Do you OTR reefer guys really make a good living?

Shhhh
You're going to blow my cover.

 

You will find in some areas the American Medical System is completely broken as of this year.

I do not recieve adequate medicines from anyone including Trauma without the ER doctor standing up to a State Challenge of that needed medicine. What I will receive is one of future surgeries that will fix a big problem (A 9 month old Fractured Hip Joint)

What I had to do to access that oppertunity created a BIG mess for all of my doctors. All of whom would prefer me not to do what I did.

 

Chinatown

I agree. It does not matter what type of trailer, or loads one pulls. It is all about how hard one is willing to work if an O/O, and company drivers will make the national average of the profession in which he/she chose. If an O/O thinks 1.20 per mile is a good rate, than they need to sell, or give back the lease purchase truck, and if a company driver thinks they will make pocket fulls of money. They need to research another profession. No one has ever, since trucking started became a millionaire, or even close. Many are lucky to make enough to keep their bills paid at home, and have a little pocket change. This is partially why we see such a turn-over rate in trucking.

 

And it can be feast for certain truckload segments and famine for other segments, in the same quarter. And 6 months later it can be exactly the opposite. If you have the money and assets to swap out as necessary, fine. Otherwise, stick with what you know and ride out the highs and the lows and sleep comfortably all year long, on balance.

 

If you have too much money, and need a way to get rid of some, then get into trucking lol

 

Reefer O/O's can make great money, but you have to enjoy driving at night and waiting long hours. As an example, I'm finishing up a brokered reefer run now. Northern California to Seattle area, 730 miles. Picked up at 3pm on Monday and dropped at 1am on Wednesday. It paid $3,400. It wasn't really even a reefer load, just kept at 55 degrees. Granted, these loads aren't available every day, but certain lanes especially this time of year have them. For my load home today I'm doing an LTL load and picking up from 3 different locations and making around $4,500 for that same 730 miles from my own customers.

If I wanted to only run nights especially into the LA area, I could make this kind of money many weeks, but I don't like being a vampire and I'm too old to deal with LA traffic, and have a sleep schedule and isn't somewhat regular. Last night I fell asleep at 7pm and woke up this morning at 6am just making up from that one late night delivery. Getting old sucks.

 

Maybe he paid off the house, the kids finished college, and he simply likes to drive, but doesn't want to retire yet.

Maybe he recently got a new boss, and his life at work was intolerable?

Lots of reasons I can think of to take a pay cut to get out of a soul-sucking office job.

 

I literally walked out of a temp work in London Fog folding envelopes. I did a day and morning there. We have workshops in school years past that accomplishes that particular task to settle those who have need of it. But that was not living to me.

I feel fortunate Trucking was good in many ways, within reason over the years. If Life was the goal to accumulate stories, memories and what not then I have a little too much of it.

It would not be so bad for anyone if they built a workplace designed not to empty out souls.

 

In trucking you sometimes have too much payroll in the bank and don't know what to do with it. But are too tired to spend any until you have slept until next week.