Housing Options for First Year Trucker ?

No reason to get an apartment or house if you aren’t going to be there. Sell all you stuff. Live in a truck. The truck stop is your new home. Make fat stacks... mmm think bout all dat cheesecake.

 

Other relatives or friends?

Do you pay rent at your current relatives place? If not, you could see about setting up as a room for rent and buy your own food to use when there. They might be more willing to let you 'live' there if you are a paying tenant.

That's basically what I do. Single with no kids so 'home' for me is just a room at my mother's house where I keep all my junk from before I started driving. Stay on the road for 4-6 months at a time then just go home to basically visit for a week. While home I mostly eat the food I bring from the truck since it can't stay in my trucks fridge or freezer as well as doing repairs or whatever around her house.


Overall it's kinda a catch 22.
No point in renting your own place unless you will be there often to use it, but then you're not making money.
Stay out longer to make money, but even less point in renting a place if you're only going to be there 2 or 3 weeks of the year.

 

I keep a vehicle at the terminal but often consider getting rid of that. Had my things in storage for a year then chucked em since I wasn’t using them. My only expenses are food, my vehicle insurance and my cell phone bill. I cook most of my meals in the truck and rarely spend 800 dollars any given month. Eliminate the stuff you don’t need and you would be amazed at how much you can save up.

 

Put yo stuff in storage
Pay attention to @Chinatown
Every month or so, get a nice hotel room (there's plenty with truck parking) and take a few days off.
There's nothing worse than paying a $1000 mortgage and staying in the house 4 days a month.....on top of utilities as well

 

I stayed in the truck first year , when I was at the yard every other weekend I rented a motel room that gave discounted rates to my outfit.
I had a 10x20 storage locker by the yard and kept my sled and my other junk in.
After you get rolling you can network with other local driver's that live close to your yard and rent there spare room and mailbox , your the ideal tenant cause your never there.
Good Luck

 

South Dakota is the easiest. I think all a trucker has to do is get a P.O. Box and switch the CDL to South Dakota.

 

South Dakota Id move there just for the Governor.

 

There is no living anywhere until you stack the money and pay cash for the place.

The tractor IS home. Had been until I got married. We both paid off the home in 6 years on a 15 year note. Arkansas is a hell of alot cheaper than the half million mansions in Maryland. Outside of Frederick or parts of Baltimore in the Projects there is no cheap housing meant for say the two job minimum wage earner. Thats another reason I am here in the south.

The license CDL Address was based on my childhood home with the parents. It was so until I got married. At one time I did maintain a proper two bedroom apartment and everything that goes with it. Expenses were 1200 to 1500 a month in addition to trucking expenses which was about 150 a week in tolls, lumper and food etc and whats left wasnt too much. I learned to cut the lease and let that go in 8 months. Now back to stacking money from the tractor.

Over time inflation took care of he money. In 2001 we made less than what we made in the mid 80's I think 4.52 a hour for each of us in 2001 or 34000 a year gross for each of us. We pulled in way more than that doing day cab work at home in the 80's The other was in the military so thats not comparable.

We had a house and lands in 2001. Our total expense on that was 55.00 insurance, about 30 for gas, 15 for water each month paid once a year. Electric was essentially zero but 23 dollars administrative fees and taxes paid once annually. One time check of about 3000 dollars went to all providers of internet, cell, gas, water, sewer etc annually. That left some to overflow into the next year. Savings took care of itself. Morning of 9-11 comes around we had almost 15000 that we had built up that year. POOF. We built it up again by the new years.

Property taxes totaled 400 annually we were 5 years or more paid ahead. Stack stack stack stack.

Its easy when you are debt free.

But today? There is even less money in it. Not worth it.

 

Life is easier if you can leave the truck at the trucking company yard. It allows them to do maintenance when you are at home instead of wasting your 70 hours on sitting around a truck stop or in a company driver lounge. But if you are already hired, that option is not available right now.

@Chinatown suggested in the past you sign a rental agreement from friends or family and that agreement will include utilities. That agreement may establish your residence, see a lawyer to be sure. That gives you a physical address. You can rent a PO Box for your real mail. The Post Office has a service called Informed Delivery, it's free. Once you sign up you get a picture of the mail delivered to your address, or PO Box, sent to your email address. With this service you can at least be on the lookout, from the road, if you receive important mail. I use the service and it allows me to only check my mail when I have enough of it or I have something important.

I started that way "living" on my brother's couch. Which meant I was "home 1-2 days a week" and in the truck all other times. If I were starting over I would do the above and get a nicer hotel room when I was home or a cheap one and then splurge for a nicer hotel room when I needed a break. It's far cheaper than rent if you are not home for long periods or have other people living with you.