Do any of you live 100% out of your truck?

I've been at it for 3 years already and plan on another 3-4 before I go local permanently. Met a bunch of people already so usually twice a month I'll get to "hang out" outside of the truck/truck stop. It does get boring at times, but I have a routine which makes it like any other job w/out constant human interaction.

Definitely still OTR by choice cause hell, most days are good days and I honestly have nothing to complain about. As far as home time I usually go for 3-4 days max, with a number of different people to choose from. This upcoming home time is gonna be a bit different from the norm, as I'll be on vacation in Bangkok, Thailand and a couple other different spots for 8 days pretty soon.

At 28 I have plenty of time to do the local, home every night with the family gig. I'm still out here having fun.

 

I'm about to finish my training time and begin solo. My wife is going to join me for 1-2 years, then we are going to buy a house. Or build one. Gonna be a lotta fun!

 

I've been living in my truck, full time, for over 8 years. I call it "willingly homeless" I woke up one day over $160,000.00 in debt with no morgage to blame. I seperated with my wife and I never knew that it was going to last this long. I had $7000.00 a month going out for bills plus fuel and business expenses. I knew I had to do something because I was going nowhere with my debt. I had 12 different medical bills, clinics, hospitals, emergency room bills, doctor offices, dentists, orthodontists etc. I also had 2 car payments, motorcycle, storage, child support, student loans, 5 credit cards, my kenworth and my stepdeck. I was overwhelmed with debt. My truck has a shower,bathroom and full kitchen so technically it is a home on wheels. I kept myself very busy to make it happen. I had my dog, a killer fast remote control car, my bicycle and excercise equipment to stay healthy. Days went by, weeks went by and years have gone by and each bill got smaller and smaller, until I finally made my last payment, which was my Zales diamond account. I still live in my truck full time and I have acquired a couple credit card balances but I am saving money and my credit score is up to 650 now. I could easily have a place now but it still makes no sense if I'm out a month at a time or more and only take a couple days off. I am now divorced legally and I am talking to Freedom Direct about using my VA benefits to buy my first home. As a veteran I have the mindset that "if my fellow veterans can live in tents overseas, I can easily do this". I am looking forward to having a home someday but I want to be completely debt free and have 6 months of capital as a cushion. So until then, I stay at hotels occasionally to keep from going bonkers and I always get a good deal at Enterprise rent a car. Back in March, I delivered in Portland, Oregon and rented a 2014 Harley Ultraglide and I took a couple 2 hour ferry rides to Victoria, BC and ended up at the mainland of Vancouver, BC. I, then, took the back roads through Washington state and worked my way back to Portland. I strongly recommend Eagle Riders Rental because the staff is great and they have 200 locations all over the country. It costed $700 for 3 days of heaven on earth and I can't wait to do it again. I recently moved everything to Florida and I rented a storage facility for my stuff (George Carlin) across from a Walmart, where I park my rig. Now, I just have to walk across the street to have access to my two motorcycles. I became friends with the Pastor of a local donation center downtown who has a motorcycle ministry. I joined his chapter and I also ride in a Honda Goldwing chapter too. I have always dreamed of living in Florida. Being single now has lowered my stress level and I receive great treatment at my local VA clinic for being a Navy veteran. Ultimately, faith in God has been a big factor in my life. I am here to tell everyone that it can be done. I am doing it.

 

I would do it if I didn't have family. I wouldn't stay in the truck in my off time though.

Even if you spent $100 a night on motels if you spent three weeks a month in the truck working and one week off in motels it would be cheaper than paying for a house and all that goes along with it. Plus you would get to stay wherever you want or go to cool places. Almost like a vacation to anywhere every month.

I am on the road a lot and when I am home it seems all I do is take care of things related to the house that fell behind when I was gone like the yard, fixing things, etc. It would be nice not to have that hassle and just say F it I am going to stay on the beach this week and have the maid at the motel clean the room.

 

Kinda like living on a boat.

 

Been living out of my rig since roughly 2011. But I've been a 330-days out per year since '04.

-I have an older Yukon XL at my company yard, a shiny new 2015 Ram 3500 Cummins dually in storage in WA (2 blocks from truck stop) for when I take my time off at my buddies house, and a motorcycle in my mother's garage. That covers the 3 states I'm in most during downtime.
-I use a buddies house in SD for residency/DL/vehicle plates (no state income tax + cheap tags).
-Insurance for all vehicles is based on the storage lot in Idaho where the Ram is parked, so it's cheap as ####e .
-Keep enough clothes on the truck for 3+ weeks and do laundry as needed.
-Have microwave, mid-size fridge/freezer and Ninja 3-in-1 for food/cooking.
-Smartphone with Netflix/Hulu for entertainment + a 22" flat panel with digital antenna. Laptop. Social media. Good shoes for walking around. Friends all over the country so I always have stuff to do and people to visit.
-Passenger seat removed so my little dog has more space for his bowl-chair.

I'm also single and I run 160,000+ miles a year. Burn my 70, reset, burn it, reset, etc. Get "home" when I get there. Usually reset on the road and just relax, because I run hard enough to have earned it.

Overall? I'd have a hard time NOT doing it this way. I like being alone (because people generally suck) and I have everything I need to keep myself preoccupied.

 

So can you do this as a company driver? Like say for CR England? I'm a single 26 year old male and considering trucking. I dont have the money for school upfront, so I feel like my only option is a company like CR England. But it's really only appealing to me if I don't have to be paying rent anywhere. And can save at least for a year or 2 and maybe get a place after that or buy a small piece of land and trailer. Most people I talk to (not truckers) seem to think I won't be able to. I dont personally know any truckers.

 

Where is your location; which state?
Yes, you can live in the truck and bank lots of money. Several drivers on this forum are doing that. Plenty of choices of company paid cdl programs.
Can you pass a drug test; hair follicle or urine test?
Is you driving record ok? Some tickets will be ok and some are disqualifying.

 

Once these very important qualifying questions are answered, this will either become a quick, short visit here on the forum, or one that will garner a wealth of useful suggestions.