Hello- Let me introduce myself...

If you go over the road (OTR) you will most likely be gone for weeks at a time. It is very difficult for many drivers with young children to be out on the road while their kids are growing up. You can make good money at it, though. As a new driver your options will be limited as to who will hire you. As usual, the most desirable jobs go to those with more experience. Another thing is to really watch your expenses while you are on the road. Truck stop pricing is ridiculous. I just made myself a peanut butter sandwich and saved at least $10 if I had gone inside.

It is good you are doing your research first. You would hate to get into this industry then be full of regret. Trucking really is what you make of it.

 

I'd start by referring you to this thread: http://www.thetruckersreport.com/tr...rivers/112266-help-a-trucker-wannabe-out.html

Your post starts off similar to it.

 

you dont mention how much you currently make, so comparison is hard....
as a 1st year driver i made around 40k give or take. in better years i made about 50k. ive always just been a company driver.
i cant believe that as a government employee, with a 2nd job, you dont make close to that. heres what your life will be like to make over 50k as an otr driver...
on the road 45 weeks per year. 24/7....live in your truck. (for me this breaks down as 4-5 weeks in the truck, then 4-5 days at home, repeat.
actual work time is far more than 60 hrs per week. try 70-80. you can legally drive/work up to 70 hrs, but if you add in asll the time you can show as "off duty" when you truly are "on duty" (waiting to be loaded/unloaded, etc) it usually works out to more.
im not one who bashes trucking in general....i like it. the work is not difficult. as a van driver or reefer driver, you arent required to do much physical labor. 98% of the time you have no one to answer to...you are pretty much left alone,provided you get where you are supposed to get when you are supposed to be there.
but you will be A..L..O..N..E all the time,. if you have need for human contact, or significant time with family, you will be disappointed.you now get FAR more quality time with your wife and kids than you will if you go over the road. and if you factor in the pension you get now as a govt employee, i can nearly guarantee you wont make more driving. you can become an owner, but then what about social security? and self employment taxes? pelase do the math, and go into it with your eyes open.

 

ok so just in raw numbers you get a bit of a raise...50k vs (my math puts you at a bit over 42k averaging 20 hrs per wk 52 wks a year). but pension? will you lose it completely because you dont have enough years in? how much per month WILL you lose by switching? i wasnt really expecting you to SAY what you made btw, lol. i got into trucking because of the shortage of jobs in our burnt out industrial wasteland of a town. wife wont move, family is all here. i really do LIKE driving, but then i like being alone. there are plenty of people who would tear off their right arm rather than get back into a truck after driving for a year or two. heres a good question....lets say after a year or 2 you HATE it....what are the chances of getting BACK to what you are doing now? will you have burnt that bridge by quitting to drive? or might you be able to resume your current deal? also...keep in mind when you go off to driving school that nearly everyone is terrified of sitting in that seat at first. you are old enuf, as i was, to realize that, and to be able to see past it to a time when you will be "used to it".

 

For those of you who don't know about government pay scale and grade steps...it's going to be really tough to get above what he's making now for a very long time (like 5-7 years provided there are no lay-off in his department). The benefits kinda suck and there is no overtime pay, its "accrued sick or leave" which you can lose if you don't take it so in a way, driving for a living and working GS is about the same. If you are TSP only then there isn't much for retirement - seriously. (ask me how I know that...)

You will most likely make the same GS pay in your first year driving (not that and the part time one) *but* there are opportunities to make the same if not more though you would be gone for 3 months or more at a time. Those are the oil field jobs in extreme heat or cold for the most part but man oh man, you do get your time behind the wheel and opportunity to drive just about anything with wheels that shakes, rattles and rolls. There are other companies that really run you through the mill but by years end, you've just about seen it all. Bonus points right there.

