Drivers comfortabilty

Comparing welding to trucking. You will never put in so many hours for so little money. Red seal welder around here earns minimum $42 per hour. I know my boy earning double time today however trades are not a 6 week course.
Comfort levels are only supplied to a certain level depending on the quality of who they are recruiting.

 

I'm just outside of billings mt. Just moved here from central Montana to be close to the oldest daughter and grandkids. The past 2 years I've been trying to get my own welding business going, hardest thing is getting established and getting folks to actually call. I litteraly spent more money and time going to people/shops than anything else. Which was how I got the vast majority of work but in the end it just wasn't sustainable.

There's is a local school here in billings I've talked to. Plan is get a 9-5 (last #### thing I want to do ) in a fab shop live ad cheap as possible and pay for the school outright.

 

That kind of pay in welding is exceedingly rare. Around here your looking at 25hr tops more commonly 16-21. It doesn't matter what you do if you want to make decent money it's loooong hours. If I had work I could do in my shop, I'd be out there 12-14hrs, in the field it was dictated by day light and to a degree weather. Pouring rain, heavy snow or colder than zero your not going to accomplish anything.

 

many of us were driving back in the day of no a/c, no APU, no power steering, and no air ride suspension, nor an air ride seat.

we did just fine, and appreciated what there is out there now.

this is trucking 101. the companies have come a long way since many of us started. you got it made in the shade, and you complain.

well Rolls Royce, and Bentley have not gotten into the big truck market yet, so i guess you gotta suck it up, or seek employment in a sofa factory.

you are paid to move freight in a timely fashion, and safely. the trucks today are as comfortable as all heck. added items like what you mention are your responsibility to add at your cost.

many years ago, there was a rash of AM/FM radios being taken out and sold at truck stops (along with fuel), because the drivers were STUPID in how they handled thier personal cash.

this cost the trucking companies money to replace, up to an including they did not even install them I HAD to buy my own, and THEN THEY installed that for me, and i was free to take MY RADIO out any time i wanted to.

i don't "see" where the stupid incompetent money less drivers have fully gone away, so what's to stop such an idiot to sell off a company microwave or tv, for food money..???

just do your job, or not, crybabies need not apply.

 

Who really needs TV when we can get so many amazing Smartphones or Tablets to stream commercial free shows or YouTube stuff or listen to Pandora? Google Maps also covers GPS, just don't be stupid with it since it's not designed for Trucking. Seeing customers on Google Earth Satellite is really nice though. TVs are a waste of space in the Sleeper IMO. If you want to veg out in front of a TV you can go to the driver's lounge and watch endless talk shows and sports.

I kind of relate to what's being said about work life balance and some companies are offering 4 on 4 off or 7 on 7 off. I've seen others offering 12 on and 2 off which would chip away at the 14 on 2 off I used to do.

People can say get out of trucking, but that is a sick joke. I tried and failed. Maybe I can try again. Many people including myself wound up here because it was a way out of low end jobs with pitiful stagnant wages. I tried to move up with college and that didn't workout, so now I'm back to drive off my student loan debts.

I recently applied to Saia Linehaul and hope I get that. It sounds like a good home time opportunity. It might get boring, but Audiobooks, Talk Radio, or Podcasts, and lots of coffee will help.

 

Schneider's mission statement is a massive load of dung.
I think you should change you screen name to THE ORANGE KOOLAID KID.

 

Actually, are there any thread topics around on people successfully getting out of trucking and how they did it? I think one person here did online college and got a degree. I don't know how they managed their time for that; I'm super tired at the end of the day and often just want to wash up, eat, sleep, and then I have to grab coffee and breakfast after my 10 and get rolling.

Clearly, a lot of people got into this and feel stuck. Even I feel stuck and I'm just trying to make the best of my situation. I think a lot of people have a 'Lone Wolf' quality that causes them to drift toward driving because they don't mesh well with strong team oriented work. Sometimes it's not even the work, it's company culture and goofy HR people.

 

That last paragraph is exactly why Im lookin a trucking.

 

Send you to the mountains to jeopardize your life?

HAHAHAHA. I like mountains, I am bored if I aint on one.

When there is a load to go somewhere and the boss says yer it, get going yer late already. You better go.

If you don't like trucking, go home and do something else that you like.

 

Well said! Take responsibility for yourself. If a company advertises 48 states, 2-3 weeks out, 34 resets, DON'T TAKE THE JOB if that lifestyle ain't for you.