I hate this...Mind games! Argh!

Reads like a brochure for NETTTS in Masschussetts.

 

To the OP: Something that might ease your mind a bit and allow you to take the leap into trucking would be having a backup plan. If you leave your current career and decide in a year or two that this is not what you expected, will you be able to find employment at your desired salary again?

I'm not a truck driver - just a potential one at this point - but I would consider someone with a stable work history who took a risk like this, found out it wasn't for him, and then tried to get back into his old career to be strong point. But then again, my thinking is often different than the majority.

Make sure you know about ALL the different things you can do with a cdl. Maybe most new dry van and reefer drivers can expect $30k their first couple of years. But I've read posts from experienced folks here claiming that if you drive smart, and yes, drive hard, you can make $50k in flatbed and $60k in tanker/hazmat. Is it true? I don't know. But I would hope that it is.

If you find that truck driving IS your thing, there's always the potential to buy your own truck and I would think be able to run with more control over what loads you take and where.

Is truck driving for you? YOU have to decide. Research and plan to minimize the risk. Somebody said you know that truck driving is for you if it's all you ever dreamed of doing and had toy trucks as a kid. Otherwise, you're not gonna' make it. Really?!! Somebody else claimed you're not a good fit if more than five people send you a birthday card.

Just make sure you're honest with yourself about what trucking is like, how you'll handle it if it's not your thing, and how you'll get out if you want.

 

To me, those who dislike everything about OTR telling only the bad and the recruiters who only tell what is ideal are really just the same.. they are just opposites of the same coin.

Those who tell you both the good and the bad are the ones telling hat you need to know to make a decision about getting into trucking or not..

Also, if you want to know bow to succeed in something you need to talk to and learn from.. you learn how to succeed from successful peoplle..

I actually do not mind the solitude of being on the road.. one thing is for sure.. you find out bow much you like yourself when you are alone with yourself.. when I am home I can never fet enough time to myself..

 

OTR TRUCKING JUST SUCKS BAD..That is if you are a family man with a great personal life..If you are a loner,homeless type,go get a CDL..


Landstar- You made me laugh so hard, I nearly peed myself! Which was good, because after reading your post, I was torn between laughing out loud and figuring out which way I wanted to off myself!

 

I just went thru the same thing. Was 46 and was in construction for the last 25 years. The last 3 years work has been on and off. I went over and over in my head and with the family since around May. I enrolled at cdl school the end of August. Hope to test out next week. My kids are in their 20's so it won't be a big strain on the family just I won't be around much. I had a nervous excitement about it but as I'm getting closer to finishing I believe I made the right choice. Good luck to you!!!

 

Guess I'm a homeless, loner type.....cause I really do love my job. I got one more kid to get through college before I off myself though.

 

ROLMFAO...I am at a Wal Mart Parking lot for 19 hours till load time,FUN FUN.What a nice life it is to be a TRUCKER..


I finished my day at 3PM and I call Landstar and tell them i need to get out of this dam parking lot before i end up in the NYS Mental Hospital for stir crazy ''syptoms'' and Unibomber syptoms....

She asks me how many hours i have left.I tells her i am out of hours.She then says to me to go ahead and use my ''personal conveyance'',you are allowed a hour...WHOOPPEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE i get to move to a piss infested truck stop...FUN FUN FUN..

She tells me i only have 1 hour to get to DRIVE TO a truck stop..I was like,Yes Mommy WHATEVER YOU SAY..Can i suck my thumb while driving my landstar truck to a ''safe haven''...??

Does anyone not see this and the ''lifestyle''..??

 

You should have steered clear of that darn EOBR.....not that it would help you sitting there at the customer....that is likely directly related to the type of trailer you are toting around!

Don't worry though, eventually we'll all be on one and we can have B#^tch sessions together on the back row where we used to bar be que and have FUN FUN FUN, enjoying our FREEDOMS! LOL

 

The E-LOG is hell...It does not account for anything(SHIPPERS,RECIEVERS,ACCIDENTS,WEATHER, etc etc etc)..Time just ticks away while everything in front of us on the road falls aparts and stops...LMAO

Today was a 310 mile day...On E-LOG it took me 9.0 hours on paper it took me 5...I AM WHIPPED...

TICK TICK TICK TICK TICK....

 

But think of all the time it saves you, and less paperwork, and less headache, and less data entry errors, and...lets see...what else did they tell me when they were trying to sell me on the idea. Oh yeah, the most important one....."It'll make your life on the road much easier." That was my personal favorite from the log department.