Newbie Here

I agree He should stay in the navy and retire out of there first. Then come out in to the Trucking.

 

If you want to buy a truck then buy it. Don't ever let anyone stomp on your dreams. You won't learn unless you d it. Besides I truly think that being a co driver these days prepares you in NO way for owner op. These companies just want you to hold the steering wheel and not think to much.

I agree with getting a manula trans but I think a rear end with numbericly lower numbers than the stated 3.70 would be better though.
My t800 has a cat and 3.90 and it revs way too high. Granted it only has a ten speed but still. anything over 75 and the fuel milage drops below 4mpg.

All my petes ran 18 speeds with 3.30 rears and they got fairly good milage for the times. Those were all mechanical motors though

 

I would never stomp on another's dream.. so lets clear thing up, truck driving is no dream, it's a real job with little return and plenty of stress for your troubles. you are regarded as a rolling road block to most of the four wheelers and many truckers on our overcrowded highways, an inconvenience to shippers and a nobody to the receivers. you are regarded as a source of income to federal, state, county and local police departments nationwide. your at the mercy of big oil for fuel, oil, tires etc.. plus ever increasing shop rates for incompetent ##### that spend more time drinking coffee and smoking then working on your truck, but you pay for it all.
Truck driving WAS a dream... now its a very stressful and serious job.

 

Semper Fi brother.
I am retired USMC and trucking because I was fired from my teaching job. My medical is taken care of, my retirement, so I'm trucking for fun (sort of). I have my own rig, but I lease it to get the full tax write off and warranty. I put $72,000 in the bank last year (trucking money) and you can too. But I waited six months into the biz until I started the lease thing. I figured to learn on a company truck and grind their gears (instead of mine), glad I did. You are at the mercy of everyone else who knows more than you out here, and they will take advantage of that (even other truck drivers). If and when you get your truck make #### sure you have at least $10,000 in savings to cover breakdown expenses (tax deductable) and get the best trucking CPA that you can find, before you start this gig. I love the road, running flatbed, and seeing our great country, so good luck to you in whatever you decide.
Top Parker

 

Trucking has always been a serious job. About as serious as it gets. The dream part is what you think of it before you get into it. Regardless it's a good living and has plenty of room for making money. You tell me where else a guy with no education can make over $60k a year as a co driver much less an o/o. I'v been around trucks as long as I have a memory for. Sure I lost my trucks years ago but there were all kinds of reasons for that which I don't need to get into but at that I don't even have a high school education and I'm making enough money as a co drver that I can't afford to get into o/o right now. I'v looked at it every way I can but my last weeks check was $4000 and I have a $3800 one coming this week. At that I can not find a way to make more money owning a truck, which I despertly want to just for the fact that I like being my own boss.
I read everything here and constantly see the same people bashing trucking. I want to know why the hell they are here then! Go away if they feel that way. Trucking is a hard life bt it's been good to me and my family.

 

I operate my own truck as a complete independent.. for clarity, that means I have my own authority (no lease) no big company insurance, benefits or licensing, I find and haul all my own loads and bill my shippers directly. I own my tractor and trailer outright and have been successful for many years and see no change in the future.
My comments are all based on this view, it is a much different window to look through than that of a hired wheel holder.
Medicineman, if your really making the kind of cash you've stated, do the original poster a favor and get him a job! Heck, for 197000.00 a year take home I'll park my truck and hold a company wheel, post the details please!

 

I have been making it. I don't make that much every pay check though. I get aid every to weeks. My lowest check in the past 6 months was probably $2200. My average for the year so far is about $2800 to $3000 I'd have to find all my stubs to be shure.
I pull medical scanners. The closest I get t hauling freight is that I hau; some electric 4wd buggies but they drive on and off so even they are easy. I'v been driving 12 years. I grew up around trucks. My father owned a dozen at one time. I had about 6 and we had our own authority too. That was the mid nineties. I'v been doing what I am now for 6 years and I'm a co driver. I have full medcal and dental benifits. You have 3 weeks vacation the first day you start, safety bonuses are $500 for 6 months then $1000 for the next 6 mo. and yes we do get them. I get $15 hr for ANY detention. I give anylace 30 minutes free then I start charging hourly. Also I get 11 hours a day at the same rate for any layovers. I get $25 per drop (sometimes I make $150 a day in drops) I also get $25 per night perdiem. My milage rate is $.43 cpm and I get double time for sundays. Last sunday I drove 750 miles so I made $.86cpm for those miles. Then I did 300 miles this sunday.
My check should have been $4500 but I got cheated out of my second weeks run. The first week I drove from Madison WI to Newport OR and droped a scanner, bobtailed to Salt Lake city and picked up a new trailer at utility for transport back to madison wi. I drope it in the yard. I left sunday and got home saturday. I WAS SUPPOSED to go do the exact same thing the next wek leaving on monday but the run got cancelled so I didn't make my $4500. It would have been 9000 miles, 12 perdiems, 4 drop and hooks, two full sundays.
SO instead the second week I went to Omaha monday then back to Debuque, slept there and grabed a trailer and tok it t waterloo IA. total of16 hours, wednesday I was off. THursday and friday I drove local about 7 hours each day. My check is going to be almost $3800 now. well actually that is including perdiems which I only get pad for once a month. they don't go on my paycheck.
As for getting a job. I could get you a local route driving job but they don't pay wha I make. Only me and one other guy do the long work and if I got you a job it would seriously cut into my hours. Although my house is for sale and when it sells I will be quiting to move to TX. The local route jobs you stay on the trailer and wheel around patients for the techs then drive to the hospitals. They don't pay real good. something like $16hr, the do get time and a half for overtime. SOme routes only do 30 hours but have a guaranteed 40, other routes you are doing good to get them done in 70 hours. Just depends. I couldn't afford to do it though.