled to respond to the OP. Yes trucking can be a lot of hours and work with low pay. BUT I have never had a job that I worked so little and got paid so much!!! All my other jobs (I've had a lot ) were so much more hot,cold,wet,dirty, or had back stabbing co-workers, brown nose'rs ect. Trucking isn't for everybody and may not be right for you or you need to find a different Co.
Finding the right trucking company is kinda like finding the right girl to marry, ya gotta check em all out!

 

If you really feel this way. Do your self a favor and get a different job!

 

For every dozen drivers making money and who are happy there are a dozen whiners. Instead of whining why don't you move on? The job is what it is.

 

WOW!! Someone save me! This person is making McDonalds look "Really" good....I only wanted to get my CDL, go to work with a good attitude, good work ethic, safety a priority, help my kids out for college and get important freight to families across the country I love....America!

Is this wrong?

 

No not if you go in with a good attitude, good work ethic, safety a priority like you just said.

It is what you make it.