Does this sound like a logical plan?

I got a personal "signature" loan from my local credit union for school. I got a loan, payable over 5 years- does have a high interest rate. Most of the "training" companies have tuition reimbursement programs, so if you stay with a company long enough (and find a job soon enough after school). You could be looking pretty good and get that loan paid off using the tuition reimbursment you get each month. It is a risk and requires excellent credit- just an idea for you...

 

The second thread you reference is actually pretty reassuring. Seems like a lot of guys on there feel that there is a lot more than 25-30K your first year to be earned. The concept being that new guys (and gals) make less per mile so companies are happier to give more miles to them because it costs them less. The logic seems sound? I prefer to stay positive and feel that hard work and a good attitude can still pay off.

 

trying to sleep while the truck is bouncing down the road.

so then why are you looking to change jobs? how do you know you'll like driving a truck any more than what you're doing now? you said you wanted to "sock away" money for this and that.

I didn't say go to school and pursue a career in which you're not interested. what I'm trying to tell you is you probably won't make much more money driving a truck than whatever you're already doing. the ad in the paper might say $40-70k your first year - ain't gonna happen.

what kind of job don't you want?

sounds like you have issues that don't have anything to do with work.

alright, dude..... go ahead and fork out $5,000 for trucking school. 4 weeks from now, you'll be another of those posters complaining....."I just spent $5,000 on truck driving school and I've put in 300 applications. no one will hire me!!!" or if you DO get hired, after a few months, you'll be complaining about "I'm only bringing home $200 a week. I'm sitting 2000 miles from home, waiting 3 days on a load. company's trying to screw me out of this money and that money. they never get me home when I'm supposed to get home. I finally quit and they ruined my DAC to where I can't drive any more."

seriously...if you have a burning passion to drive a truck, GO for it (in 2 or 4 years from now - no OTR company will hire a 21 year old.) but browse around on here a little before you jump in. there are plenty of horror stories on here. but maybe they're just making it all up because they're "bitter." don't ask for advice if you don't want it. good luck to you sir.

 

but browse around on here a little before you jump in. there are plenty of horror stories on here. but maybe they're just making it all up because they're "bitter." don't ask for advice if you don't want it. good luck to you sir.[/quote]


just as many good stories as well.... for me, i cleard over 50k my first year.. at 21, right out of school, spent over $10,000 for school, well worth it, well woth being out on the road!
just my .02

 

$10k for trucking school??? Holy flurking shlit!!!! I'd like to see the tax return for the owner of the school. he probably makes in one week what you make in a year!!! and more power to him if he can get it!

by the way, howmanyroads, you haven't earned the right to call me bitter, only blackw900 can do that. he's been driving a truck for 36 years. theoretically, he's a multimillionaire.

 

Gotta agree somewhat with Chief here. Sounds to me like you need to do alot more research before jumping in. Trucking is a heck of alot more stressful than you think, particularly if you're leaving a young wife at home for weeks on end. No, I'm not suggesting anything but it's alot of pressure on you both. How's she feel about being alone, doing everything by herself and seeing you only a couple of days every month?

Bear in mind that her "girlfriends" will be telling her that she owes it to herself to go out while you're gone. Some will even suggest that you're partying while you're on the road so why not her? You know there will be guys hitting on her. You gonna be ok with that?

On the other hand, you're gonna hear alot of guys moaning about cheating wives and girlfriends. Think that won't bother you? Trucking has one of the highest divorce rates in the world.

You're not getting a job out here, you're making a lifestyle change; particularly OTR. And no I'm not bitter..... I've been doing this for 38+ years now and I've seen far too many young familys broken up because they didn't think it through.

