Hello

Welcome!!!

 

I was a Navy Huey helicopter mechanic for awhile and when I was discharged was offered a job with Petroleum Helicopters in Louisana and turned the job down. Had my fill of it.
You attending CDL school?
Hazmat tankers pays the best and so does LTL.

 

Hi KF, welcome aboard. We're all bozo's on this bus. BTW, there's like a 3 day delay for Chinatown to get your message. He is in China, you know. Just kidding, Chinatown, like me, is retired, but he probably has the most knowledge of anyone here. Keep in mind, trucking is a 24/7/365 (366 on leap years) job. It's very hard to do anything else and succeed. If you want any kind of home life, I suggest local work, which I did mostly, while Chinatown is a stout OTR advocate. Both have their pluses and minuses. Good luck, you are in the right place. I sure wish there had been something like this years ago. Would have saved me a lot of hassle. (but probably not my marriage)

 

I retired recently and drove for Schwerman Trucking Co. running 48 states hauling liquid and dry bulk tankers. I did all types of trucking; flatbed, reefers, local, regional, coast to coast. I liked tankers coast to coast best and wish I'd done it sooner in my career. A few drivers that post on here work for Trimac Transportation running coast to coast and make over $100K but it takes 24 months to reach that payscale. They hire new CDL grads from good schools.
The only aviation I'm interested in now is passenger flights between China and Las Vegas where I split my time.

 

Job satisfaction makes one live longer. Sometimes sacrifices must be made to stay healthy and live longer, so that's what I did. I'd rather be an old live husband than a young dead husband. Life isn't perfect, but just do what you must to stay healthy and care for the family. OTR isn't for everyone, but it worked for me and family. Tankers was best because after every delivery, ran empty back to the terminal in Nashville, TN and then home for awhile. That was the routine; Nashville to Los Angeles or Seattle or Bakersfield or Miami or Iowa, etc; unload then back home empty; no backhauls. Paid the same both empty or loaded. I made $65K doing that but some of the drivers made much more. I took a month off or longer every year to stay in my condo in Beijing so that cut in to my annual pay.
Yes, always had children at home and still have 2 at home. 12 yr. old and a 4th grader still at home.