Are the job opportunities really out there?

You will be hired before you get out of school, as long as you can suck air through your pie hold and pass a drug test. If you will make a living... Well, that is another subject. Figure $600 a week, and if you have to live on the road, another say $20 to $40 a day to eat. Do the math. Do you have any responsibilities, like a mortgage or children and a wife? What is your current income? That is the big question, what do you earn now, and then figure in eating out every day and then paying your bills? Not a lifestyle for most, but I needed a roof and three squares when I started. Trucking fulfilled that need, I had no bills other than child support. Totally broken and destroyed, so the occupation fit me just fine. But that was 30 years ago, and the wages are still the same... Just saying.

 

My short story: hired on with Halliburton. Got paid to go to school and get CDL (12.00/HR!). Grossed $45,000 my first year. Tanker/hazmat endorsements imperative. Jumped over to crude oil hauling my second year, grossed $55,000. Now am a chemical driver and grossing over $75,000 a year. Happy as can be. Eleven years have gone by and I don't regret a thing. Good luck to you. It's possible to be happy in this line of work.

 

Halliburton? The op has more than likely never heard of them... You were, thankfully, in the right spot at the right time with folks that knew to point you in that direction, or you saw it yourself. Take a guy off the street, he is clueless in regards to your journey. I'm not, been there, and done that... Baker Hughes... Oh, and that stint in Alaska in Dead Horse... Arco... LOL!

 

Another detail to my story: I was a 40 year-old female immigrant when I hired on with Halliburton. Talk about starting your life all over again! I had no idea what the oilfield was about but I managed to survive. If I can do this anybody else can too!

 

Ok apparently Justtrucking2 has never heard of a fridge in your truck. I started with Ozark and make 1000 a week easy without even running hard. I put a fridge in the truck and stock it for 2 weeks so I don't have to buy anything on the road. I spend between 60 and 80 dollars in food for a 2 week outing. Some of that is junk food too. I buy fresh fruit right before a leave, a gallon of milk the day I leave, and it expires the day I get back. I have chili dogs with onion and mustard, tv dinners, sandwhiches, chips, dip, pizzas, even my local cuisine like gumbo, boudin etc. I bring some canned things, like tuna, vienna sausages, chili for the hot dogs, soups, ravioli, speghetti and meatballs, even canned fruit like fruit ####tails, manderin orange slices, pinapple, etc. The canned stuff is the cheapest. When I was running with a trainer I had no money and all I had was canned stuff. I spent like 20 dollars a week then.

For soda I do the free refills at the truck stops when I get fuel.

If you use your brain, you don't ever need to buy anything on the road. You can treat yourself to a meal if you want, but you don't NEED it if you bring what you need when you go.

Not only is constantly eating out while driving a truck expensive, its usually unhealthy as it's greasy fast food. I try to bring fresh veggies but it's a bit more difficult and they usually can't take all the beating of the truck bouncing down the road for 5000 miles.

The best fruit for a truck, IMHO, are apples. They are tough. Bananas are good but eat them soon after purchase.

 

Oh love you gal! LOL!

 

Try some bubble wrap.

 

Dude, I have a fridge, used to have satellite TV too... Just saying... I sold that truck in 2009, along with my three trailers... Obama effect... This truck current truck of mine has a fridge and a 3400 watt stereo system.... Very cool... And a lift axle for when I get those heavy loads, and a wet kit for when I need to haul a bottle... 600hp, 18 spd, fresh in frame and to many new parts to list... I just took October off, that is a month in the year, and dropped another $5000 into her getting ready for winter... The truck has a clear title, since the day I wrote the check... So, I need a few write offs, and it was fun sucking beer in the driveway wrenching on her. Oh, new Tri-Pac being installed next month, that is another $11,000... I am financing that, as I need a write off! LOL!

Bottom line, a new guy is not going to step into the perfect job like yourself. You did good, more power to you... Just know who you are speaking to when you reply. Capiche?

Dude, your blood pressure has to be through the ROOF eating all of that crap! Get yourself a Red Copper 5 minute chef, and hunt up some steaks and eggs! You are killing yourself!

 

You mean,you need sopmething to "depreciate" for a few years Along with a tax writeoff.....

I Never could understand that though.....My CPA suggests I pay as much of my business expenses in Cash-Collaborate my Roth IRA in Pre-taxes and Pay an adjusted Tax(Which is changing in our favor soon) on as Much as Possible to Secure an excellent Social Security check come retirement on top of an IRA

It Costs Less to pay a touch more in taxes than to PURPOSELY go out and Upgrade (Put yourself in another hole) With that Monthly second mortgage...I Did it Boith Ways in my tenure.....

Paid assets in full- A Touch higher adjusted Tax......Better for my bottom line

If Trump really does change it from 30% down to 20% AND KEEPS IT THERE (not a catch) it will be a win win for the US small business