Username:

Message:

<p>[QUOTE=&quot;KWAddict, post: 5329727, member: 184537&quot;]Hey all,</p><p><br /></p><p>New to the forum but not to trucking, by any means. Here to get some information if you don&#039;t mind!</p><p><br /></p><p>So my old man has had trucks for 30 years now. He never wanted me to set foot in a truck but something about it runs in my blood. I couldn&#039;t stay away. I got my CDL at 19 and am now 25.</p><p><br /></p><p>That being said, I&#039;ve put in my fair share of work but actually very little OTR. I hauled oilfield casing through WV and PA for about a year. I had my own truck (a 2000 KW W9) and borrowed one of my dad&#039;s trailers and hauled mining shields from 2013-2015. I&#039;m now working for a company hauling lumber locally. I had my own authority and never hauled a single brokered load. When the coal mines fell off, that was it for me. I hooked to a dump trailer and tried to get by at the local stone quarry but it was a joke. That work is especially hard on a 15 year old truck. I got rid of the truck and we moved to TX in search of opportunity.</p><p><br /></p><p>The reason I&#039;m here is because I was making better money 4 years ago than I am now. I feel like I&#039;m moving backwards. This is the first local company I&#039;ve ever drove for where you&#039;re paid by the mile. I don&#039;t agree with it and I&#039;m just getting by. I&#039;ve called all over and the opportunity isn&#039;t here. With coal, oil, and gas all falling off, it&#039;s hard to find something local and make decent money anymore. My fiancé has never had to work in the time we&#039;ve been together and I don&#039;t want her to have to start now.</p><p><br /></p><p>We&#039;re looking for something different. She likes the idea of JCT but our 3 dogs are her life and she doesn&#039;t want to leave them. At the same time, she knows how passionate I am about trucking and will give them up to ride with me. She can tell I&#039;m miserable like this. I can&#039;t keep sitting here and spinning my wheels and not get ahead in life. It doesn&#039;t sit well with me at all.</p><p><br /></p><p>So here are my questions...</p><p>- How hard is the transition from paper logs to E-logs? Love them or hate them?</p><p>- Surely you don&#039;t get a brand new truck, do you? I loved my 2000 W9 but to have a brand new KW would probably make me cry. How does this work?</p><p>- How often can you really afford to take days off? Would a day or two every 2-3 weeks kill you? Can you get a load close to anywhere you&#039;d like to take your days off at?</p><p>- I&#039;ve always pulled flatbed/step deck. A little dump trailer. What is pulling a reefer like? How long does loading/unloading usually take?</p><p>- I think I read about a Qualcomm fee? What does it run? Is that a decent system as well?</p><p>- Are the health insurance options any good?</p><p><br /></p><p>I know I&#039;ve got more questions and I guarantee my fiancé does but that&#039;s all I&#039;m coming up with at the moment.</p><p><br /></p><p>Thank you in advance guys![/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

Your username or email address:

Do you already have an account?

• No, create an account now.
• Yes, my password is:
• Forgot your password?