Help??sounds Like All Are Bad

My doctor told me a while back he wanted to hang up the stethoscope, buy a truck and go OTR. I have encountered other professionals who are so tired of the daily corporate type bs and all that goes along with it and want to have some kind of "freedom", that they love to drive and that they would LOVE to take a shot at trucking.

Some truck drivers are as dumb as a rock - but many drivers are very intelligent - at least my personal experience dictates that to my opinion. Many drivers could be doing a host of other things out there - an easier life, one would say, but so many get sick of the 9-5 and doing the same thing every day.

One could say you are doing the same thing every day in trucking, true, but if you are OTR, you are doing the same thing in different places on a continual bases. Kinda changes things. As in any industry, you can either be very happy or very miserable. If someone's been in the trucking industry for awhile and still find them selves miserable, it might be time to hand over the gloves and find something else to do.

Some big companies get a bad rap- deservedly so. You can do your own research - which you apparently have - and at least make a good determination of which companies to stay away from. The rest may just be a crap shoot - pick one and hope it pans out. I do believe that if you get past the whining, complaining, finger-pointing and all the rest of it that you see on these boards (I will say that from my own experience I would suggest you stay away from Werner, JBHunt and Swift) you might get to the bottom of whether a company is really worth a try or - not.

You've obviously made up your mind, and probably you won't be very comfortable about what you're doing with your life until you have at least tried trucking and found out for yourself whether it was for you or not - so, as others have said - dive into it, get a belly-full of it, don't hesitate, give it your all as you probably have done as a tech, and see what happens.
I wish you good luck and a good experience.

 

I left the automotive industry after 20 years and have no regrets. OTR is a whole differnt world. I looked at a few companies and I finally chose Roehl over Schnieder. Both were pretty equal. My wife and I went into this with the attitude that I must get to the one year mark no matter what. Some days it does suck, but honestly the good days way over ranks the bad. I love being on the road and seeing the country. I have met alot of nice people on the road. Now believe me there are some total jerks and people that I wanted to punch out but they are few are far between and I will not let them ruin my day. Once you get a hang of the whole OTR experience it is a pretty good life. I have found that alot of drivers just aren't cut out for the road and they can be very vocal about the companies they work for. Just remember, get to the year and alot of doors can open to work at much better companies.. Good luck

 

They are not all bad. Contrary to popular belief being a newbie DOES NOT MEAN you will get stuck with bad equipment or bad runs. It only means you will make less money per mile than an experienced driver.

My employer, Transport America has provided me good training, well maintained equipment, lots of miles (close to 3000/wk ave thru 7 months) and fair treatment. I have received over $2000 worth of performance bonuses on top of my regular mileage pay and for the most part they treat me with respect and appreciation.

I bust my butt though, I have 100% on time service record, no accidents and have met the idling % targets every month. I also turn in paperwork completed and in a timely fashion. I go wherever they send me without complaints. I'm currently in Canada just outside Toronto, but I go to New Jersey, PA, in any and all congested places they have work for me to do.
The only reason I ever turn down loads is if I can't do them legally due to my available hours. They never pressure me to run illegal and safety is priority number one.

I can't speak for all companies, but here at TA if you are hard working, honest, safe and have a good attitude you will be treated very well regardless whether you have 20 yrs experience or fresh out of CDL school.

 

Very well said. Truck'n can do a lot for a person if they if they have the right attitude and it's oh so true that not all are cut out for the lifestyle.
As said in previous posts there are some better company's out there rich you will never be but happy now thats possible

Good luck.................................................

 

Yea ,none of us moaners can access a computer unless we are at home .
I would not be so fast (especially as a wannabe) to discount what you consider moaning. Someone else's moaning might just save the clueless, which would be you ,lots of wasted time and maybe even money with their rants.
Many a wannabe has and will in the future regret not heeding the advise of others to stay away from some of these outfits discussed on these boards. Most where either to desperate or thought their positive attitude and people skills would see them through.

I've worked for company's that had over 5000 trucks and as little as 800 and the only thing I cared about was how many miles I did that week, month, year. Did I get home on a regular basis. And did they pay me what they owed.

I never had much contact with the company's I worked for. You seat your truck and they dp your loads and your gone. It ain't like your hanging around the terminal handing out donuts and making sure everyone knows who you are.

By the way, a company with a 1000 trucks, IS a large trucking company.

 

Yep , You will probably get all the miles you want because you are cheap to run as a newbie. Every penny a mile is around $1,200 a year in savings to the company with a driver doing the same job as a experienced driver.

New drivers are also more likely to want to please their average OTR company and will actually believe all the bull they will tell a new driver to cover their own butts at the expense of the newbie that they could not get away with telling a seasoned driver that has heard it all before.

 

Lonesome, well said, and good advice! Crappy directions? All carriers seem to have a problem with this! I'm getting a laptop so i can correct and check on the directions.