Retiring Early To become a Trucker... Should I Yes or No???

Discussion in 'Questions From New Drivers' started by CoachGKJ, Apr 15, 2022.

  1. Chinatown

    Chinatown Road Train Member

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    Have you been to Sint Maarten since the hurricane destroyed it several years ago?
     
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  3. Chinatown

    Chinatown Road Train Member

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  4. Boondock

    Boondock Road Train Member

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    Maybe get a teaching job in the Florida Keys for the next few years and then retire there.
     
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  5. LoneRanger

    LoneRanger Road Train Member

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    Ok here’s a scenario.

    wait till 60 for the higher retirement money. Almost guaranteed.

    or

    start a new career 3 years away from retirement with a not so great guarantee that you’ll make that missing funds up.


    Lots can go wrong in the first year as a driver that will prevent you from driving anymore, you essentially leaving a 100% guaranteed job to a “maybe.”


    I wouldn’t do it this close to retirement.
     
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  6. bumper Jack

    bumper Jack Heavy Load Member

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    I can’t say as I blame you. I just hate to see you go backwards financially. Trucking isn’t really the gold mine that people think. It’s also not as stress free and romantic as it sounds either.
     
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  7. staceydude

    staceydude Road Train Member

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    Yes, it can be mentally anguishing… try being on the road when a real family emergency occurs. It can suck bad. Shat happens and when it does you have to make a decision.

    Also, beware the YouTube sensation. They are making a lot of money off those views with the catchphrases and followings. “$4300 on 250 miles” “DOT got me” etc etc Talk to real people not financially benefiting from your attention.

    And, really look at the investment that goes into hotshot work. You need a #### good trailer, you need a #### good truck and I don’t know bout you but I’ve slept in my super duty back seat for a week during an excursion from Texas to West Virginia picking up a couple police dogs during the lockdown phases of COVID when they were stopping people at the border checking to see if they were under essential travel. It was fun but it also sucked. In texas there is a hotshot on Every corner.

    As far as stress goes… it comes in short doses normally unless you find yourself on ice on I80 and nowhere to go. Or, get up early and try and beat the DFW traffic with a load to San Antonio, you get loaded late, you get stuck in rush hour and everyone wants to be in front of you, you get through that and you hit Waco construction… you make it through that and hit Austin and get caught behind an accident and you now won’t make your delivery on time and you run out of legal hours with nowhere to go and have to spend the weekend twiddling your thumb in some nasty truck stop.

    Or you pick up a load of lumber at 3:30 at a Port in Florida on a Friday… closest scale is 11 miles away. You are almost out of hours and you get to that scale and your 1100 pounds over and there are many scale houses between you and delivery. You haul ### back to shipper and they closed at 4:00… Gone for the weekend. what do you do? Sit over the weekend to get it fixed, try going around all the scale houses through 4 states. That Truckstop with the scale was completely full and you have 22 minutes left on your clock and your 45 minutes away from a place to park.

    On the flip side, nothing better than to shut the door at 0300 and hit the road, roll the window down in the middle of nowhere and enjoy the sunrise. Lots of long hours but not nearly as mentally draining as teaching was for me. That as an Owner Op. I don’t think I would last long as a company driver.


     
  8. blairandgretchen

    blairandgretchen Road Train Member

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    Real right there OP.
     
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  9. pete781693

    pete781693 Road Train Member

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    Public School environment won’t get any better. If you are in position to get out, then get out. Make sure wife’s condition is stable before hitting the road. If I were you, I would go to school through a local community college or state operated tech school. Then you can choose where you go.
     
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  10. roundhouse

    roundhouse Road Train Member

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    For just three years ?
    I’d stay where your at and be done .
     
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