My story, I have been trucking for the past 4 years & been jerked around from 3 companies & if I could take all the good & put them together I would have the best one to work for but it doesn't work that way. I just quit my last job about 3 weeks ago, because they wanted to start slip seating me on my time off & that was only 34 hours a week & also they refused to repair certain things on the truck that I know if I got caught I would be in trouble with the DOT & also the company didn't know how to dispatch as it was a big puzzle everyday & I had to redo my log book daily(we were on paper logs ) so everything looked good (That is what my boss told me) as you know what I mean. It was hard for me to leave in a way $$$ was good but the risk involved was just not worth it & just knew time would run out sooner or later. So here I am thinking about buying my own truck & either leasing on are getting my own authority, I am a good talker & can get along with all most anyone I come in contact with because I was in sales before trucking, but that has went south & was getting bored with it anyway. So I am just a middle class guy out here that is not looking to kill myself, just want to make a living & enjoy trucking without all the drama that comes with working for the other guy. BTW before trucking I was self employed & ran my business well & got out before I took a big loss as many as my close friends did. I want to run a van box trailer & run only the mid west (not farther east than Ohio), south & west . I can purchase a used truck & pay cash & might have to finance a trailer. Thanks for reading my post & I could use all the positive advice I can get.
You sound a lot like me in terms of background. Yes you can make a good living in trucking. I mostly run the mid-west and do not have to work that hard to find loads paying better than $2/mile. The key on rates and making money is understanding your market, being willing and able to sit if the rate is below your minimum and staying legal. I wish I understood from the beginning it is not about the number of mile that you run a regular basis but how much you keep. Shorter, light loads are making me more money than when I run to CA or TX. A lot of good information and good people on this forum. Read, read, read and then start asking questions. It may not be easy but I have found that it is well worth it. And for my 2 cents, if you want to avoid some of the issues you have seen as a company driver get under your own authority. If you do the math you will see that the difference in what you make per load pays for the stuff a company covers in a short period of time.
Money is to be made in any kind of market and in any business. Know your expenses and take the plunge- I wish you the best of luck.
