Career change, is the grass any greener?

NO. The grass is not greener here.

Trucking is just about exactly as you described being a corporate pilot. Drive for hours and sit for many more.

If you want to work, with less chance of sitting. Get into private trucking, such as trash hauling, beverage distribution, furniture moving, log hauling, the list goes on.

 

Is it greener - no. I would say a company driver is one of the worst paying, most abused jobs around. No real independence, pay is low and hardly enough to feed you let alone a family when you start.

 

Keep your pilot licence tho..... for when smokey pulls you over and says "Ok speedy, show me your pilot's licence".

 

If you want to stay married and see your kids grow up, then

STAY OUT OF TRUCKING!!!​

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Welcome to the TTR Forum. There are many similarities.

I would say the grass isn't greener. Having my Commercial Pilot, ASEL, AMEL, Instrument Airplane with 1500+ hours, I have looked into what you are doing. I don’t have a lot of ME hours. I don't know what you make but the paths I could find paid less than $30,000 per year. I also know from previous maintenance jobs that I don't want to be on-call for guys with money. IMHO, there is nothing worse.

Having owned a couple of trucks but never worked as a driver, I can't give an experienced view on the driver part. I can tell you the view from the owner/operator seat isn't all that rosy. It is more freedom, more responsibility, more risk and the same level of respect (or disrespect).

The big problem I see for you is starting over. At the Mega-Companies, truck drivers are probably treated worse than corporate pilots. Realistic average first year OTR income will be $35,000 - $40,000. If you get lucky and land something regional, income will probably be less. There’s a lot more to it than driving but since you and I both know the responsibilities of a pilot, I don’t see that as a problem.

I doubt most drivers realize how similar trucking and aviation are for the average person. I didn’t start flying for a career, but looked at it as my experience increased. I was surprised how little it paid and how unglamorous it was. Aviation has more potential than trucking but far less chance of realizing that potential.

 

One of the biggest issues in our industry is new driver training and compensation. Because insurance is so high for new driver, a company has to specialize in hiring and trianing new drivers. This places fewer companies that do this and they play a numbers game.

And to be partially fair, it is amazing the number of low lifes that meet the no DUI, convictions, drug use hurdle that become drivers.

 

Here's my standard copy and paste advice. It is aimed toward helping new drivers avoid common misconceptions, pitfalls and disappointments about the industry. I hope you find something of value in it.

You need to research and find out what the important questions are. You can make an above average living but you will make sacrifices that other jobs don't require. Read the "good companies" and "bad companies" section on this forum and get an idea of what company you want to work for and what kind of trailer you want to pull. Don't just go to school and then try to figure out where to go.

I don't know your financial situation. Don't take training from a company if you can afford it or get it with financial aid. You will be their slave for up to year. If you leave they will trash you DAC and credit record. Check out your local community colleges and employment office.

Just know that most training and trucking company recruiters will do nothing but lie to you. They will let you talk about what you want and then tell you what you want to hear. Trucking is about moving freight to make money for the company. Your home time, family, paycheck and everything else comes second.

It is not like any other job. Local is usually backbreaking delivery work 10+ hours a day, 6 days a week. Often you unload dozens of times a day or you are a salesman. In my area most dump truck jobs pay less than a good factory job. Regional is lots of loading and unloading time, fewer miles than OTR and not as hard as local but will wear on you and push your HOS limits. OTR is out 3 - 5 weeks with 3 - 4 days home, less manual labor and more miles.

You'll probably have to pay your dues before you get the gravy job. Weekends off, if you are lucky enough to get something like that starting out, may be home Thursday afternoon and leave Saturday night or home Friday night and leave Sunday afternoon. Loads deliver on Monday early and you leave in time to get them there. Often your home time will be in the middle of the week.

Regardless of your driving choice, after school you will go through company training. For OTR this can be six weeks to three months with little or no home time. The first phase is usually $400 a week and the second phase is $500-550 a week. Some pay less. One company pays 12 CPM for training.

You don't want to wait around too long after training or you'll have trouble finding a job. If you get out before you have a year in, when you try to come back a few months later you will find they want you to start over. Most OTR companies don't put any value on local experience so it is better for your career to drive OTR first if you will ever want that option.

One more thing, if you have anything that makes you less desirable than your competing job applicants, a phone or in-person interview will often bring the best results. Even if I am the best candidate I will choose face-to-face if at all possible and phone if not. Sure you may have to fill out that online application but that isn't the best way to get a good job. You have to do something or be someone who stands out from the crowd. Do regular follow-ups by phone on the jobs you really want. Too many new drivers just settle for a job from the list the school has. There are many more options available. The school works in volume and looks the best when it says 90+% of our graduates find employment. So obviously they get better results from companies that hire in higher numbers.

Now I'll share some thoughts and opinions on common misconceptions. New OTR driver starting pay is usually about $35,000 - $40,000 annually. It will probably be less if you choose regional because you will drive fewer miles. You will most likely see all the sites you can from the truck windshield on the Interstate or parked at the truck stop. The company will not allow you to go out of route or bobtail around to sightsee.

Other helpful suggestions include attending school in early spring. This will give you several months to acclimate yourself to your new driving career before you have to tackle the chore of winter driving. It also will get you started in the busier time of year when more miles are available to make you more money.

 

NO WAY!! If you said your a cook or something like that you'd hear people telling ya "come on over", But don't do it! You'd regret it. Ever try flying for UPS? How about Fed Ex? Both pay ALOT more than you'd ever make driving and the home time can't be beat! I have a friend that flies for UPS and last I heard was makeing $120K a year BUT ONLY WORKS LIKE 10-15 DAYS A MONTH and that was about 5 years ago.