How realistic is it to make 75-80k a year eventually?

Oh you're ok. Not by much, but ok.

Many of the LTL companies like younger drivers to start. It's an injury, body parts wear out business.
Fed Ex or UPS usually you start on the dock for several years and it don't pay so swell.
All these companies look for career people.
I've heard, never seen first hand, fuel haulers making over $100K, that's the guys at the top, that have been with a company 10 or 12 years.
Driving is a lot of hours. Even local.

Will you like it? Depends on individual.

You won't see many old timers in food service or beverage. Think about it, it's 20, 30, 40 thousand pounds to sling all the time.

It's as hard of work for an easy job that you'll find.

 

Sleep in your closet, eat out of an ice chest, and sit in a padded chair for the time not in the closet. Do that for 2 weeks then you'll kind of have a taste for what's coming.

 

Unless you are feeling completely dissatisfied with your current job, you should stay well away from trucking. You are making almost three times as much as what the average starting salary is for drivers with no experience.

You can't go with what a recruiter will tell you. The first year will be hell. You'll hate your job, make almost nothing to do it, and work for free in many situations. Now, if you can get past the first year, and work for a company that treats you like a human being and rewards you for hard work, AND you love driving and the independence trucking offers, then yes, it is worth pursuing

But if you think it's going to be a M-F 9-5 job, and you won't miss out on important family/life events, and you won't spend days just sitting not making anything, then you've got another thing coming.

 

Some thing to look into.
Do you have a local community college that has a CDL class. If so, what is the schedule. Is it something you can do while still at your current job. It will be better than taking a company paid school. You will have better choices.

Some of the community college classes have programs to lower the cost with grants. You would need to see what is available at the school.

 

I assume you get paid from the time you stat till the time you finish So, let's do a little ciphering. First we will pay $8.00 per hour with time and a half for all hours over 40. Ok, I am out for the week. There is a 168 hours in a week. Therefore, the first 40 hours will be 40 x $8.00 = $320.00. Now we will figure the overtime 168 - 40 = 128 hours of overtime. Then we have 128 x $12.00 = $1,536.00. So, now we have $1,536.00 + $320.00 = $1,856.00 this is what you should make if paid hourly at $8.00 per hour per week.

 

I like driving truck and, G*d-willing I will do this for the rest of my working days. Do your homework and get with a good company and you can be making 75k in a couple years working 5 days a week and home every day. Find out if the nearest ODFL terminal (and other top ltl companies) hires new CDL holders, and which school(s) they hire out of. Prepare yourself, go there and dominate. Get all endorsements. Let these companies know how interested you are in working for them. Be careful, don't hit anything, keep your record clean. Stay away from large otr carriers. No way you'll ever make 75k there unless you're willing to be out working 90 hours a week for months at a time.

 

One driving job not mentioned: Oil Field.
You’ll make six figures there. But it’s tough.
These OTR trucks drive sweet. Much more than others. Easy to drive all day long.
If you’re the type of person who can be in a room full of people and feel lonely. Yet never feel lonely when alone. This is for you.
If you prefer the honest company of a dog, above people. This is for you.
This is the time to get into trucking. There’s a shortage of drivers. Wages are going up.

 

This thread is not helping my chronic depression that is the result of doing this about 2 years too many.

OP. Don't forget to factor in the potential {probable?} cost of divorce and lost time with kids, and the effects of eating bad food for extended periods

 

I worked as cement mixer driver for 3 years. Union, teamsters.
$20 hour. OT after 40.
50 hour week would put you at a little over $800 take home. Good benefits / pension included.
HARD WORK. HARD ON THE BODY.
Very dangerous. I took that truck some places where I'd skid down a dirt ramp, brakes fully locked. That's 80,000 pounds, mostly behind your head, with gravity at the controls.

There were guys that had been at that plant 15+ years and still had to play games with dispatch to get hours.

Is this what you are looking for?

I make great money now, but no way gonna do that and be home every night.

Too old to start over at UPS. The local UPS guys, also teamsters, make $90K+.

You're young enough to do that, but you're gonna work in their warehouse at a madman pace, for 3 or so years at like $10 hour. That's the only place they pick drivers from.