Question For Experienced Truckers

You two are exactly right,love getting up right before the sun comes up and seeing 50,75,100 trucks ready to get the day started.The sound of them all idling at once reminds me of a bunch of kids just getting to an amusement park saying,"Let's Go,Let's Go!!!!" as if the trucks themselves are alive.

 

Never had the opportunity to see 100 trucks next to each other idling, (wish I had), but none the less, 1 in the morning, (my own), is inspiration enough.

 

It's been a rewarding career for me,I make good money and basically am my own boss once I leave the home20.I have the life that I have because of trucking. My brother is an O/O,has been one forever,about 10 years ago,he came off the road and leased on with a local company.He's never been happier on richer.My sister is a sweetheart of a dispatcher [ if you know her, you'd agree] She's all about "her boys".
My family has done well in trucking,I think the more things change,the more they stay the same.It's all about YOUR attitude in life.{ and a little luck }

 

In college I learned of my passion to drive. I just started a year ago, and I would still go in knowing what I know now. Maybe a different starter company but oh well. To me it's like a game, you have to be smart and able to run leaner and meaner(college helped me on that). I have no doubt that I can be successful. If I had a little more money saved I could get my own truck and make money. My last few weeks I've been averaging about 9mpg even though my qualcomm says 9.8 haha. Then again my heaviest load has been 13,000 lbs. Too bad swift doesn't pay a fuel bonus. However, I'm going over to a company that does since even though I could afford a lease, I don't trust the eyes of swift and how they don't let drivers modify lease trucks much.

 

Today? Only if you want to get screwed by companies and their lies.

 

Some O/O do make good money, however most o/operators I talked to on the road said,"It just ain't worth it any more." The fuel prices, the "economy" which I feel is a big cop-out word for a bunch of tight wadds, these big companies cutting their rates to compete for the freight, and these liars sitting in an office chair telling you the best is yet to come and in the meantime when you quit to find the better; they put a bunch of garbage on your DAC and although it's a bunch of lies no one seems to be able to do anything about it. This is trucking today my friend. If you can find a good company that don't do these things, well you found a gold mine. Yes the money can be good, that is if you're willing to abandon your family for a month at a time. But if you can't do that, then don't expect to be very well liked. I stayed out 21 days at a time, have a wife and two kids. All it got me is an angry terminal manager and another sorry company that tried to get me to committ suicide in a truck with no brakes and multiple other problems. If you do love it from the beginning from a company driver's point of view; they'll cure you of that real quick.

 

I made 1,000 something this week, a measly 600 last week. Mainly because my old truck spent 6 days in the shop and 1 on a tow truck.

Maxxforece ain't worth a #### anymore, the 2011 one's I could handle.

 

Yes, and I'd have the same plan I used before. Get into specialized hauling as soon as you can. Show the companies that you're an good investment. Stay away from the masses and invest as much money into my future as I could.

 

The fact that you bring up flying as a second choice is a little funny. It gave me a perfect way to express how I feel about being a truck driver.

I do a lot of traveling by air now. I fly around the U.S. whenever I can, and fly on International flights a few times a year. I love to fly, and always had an interest in doing it as a career.

As I am in a Boeing 777, climbing up high over the New York sky, I look out the window, and think to myself "I could have done better, with my career choice".

Later on, while driving down the highway, sitting in a nice dry, warm truck, I pass a tow truck driver. He's out in the rain. Cars wizzing past him. He's getting wet, and cold, and making about 30% of what I make. That's when I think to myself "I could have done much, much worse, with my career choice".