My plan vs realality

Listen to everyone that posted before me. I too thought of getting out with the same plan you have. Fortunately I was smart enough to stay in and get that monthly check/med coverage for life. I retired with 24 years in 2011 and started my company a year ago. Now running 2 trucks under my own numbers and couldn't be happier. Not having to depend on money from trucking was Huge. You here people say all the time "if you start a business be prepared to not pay yourself for a year" that retirement check gives you that flexibility and keeps you from having to rely on quick pay/ factoring etc just to pay your bills. good luck

 

Ditto..... My pension at least took care of my mortgage. That's one heck of a stress reliever. Thank you for your service.

 

I deleted this as it has upsetted the naive.

 

Are you planning to get out completely or are your going to take advantage of those points and use them in the guard? Serving a couple weeks in the guard to get a pension when you hit 60 would be nice, including healthcare coverage.

 

The advice on staying in the military... I have no experience there, so I can't give you any advice on that. But ultimately, do what you want to do. Do what makes you happy.

Trucking... sucks. While it's in no way a calm relaxed job, it's also not as bad as people on these forums will make it seem. I do have SOME input on one of the companies though. I worked for CRST, they're who gave me my start. Only go there as a last resort... And not a last resort for trucking, a last resort as in you're about to be homeless and have no family you can stay with. You're not going to make money with them. And what you do make is actually half of what everyone else is making. Most team jobs either your pay or miles are split. CRST starts your pay at 1/2 of what every other company starts teams at. And then your pay is split on top of that. ANY other team company is a better starting company. Your life is in the hands of someone who you have to wonder why he's allowed to drive... Pulling a trailer isn't that hard, you have no excuse to not be able to hold a lane when you're driving with no wind. The company is the most disorganized thing you'll ever see. Imagine the Army, now imagine the exact opposite.

 

I deleted this one too.

 

Me personally I would stick with an open deck company. I don't have anything against slamming doors just what I prefer. TMC and maverick are both great company's but I would go with TMC because of the opportunity to haul equipment. There will be days you wonder why you are doing it, ie tarping outside in -20 wind chill, but just remember that you are working towards your future. When and if the time comes that you can buy your own truck it will be worth it. I advise against the lease purchases but to each there own. Just remember be humble, respectful and listen. There is a lot to learn and a short time to do it in. Also open deck guys are usually willing to help new drivers out just be mindful that some older drivers hold grudges on the newer generation of drivers. Hope this helps a little and good luck with your new ventures in life.

 

Yup. Generally because they need benefits for their family...or went through an early mid-life crisis.

Your first paragraph...that sounds like me about 12 years and five deployments earlier, lol.

Look at LTL, tanker, etc. If family is at all a priority (i.e. You don't want to sleep in a truck 5+ days in a row)...don't even look at OTR and regional gigs. The vast majority of whining that you'll hear here comes from people with "second chance" OTR companies. For some reason...people are shocked to find that it sucks to work for a company that doesn't value their employees (sarcasm).