I am so lucky, I had to share..

To all my road hustlers out there, I could not be more proud to be part of the industry where the hardest working people on planet reside... I say reside, because we live in the a tiny tin can we call trucks, and sacrifice our time away from our families, in order to make the dough so our loved ones could live the lives we think they deserve!
Let me start off by saying, that I was not always this grateful, positive, nor open about sharing my experiences (weather good or bad)...
Lately, things have been going well for me, and I know there are many many so manyyy of you who are going through rough times out there, struggling to make a buck, and feeling like you are stuck in that dead end driving job, or int that crappy truck thats taking all of your hard earned dollars away... i am stressing out just thinking about it... because I relate it to when I was pushed around, screwed over by many lease-purchase, sign on bonus, "new equipment", make lots of money" adds... too many things to list.. I was so naive and desperate to make big bucks, because I heard people make tons of money in trucking, i thought to myself.. why cant i do it.. they are not smarter than me... or they work harder than me,, i was always the hardest working guy in the room.. but just had ####ty luck i feel.. or i was stupid enough to run after those amazingly sounded adds people put up everywhere to fish good drivers like me in, and lock us in for long term so we are stuck there and making money for everybody else except for us..
i just had to get that off my chest..
Here is a little background info on me.. my name is Richard (yes yes, they call me Dick...) and I have been cdl driver since 2002... that about 15 years now.. i feel like its been forever but time goes by fast.. I am a father of 4 kids, 3 on the earth and one is in Heaven.. I am a husband to a very patient and supportive wife who is there for me through thick or thin..
I drove every kind of equipment you can imagine.. i switched about 10 companies in last 15 years. so I am not one of those 50 companies hopper kind of guys.. I like to give people a benefit of a doubt and I am very loyal. sometimes too loyal.. so I stay, until they dont want me, or unless they stop paying me, and few times I had to leave because of some other issues..
I never had an accident,, I never abandoned equipment, I have a very very good driving record... I take care of equipment even when its not mine.. I respect job, equipment, people, same way I would expect them to respect me.
Reason I am writing this now is because lately my luck turned to profit. I have been with this company TAK Trucking Inc out of Elk Grove Village IL for 2 years now, and this is the longest I have been with anyone..
They are a small, family owned company with about 150 trucks in their fleet, about 70 trucks are company owned, rest are owner operators (most of them used to be company drivers for them)
They have their own service department, truck and trailer leasing company, over 1000 trailers for rent, truck dealership.. basically everything that has to do with trucking, they do it..
I started here 2 years ago as a company driver. They have me 50c per mile on all miles right off the bet. I drove 2013 Cascadia at that time, it was in really nice shape, very clean and I could tell it was maintained well, it was only 2 years old truck, but I felt as if it was a brand new truck...
It served me really well, no issues at all (which was a major relief after driving clunkers for past few years before that). Every few weeks they would route me through their shop for a quick inspection, and if they found anything that needs to be addressed, they would jump on it right away and get me going..
I drove it like that for about 7 months before I asked them if they would sell me this truck, so I can become an owner op (again), I felt confident with the way they ran things that this is the place I can try again to grow my self, and my business... They financed me for the truck and gave me option for 2 year/3 year or 3.5 year terms,, I chose 3 year to be safe...
Well to cu the story short.. I paid off they truck exactly 1 year and 1 month later... I knew that the way I work, and with the work that they provide, I can be successful, as long as I have no major problems with the truck in the meantime.. I did have one bigger problem, but luckily truck was under warranty and I got it repaired for 500 bucks co pay, otherwise it would have been a 6000 dollar repair....
now 2 years later. After I paid off that truck, I sold it right away and got 45000 for it cash... not to mention how much money I made while driving it....
I never had this much cash in my bank before
I used 10000 of it to put a down payment on 2 newer trucks from them.. One I am still driving, and second one they found a driver for me to drive it... As you all now, market is now on fire and we are making a killing with these 2 trucks.., If this continues, I am confident that I will pay off both of these trucks by next summer
This company will do anything to help me grow, because as I am growing and making more money, in return they are also making money! simple math, and also its how things should be. I am so over driving for those greedy owner operators and companies who are looking to exploit drivers and owners and get us stuck in their money making machine, which only pays them..
I have to tell you one thing though, this company is very selective and extremely picky on who they hire as drivers and owner ops.. your record has to be very clean... some things here and there are acceptable,, but if you have ton of violations on your psp, dont even bother.. they are super protective of their reputation, and safety is their #1 goal.
If you are out there struggling, not making money, driving a clunker, sitting around on truck stops or in shops, looking at trucks zoom by on the highway, generally unhappy, think you deserve better.... then you probably do, and there is better... i am not saying you need to come here and work, but go out there and find a place that makes you happy, try.. let my story be a motivation for you...

 

I am sorry you guys feel that way.. I was a skeptic like yourselves before, and it got me no where.. I do not need drivers.. PLEASE DO NOT use my post as an advertisement..
you have a right to an opinion.. and I respect that.. no matter if its positive or negative.. but I also have a right to express my self.. if it seems like I am recruiting drivers.. oh well.. you can take it any way you like... I am where I am, and you are where you are.. by choice. I truly wish the best of luck to all of you out there.. I know what you are going through.

 

Thank you very much... that was my intention.. Best of luck to you as well!