Is Trucking for me? What are the hours really like?

10 different answers depending on what you chose.

Not at all. I work M-F days from typically 5 until 2-4 most days pulling flatbed. Before that I did LTL freight and also worked M-F days. Straight outta school I did beer which was also M-F days. From day 1 out of school I've consistently made more than all the OTR companies offered to pay when they were in my school trying to recruit and I'm in my own bed every night.

Not saying theres no money in OTR, because there is. There's some specialized stuff and guys in good tanker co's making 6 figures, but those are the guys with years of driving under their belt.

You have plenty of time to rest and sleep, choosing to go to clubs and play video games are just bad choices by them.

 

Ok so here is the skinny. It really depends on who you work for and what you haul. I have always ran reefer and I have worked for companies that you will not have anything resembling a regular schedule. I have also worked for companies that you will work pretty consistently around the same hours.

I have worked for companies that you would have extra time to exercise and get a full nights sleep but made crap for a paycheck due to all the wasted time. I have also worked for companies that you will only have enough time to get your 10 in and will need to get moving, but make really good money.

The bottom line is figuring out what is a good fit for you and finding a company that can make it happen. Only you can answer this because we are not you and cannot do anything but tell you our own experiences. You will get a vast array of answers due to everyone's experience being different. The best advice I can give you is this.

You will be isolated, tired, bored, alone, work hard, have slow periods, away from family and friends, make good money, make crap money, work when you want to, work when you don't want to, be pressured to do things you don't want to, live life on the open road, see lots of things as you drive bye, actually have time to stop and take in the sites, stressed, happy, etc. This is not a carrier it's a lifestyle and one you don't want to take lightly. Do your research, ask lots of questions, and talk to as many people as you can. Once you have a good idea of what you think it's like then make a decision.

 

Crazytrucker77 gave the best answer.

I love this job, not every company I have worked for but this job. This is a lifestyle not just a job. You can see amazing stuff out here. Do your homework. Remember this usually the first company is not the right one. Figure out what you want then find it. This industry offers everything so it's up to you to find the right fit

 

For some of us, long hours, high pay.
I was one of those $65K drivers and content with that. Other drivers that post on here make much more than me; $70K - $100K.
You too as a new driver can make good money; get all the endorsements plus passport & TWIC because they lead to the good paying jobs.
The drivers that are failures and gripe all the time made poor decisions. One poor decision is to jump on the first job offer at cdl school thinking,"I know, I know, I've read the posts about how bad the company is, but I'm special and will change the whole culture of that company and make it a wonderful place to work."

 

No. This isn't the job you want. You will be another person in the business that hates life.

See them all the time...grown men whimpering about how awful they have it, how much they miss home and how they have no life. Then they go on and complain about how they are underpaid and could make more money as a greeter at walmart.

See, in order to make any money in trucking, you haveto be able to 'tough it out.'

"Tough what out, Six?"

The job. The weather,the traffic, the shipper and receiver, family drama...etc. You cant go running home every time the old lady gets pissy. Doesn't matter if you're local or OTR.

If I were looking for a driver, and I read your opening post, I would think that you really don't want to work. I know drivers. And I would be willing to pay top dollar for a top driver. But when people start that, " I dont go here, I don't do this," stuff, I'd ball up their application and tell them that I don't think that they would be a good fit.

Nothing personal...just business.

 

I know a guy that averages $150,000.00 per year designing wiring harnesses. He gripes all the time about his working hours and being away from home. He has to travel to factories, plants, machinery manufacturing plants, etc. Constantly whining that he isn't paid enough for the time spent on the job.
Man up or change jobs. Don't try to make everyone around you miserable just because you can't cope or adjust to your work environment.

 

I'm pretty new and work for a mega pulling a box. My hours are 90% regular. Granted, they're what I consider regular. I usually get up around 3am and am finished by 2-5pm. After that, I have time to do whatever for a few hours and then I sleep until I've to wake.
That said, there certainly have been times when a delay at a shipper has caused me to alter that quite a bit. The more memorable was a good load with another good load scheduled after. However the first one took too long to get into the box forcing me to run overnight for two days straight in order to make both. I could have chosen to cancel the second and ran my regular hours. But I would have lost $300 off that week's paycheck.
It all depends on you and your needs. You can treat trucking like you're a paid tourist, just don't expect to make much money. You can run extremely hard and make a lot of money. Or you can find a happy medium but it's up to you to figure out what that is. For me, I enjoy every second of the running as hard as possible. My happy medium is watching my savings account numbers go up. That may change and I'll find something different if it does.

Try it. What do you have to lose really?

 

A 12 hour day is the norm, but sometimes up to 14 hours...it's the worst part of trucking. If you can do something else, do it. The "see the country" is just recruiting hype and not the reality of trucking.

 

Today I saw.. A lot of road with two lanes and a grass divider. I saw many trees. I saw a big cornfield. I saw a couple huge warehouses. I saw "the worlds biggest truck stop" and then I turned into the pilot across the street (which is where you can find me now) Oh. I also saw downtown Chicago but I was too busy trying to not be in downtown Chicago to really pay any attention to the sights. My day would have been better without Chicago in it and usually that's exactly how it is. It's real exciting out here.

 

Drivers telling you the horrible things about no sleep, etc. must be on paper logs and falsifying their logs. Most companies are on Elogs (electronic logs) which means you're on a strict 14 hour window each day. Some days you'll use the full 14 hours and some days you won't even come close to using 14 hours.
Those trying to discourage you should take their own advice and find another occupation. They won't do that though; they'll see you walk away from a good career and they will keep trucking on until retirement.