Saving Money

maybe my first year OTR wasn't as bad as I thought... i keep seeing these posts saying you cant save much going otr, under 100 a week... the cost of living on the road
what the hell were you guys eating that cost so much! my first year I earned a little over 31k based on my W2, so like 650 a week before taxes. I had my car insurance which was under 100 a month and my cell phone/internet which was more than 100 lol but Im a gaming freak so I had their biggest data package at that time anyway. I spent less than 200 a month on groceries and usually didnt eat out. all of that is less than one paycheck, so where the heck would the rest of the money be going if my plan was to save? (my plan wasn't to save so I know where my money went lol) I know everyone is different, when I drove i hardly ate, I had a quick snack before driving, while driving I pretty much didnt eat and then I ate a meal when i stopped and random snacking. I'm a computer nerd so if I wasn't driving I was playing on my laptop or watching shows on it, unless I had to use the restroom i never left my truck... so when I say i lived in my truck, I LIVED IN MY TRUCK lol. my home terminal was in a state that I didnt have family so I never went home, every few weeks i would take a weekend off, get a hotel room for like $45 a night in denver and do the same thing i did in the truck, play on my laptop. I guess how much you can save depends on your cost of living on the road and what you need while out there. for me, I really didn't have anything to spend my money on.

 

I paid 2000 for my cdl. I wouldn't want to be tied to a company. I met two guys who worked for crst. They signed a year of their life away. They siting in Mass for ten days over a cracked oil pan. Crst sent the wrong one first and the right one was supposed to come the next day. They couldn't leave that company if they wanted. They made 180 in a two week period.

 

Thats typical of someone that has issues holding a job. My guess is you were probably unemployed when you paid for your CDL.

 

Opportunity


I was sitting at the counter at the truckstop, when a guy from California walked in and sat down. He was making $300 a week. Everyone one at the counter told the guy he was getting raked over the coals and that he should find a better job (yeah, I know...a bunch of lying supertruckers, right? At least according to your trainer). I asked him if he had ever considered the oilfields. He didn't know how to find a company that was hiring. Two of the guys at the counter spoke up and gave him phone numbers, because their boss was hiring and needed drivers ASAP. They both made over $2000 a week, work two weeks, home the 3rd week. Were they lying? I don't know, but I'd bet money they made a lot more money than $300/week.

Ive found that the owner ops, fleet ops, heavy haul, specialized, cattle baron, tanker yanker, car hauler...etc, sit in the truckstop restaurants. I've seen drivers be given job ops at the counter. much better opportunities than what any of you could be given by the mega carriers.

instead of worrying how to save money, MAKE THE MONEY.

 

The drivers thst are getting $300 pay checks are the ones that have 0-1 year worth of experience. Im a solo company driver and I rarely see take home pay under $960 per week and it's often more unless I've been at home.

 

$2000 a week in the oilfield is very easy to make. It's not a 9 to 5 job and 16 hour days are common. There are many companies in North Dakota that you work 2 weeks on 2 weeks off. I work 4 to 6 weeks on then 2 weeks off.

The more you work the more money you make obviously. That's why oilfield pays more, you'll work 80 to 100 hours a week at around 20 dollars an hour.

ive been running a water tanker for 2 years now .

to get my CDL I took the tests, got a permit, bought a truck, hired a CDL holder to team with and hit the road. 3 months later I got my CDL

 

Everybody doesn't have an oil field in their neighborhood to work in and those jobs pay that well because they are dangerous.

 

North Dakota is 2500 miles from Florida so not my backyard eieither oilfield isn't for everyone but it's worth it

 

How long after you got your CDL before you went to the ND oil patch? Were the jobs easier to get then? I keep reading that now the companies are much more "picky" with the drivers since word has gotten out and lots of people want to go there.

 

With the large companies such as power fuels and Missouri basin they are picky but with small companies they are needing people so they make exceptions. I drive for zito trucking a very small outfit in Crosby, North Dakota . They are starting a new contract in northern Colorado paying 18 an hour. They hire based on the person and understand limited experience . Start with a small company, get your experience and then you can pick and choose who you work for. Craigslist is the way to find smaller companies you can break out in the oilfield with