New Driver/Single, and saving up money while trucking.

Why do 5 months in school when you can sign up with a company and they will pay for your school as long as you stay with them a year of two. Thats what I did when I started trucking 14 years ago. When the 18 months was up I was gone!!

 

It REALLY depends on what company you work for, how hard you and the company run, and how much downtime you have between runs and how little time off you get/take. It's like asking how far can I drive after I get my driver's license. It depends.

EVERYONE says or plans on "running hard" and making lots of money. ALMOST everyone decides "not THAT hard" after a few weeks of running hard. Also, most trucking companies are not going to dispatch a brand new driver to give them a ton of miles until they see how much trouble you have finding customers and keeping schedules. The more reliable you are, even when there are some problems, the more the company will give you IF THEY HAVE THE MILES.

To know best what kind of work, schedule, and money you will make you need to communicate with current working drivers at the company you want to work for and who work out of the same terminal as you will work from. I recommend you find the company to work for before going to CDL school.

 

Yes, they are hiring local, regional, and OTR.

 

Indeed there is, one of the larger ones. If the OP wants to haul food he should be able to easily get a job there if he wants one for solo or team.

In the 2 years team driving with them I've raised my credit score 200 points, paid off my car note, saved a ton, and getting ready to address my large dental bill. That's only 2 years. One of my longer term goals to add some property to my portfolio.

So the OP can easily better his position in no time at all with the right discipline. At my company or many others that probably have similar pay. And the OP is right on track already by wanting to live cheap and live below his means. Simple living an being happy with what you got.

 

It dont matter what company you work for. 80 bucks per week is an easy child support obligation. Food isn't as expensive as people make it out to be. If you get enough to satisfy you, then you'll be fine. If I am being loose with the food money, I may spend 75 dollars in that week. Normally it's around 60. If you run hard and dont do any impulse spending, you will see a return regardless of the conpany

 

An Instant pot is nice, too!

 

You can probably drive 115,000-120,000 miles a year. Just do you rate per mile time 120,000. $0.36 cents per mile by 120,000 miles is $43,200 a year. Some companies now have guarantee minimum pay every week.
Having truck with frig and microwave is nice but stopping at a grocery store is not always so easy. The Walmart in Carlisle PA will tow any truck that parks on their lot I hear. Carlisle PA is a big truck stop town. So naturally driver would who to Walmart grocery store. Do that today and it like a$500 tow bill.

The mega trucking company will train someone in like 10 weeks for free but you have work for them for a year. So you are locked into them. They might not get you home when you want. So lots of people quit or the job a lot more work then the thought. 70 hours a week can get old. Parking at night is a problem today.


If you want to how different companies pay here one that has guarantee minimum pay. They don't hire out of the northeast but you see how the pay is. It something like 10 weeks from no driving experience to driving your own truck.

https://driveforkeller.com/entry-level-regional/

 

$43,200 a year is pay from years ago. Now there's so many extra pays on top of cents-per-mile that jacks that pay by thousands.
With 20 years experience I took a job that pays .36 cpm, but with accessorial pays, I made $65K and only worked 11 mos. a year.

 

Most driver don't quit because they are making $65,000 a year. Not many companies pay accessory pay. Drivers have hard time even getting detention pay and most sit for free.

 

What about your daughter??