Are we cut out for trucking? Opions/Advice needed

Yup- our accountant says I'm near the top for gross income, taxable income and efficiency.

 

I'll be lucky to break $30k this year. (Admittedly my company pays per-diems, tax free reimbursments and other back door payments on another check, but that's probably less than $2k)

I'm home most nights though.

 

Dave, you might want to consider a change in scenery, like a company truck. Find one with an APU and you'll be making more and be happier. If your already being that cheap, I know your speeding anyway, so what would the drawback be? Make more money?

 

Trucking especially team is hard to get used to & some like myself (team) never got used to it...Hard to get the right rest bouncing up & down the road...Id say stay put..

 

My husband is an over the road driver. I rode with him for one 2 week run. It was fun at times, at others very tense. Driving one of the big rigs can be very stressful. I sometimes try to imagine driving one myself but can't quite get my head around the idea. I recommend robngraves idea for a vacation. Try living together in a car for a week or two. Being within arms reach of each other 24 hours a day 7 days a week can sound much more romantic than it actually is. Add in the stress of driving something that big, chalenging road and traffic conditions (going down hill can be hair raising!), tight scheduling for pick up and delivery, along with all that robngraves mentioned. I personally hated waking up in the morning with the knowledge that 100 or more yards of parking lot lay between me and the nearest bathroom.

 

I would say that you have to get into a truck that teams hazmats -they will pay more and keep you moving but with no experience I cannot say who would hire you guys...you might have to drive/school for a year with the "undesireables" first . . .

 

ApricotPie hasn't been here since making 2 posts in September . No point giving further advice .

 

Dave I was glad to see your honesty. The reality I have seen many drivers in your position of close to it. Its very easy for people to say "hell I make $6,000 a week" and I did hauling frac sand for a couple of months all the while though the company was ripping me off charging me way too much to lease a trailer and then things for even worse. Me and nine other drivers left within a two week period. For the next couple of months (since I had sold my car hauling trailer) I sat with nothing. Now I realize that some of this was my fault but the facts still remains. I had two choices go to work for nothing or wait til something better to come. Thankfully is has. But I made some tough choice as an o/o too many times I would not idle and run a fan because it saved me money. I ate well but sacrificed plenty to have more money for my family. I love to drive but it does take a toll on you at times. As an o/o I realized that I could do things big companies could not which led to pushing it hard.
To answer the thread I too feel you would be better off looking for a local or regional position first. I too entered this field as a college educated man making a better income than I do now. But the fact is I'm here and I will make it its tough, at times scary, sometimes lonely, ALWAYS
STRESSFUL ---but when I'm rolling down a highway wind blowing radio blasting it ABSLOUTE BLISS.
STRESSFUL, and when I'm rolling down a highwaywind blowing radio blasting