Have you ever been unemployed ?

i don't know how you easterners can NOT be making any money. with your cost of living.

cuz us westerners don't make as much and we spend more to roof our heads.

i turned on KR on the road dog channel. ccaught the middle of the conversation but some caller was talking his house being worth $35,000 and the surrounding homes were roughly $30,000

i want to know where so i can move.

 

Hi klaman, well, I'm only comparing it to the job I had years ago. It is still an ok job, just different than what I'm used to. With all the new regulations, the way people drive now, trying to find a place to park, it never used to be that way at all. Many people go into trucking now out of desperation, as a last resort, and find out quickly, it's not just driving around in a truck. It does work for many people, but you have to remember, 75% (may not be actual #) of the trucking jobs now are OTR, and that takes a special commitment, you have to LIVE the job, and trying to mix a home or family life with OTR rarely works out. I see on CL, a job shows up, then it's gone for a while, then 2 or 3 weeks later, the same job is posted, so you know someone tried it and quit. I've long said, with some exceptions, of course, if there's an opening somewhere, it's because someone else tried it and it was a crappy job and quit.

 

Hi snowwy, that's true, out west is incredibly expensive. Not sure about east, but I'm sure places like W.VA, maybe TN., some southern states are cheaper, I know in da UP of MI. (hey) houses are indeed dirt cheap. 35K buys a very nice place, but there's not a lot to do up there. I plan on retiring for good up there. N.WI. too, I looked at a few houses under 25K, totally livable, but again, unless you do an OTR thing, there aren't many other jobs there.

 

4 months total all by choice.

 

Correct me if I'm wrong, but the OP is a potential immigrant from Italy. He will have no effect at all on wages due to the shortage of truck drivers. He will replace an American citizen that quit!

Both sets of my grandparents are immigrants; Scotland & Ireland. I'm a little upset with the Scots right now for allowing England to keep a chain around their necks, but that's off topic.

 

Houses for $1.00 in Detroit, but you have to make it livable within 6 months or the city takes it back. Problem with those ultra cheap houses in many states is you live in the slums and can't even check your mailbox without getting mugged.

Do yourself a favor "klaman" and live in the South or Southwest. Cheap houses and good weather and plentiful trucking jobs. Trucking pay is the same all over the nation.

Zillow is OK but I prefer Redfin.

 

Chinatown me too with the whole Scotland.

 

Scotland is the equivalent of an adult child that is still being supported by his or her parents.
The adult child may want to leave his parents nest, but is too fearful to do so. It does both the parents and the adult child a serious disservice.

 

I have always earned a very good living in trucking. I have never failed to be able to save money and live comfortably in this business. If you move around a lot going from one carrier to another, then you may not do as well as those who stick it out with the same carrier. The money is above average and is higher than most other professions with minimal training. Perhaps those who continue to whine and complain about the low wages need to learn to better manage their money instead of complaining so much about not making enough. Some people will complain about how little they make even if they bring in a million dollars a year. Everyone would like to make more money, it is human nature. For those who want to work, have a clean MVR and don't move around every few months, you can nearly always find another driving job in a matter of a few days. One good thing about this industry is that as long as you can pass the DOT physical you can continue to work. The truth is that if those who constantly complain about the low wages could earn more doing something else, then they would not be in trucking. Even without experience, most will earn $30-35,000 their first year. After the second year most will earn $40,000+. There is the potential to earn $75,000-$120,000+ in some segments of this industry after a few years. But, some might still consider those poverty wages. I don't.

This business will treat you as well as you treat it. There are some bad companies, but there are more good ones than bad. There are also drivers who have a poor work ethic and move from carrier to carrier. Those are the ones who may not do as well. If you have a good work ethic there is no reason you should ever be unemployed in this industry for more than a few days, if that. You never quit a job until you have another. I have never had a problem finding a driving job, but I have mostly worked for myself. You have an opportunity to buy your own truck and get your authority and earn as much as you want and can negotiate. I am not saying that you can get rich, but some have done just that in trucking. But, you should never have to worry about whether you can work or not. If you want to sit at a truck stop, play video games or on the computer and slack off, then you may not like your paycheck at the end of the week. I know a number of drivers who have been in this business for many decades. All of them have a good work ethic and attitude. None of them have ever had to worry about being out of work or paying the bills. We all must live within our means. If you don't live beyond your means then there is no reason to think you can not do well in this business. Most factory or fast food jobs don't come close to making as much as truck drivers. Few people have more job security as drivers. According to some news sources, there are currently 20,000 job openings for drivers. That isn't a real shortage, considering there are 3-5 million drivers in this country, it does demonstrate there is a need for more drivers.