When you think long term, that first year of being gone far more than being home can help you in two ways: it helps get your financial feet back under you and the experience to get on with a better company; the 2nd year where you are home every 2-3 weeks and make more money. You also get time out there to find who you'd really want to drive for - the good and bad of each company and striking a balance between the two. Third upside; you will most likely be in a far better truck and have been through the 'hazing' companies can put you through...it gets easier as the mile markers roll by.

It just depends if you are ready to knuckle down and have your family on board with you if you do move into hauling that first year and the bonus is to get your security clearance before leaving the GS which opens doors of really good, long term, best company to run for gigs. The only coin you need to flip is the one you have to make with your family, if they are willing to work with you on this then the chances are greater you are going to do better hittin' the road.
IMOO

 

I seriously urge you to find something else to do. For the main reason that you have a family. Take a look at all ten of your fingers, that's how many times you are going to see your wife and kids, if you are lucky for the next year!

Can you make money doing it? Sure, but its the guys who live out there and its the ones that have trucking in their blood. You are a college graduate, there should be no reason for you to drive a truck. If you were single, or if you could talk your wife into doing it with you then I would tell you to go for it. Take it from me, I missed my son growing up, my wife divorced me, I missed all birthdays, holidays, plays and many funerals. Sure I made good money but all the money in the world isn't worth those moments. At least wait until the kids are college bound, then if you still have the urge grab the wife and go!

When you break it down you really don't make more money. Actually works out to be like 2 or 3 dollars an hour. Yes you are going to hear all kinds of stories and recruiters are going to all tell you home time is excellent or be home every weekend blah, blah, blah. Truth is these are ploys to get you to sign on with a company. Sure they do have routes in which you can get home more often and there are some companies that can get you home on the weekends. The definition of "home on the weekends" is usually Sunday from 3-5pm. They can' t force you to stay out and when you ask your dispatcher about the recruiter telling you that you only have to stay out for 7-10 days they are going to laugh at you. They will ask if you want to drive or sit at home. Getting a driver home is a huge pain in the ### for a dispatcher! It really throws a wrench in their planning and makes a lot of extra work for them. The drivers that want to be home all the time will be kept close to home and utilized to make all the pick ups and deliveries. Pretty much doing all the dirty work, sitting to get loaded and unloaded, daily! You will be lucky to get 800 miles a week! 800 miles a week x $.32 a mile = $256 before taxes. You could probably double that flipping burgers and at least eat for free!

Are there exceptions? Sure, but they are rare and I always tell the new guys to not plan their career on these rare hopes. You will hear from all the super truckers on here boasting about their golden career and the thousands of dollars they make a week and they only drive two days a week and are home 6 weekends a month, blah, blah, blah....

Hometime is THE NUMBER ONE REASON new guys quit within the first three months (if that). For some reason it just doesn't click or they just can't fathom what its like living in a truck for 8 weeks straight. Yes 8 weeks! 6-8 weeks is the standard across the board with most companies. Not only that but it is seriously tough to make any kind of money staying out for anything less. Every time you go home it messes up your pay for THREE WEEKS! You slow down trying to get home, messing up the first week of pay, then the second week you are at home for a few days making that check nill and then finally when you head back out on the third week it is slow going until you are able to get back into the freight lanes and are rolling strong. HOME TIME IS COSTLY!!! You really have to budget and plan ahead. (especially if own the truck! but thats a whole other thread)

Trucking can be a wonderful career for the right person, I just think its not your time. There are so many other options out there for you, especially having a college degree. Don't fall for the fantasy. All these recruiters and commercials and internet and magazine ads can really make trucking sound like a dream job. Who doesn't dream of making money and travelling around, seeing the country, nobody telling you what to do, blah, blah, blah. See, made it sound good huh?

Hope this doesn't sound too negative man, personally I really love trucking but I love my family more. I'm just trying to save you $6000.00 and three months of your life. That money could probably really be used by your family instead of giving it to "Bob's BigRig Back-up Academy"! Take the time to really think outside the box and come up with something that will mesh well with your life and your famlies' lives. You only live once and you are going to get back those moments that you missed...