 

Chief, with all due respect and please don't take this the wrong way-I mean no offense- but if you haven't been in the truck for over 3 years, why are you still on this board? Is it that you still have a passion for the job and you are trying to warn everyone of the risks involved? Just curious- I think that's probably why you get accused of being bitter (as do some of the other ex-truckers on here)- sounds like you've had some bad experiences out there. If you could have done things differently again in trucking, how would you have approached it? There are people like me here on this board that no matter what horror stories they hear, are still going for it. I know I'm a newbie, and I have a lot to learn and experience (and have always learned things the hard way in my life), but I couldn't be happier right now just because I am pursuing something I have dreamed of doing for along time- the economy really doesn't have anything to do with it. I am going to give it 110%. No matter how it turns out, I will write about truthfully whether good or bad. Thanks

 

I wouldn't say it's stressful. at least it wasn't for me. it might make a stressful situation for your family. I've known drivers who drove for 40 + years - still at it doing flatbed - loving every minute of it, wouldn't do anything else for love or money. but you better make sure you love it before you pursue it - the paychecks you'll be getting will be a lot more disappointing than you might think.

first, you can't offend me. second, I've been out of work for a little over a year - drove for 3 years. I did have it set "ex - 1 year," but people assumed I had only driven for a year. I don't know how it's supposed to be set if your an "ex" driver.

why did I decide to drive a truck? well, because while I was attending college, the rest of our manufacturing went away, so after being out of school for a year, and not being able to do what I went to school for, I opened the newspaper and kept seeing column after column of ads for truck driving. so, I decided to pursue a career for which there was a demand. I went into it knowing absolutely nothing about it. I did flatbed for 3 years. it was go go go for the most part the first couple of years (this was back when construction was still going on.) but after the economy went downhill last fall, customers started closing and the freight evaporated. I never really had any bad experiences like so many other drivers have talked about on here.

but what I'm trying to get newbies to understand is what they're getting themselves into if they decide to pursue this career. a lot of them want to do it for the wrong reasons (money, "always enjoyed driving," "want to see the country," easy job, etc.) I found out after a few months that I actually enjoyed the work. didn't mind being away from home, didn't miss anybody, didn't have to sit at a grocery warehouse for hours, didn't have to wait hours or days for my next load, and didn't have my company trying to steal part of my paycheck every week. but a lot of drivers take the plunge and find out it's not all rosy - they can't drive the truck, they can't take the time away from home, they hate the customers, hate the waiting, hate the traffic, their dispatcher is a lying ahole, they never get home, they're company steals their money, and so forth.

a lot of folks come on here with problems (money problems, job problems, family problems, etc.) and they think that driving a truck is the answer without really thinking through their situation. I enjoyed the job in a lot of ways, and might go back eventually. but at the end of the day, it's a job. it's not like being on vacation, and you're probably not going to make any where near the money you've been lead to believe. there ARE some jobs where you get paid good mileage pay, hourly pay, detention pay, and you aren't treated like feces by the company. you might get one of those jobs, just like you might be the next rock star if you think you can sing. but if being realistic to potential drivers about what to expect from the industry ( the good AND the bad) makes me "bitter," so be it. there are plenty of drivers who will defend their miserable position no matter what so as to makes themselves feel better. THEY'RE bitter, they just don't want you to know it.

 

Chief, I agree with you again (starting a trend here?).

Most newbies start out doing van. To me that's the biggest pain in the tookus in trucking. I did flats for many years and generally enjoyed the heck out of it. Pluses include the mental challenges of securing the wide variety of loads, very few "downtown" deliveries to warehouses, no lumper ####, dang few "peddle" loads, learning to hang-glide (tarping on windy days, ice-skating and rapelling (loading ice-covered lumber in winter) and a whoooole bunch of new cuss words.

Our original poster seemed to have thought about it, but just not all the way. The family of a would-be driver needs to be in on the discussion. Not everyone can do this job successfully over a long period.... and that's what it's gonna take to buy a house, etc. Can be done, has been done but it takes the whole of the family unit working together and understanding the problems that each will have. It ain't easy.

"Pulling punches" or blowing rosy- colored smoke up his back doesn't help anyone. I hope he makes it.... it always pleases me when someone finds their way through the newbie period and becomes a ##%** old truck driver like the rest of us.

 

Yes, it does "sound" like a logical plan.