New member old trucker

Just wanted to say hello.

Seemed like I would never get to this point but looking back it went pretty fast. Starting trucking in the sixty's and retired a few years ago.
Trucking has its up's and downs but mostly up's. It is a lot different today than it was when I started and not sure if the same opportunity is there.
I do know one thing, you can jump from company to company for a short time but then you must sit down and ask yourself where are you heading because without the right plan you'll be driving till you die.
Things change awful fast now a days so your choice now will effect the rest of your life. I got lucky and with a couple of choices I made but if that didn't happen I would still have to climb behind a wheel till the day I died.
I am not preaching just my thoughts.
Good Luck to everyone that is driving or just starting out, it will be a hell of a ride.

 

It really was more in line what you thought because if you don't get a decent pension what will you live on after you retire or lets say you get hurt on the job and can't work any longer. I am from Chicago and Illinois has a max of $250,000 in case you get killed on the job, that does you no good but will help your wife and kids for a while. By the way that is called loss of full body, lets say you break your back and they give you a loss of 50% for that, You would get a max of $125,000 minus what your lawyer will charge , 20% I believe. That will not help much today. If your going back in but already have a pension from someone else thats great, if I was your age and going back in I would make sure you can at least get into a 401K.
I finished my years with a common carrier and my last 7 years or so I just hated going to work because the job has changed so much. I started out moving house hold furniture, then went to persishable and then dry freight. I drove shiny wheels for a few years then a union company before and after.I was lucky because I had what they call a break in service which was short enough that they combined the two so I got a decent pension. The guys that buy their own have to be very smart work hard,put money away because SS will not be around much longer in my opinon.I am amazed how many old friends of mine want to quit but haven't a dime in their pocket and are lost to what to do now. Trucking will be around for a long time but if the people in power let Mexico and Canada drivers work here the jobs will pay less and less. I don't know much but I know this is not the same country it was 30 years ago.
As for something bad with health nothing really except you just start feeling old and the old body dosen't want you to be the boss any longer. I am in pretty good shape but I certainty aren't any where near what I was like at 30. Those 17 -18 hour days do and will catch up to you. Your 55 so you can work hard for another 10 years or so but it starts to be a struggle. Best of luck.