so who makes it in this industry??

Success comes to those who aren't afraid to fail.....
And failing isn't a bad thing either....
Failing is just part of the process in succeeding at whatever you choose to do in life....

Motivation is also important......
If you are not motivated or driven.....you'll have a tough time succeeding...

 

My experience is that many get into trucking as they see a way to earn decent money from what they perceive as an easy occupation. The truck drivers i knew growing up all had nice houses and nice cars and were full of tales of nights out in the capitals of Europe, heady stuff for a youngster with wanderlust. My fathers friends owned the biggest trucking company in my area and we lived right beside their yard, i remember waiting for the school bus and seeing the big rigs leave, wondering where they were going. I eventually ended up working for them but only after driving for other companies and getting experience.

For me the constant on the go with a goal in mind is why i loved it before, its addictive and long before i realized that physically it wasn't the best occupation i was mentally hooked on it. Any time i have been in another occupation i have always thought about trucking and wanted to be back on the road again, the hardships are many but there is a great satisfaction from mastering those hardships and getting her done in a timely and professional manner.

For me its exciting to be on the cusp of starting another trucking journey in another country with its own unique set of challenges and hardships. I love to learn and can tell from being on this forum that there are many on the road with wisdom to impart. I know i will get tired, stressed, aggravated, treated like crap but my satisfaction will come from still getting the job done. At least this time I will have GPS and wont have to brush up on my French, Spanish and German. Also the sleeper will hopefully be bigger than a shoebox

 

(whatcha gonna use to feed the kids now),
Many quit when they get asked this by their wives too many times after the rent and utilities are paid and the paycheck from the bottom feeder is used up .
Who's at fault when they get fired ? All too often not the driver who hasn't been properly trained or get stuck with a trained with an attitude that has the trainee doomed from the start .
Accidents ? Broad subject there . Very minor incidents have been deemed to be accidents that cost driver his job . I recall one poster that said he brushed an adjacent truck's mirror with his trailer and caused no damage . But his trainer said he should report it and he did and lost his job . Trainees have very little control of their destiny .

 

Well you have an advantage there...if you speak Spanish, you will find some warehouses that will give you preference since they can't get away with sidestepping you since you don't understand what they are saying...but you will need to polish (not the county in Europe..the "put the shine on") up on your Mexican...that is a southern drawl Spanish don't ya know!

As for the sleeper...not a shoebox at first...but given enough time...it will seem more like a matchbox!

 

Agreed...I have always lived every day like it was the last one I've got.

I enjoy every minute of it.

 

boy a lot of good replys here. My 2 cents. I worked for the most hated company on here and I loved it they hired me right out of school and put me with a trainer. Now he was not the nicest guy on the block, but it was HIS truck and he really wanted me to learn. in 6 weeks I drove in Ice, wind"empty", hills, snow, and anything else. The dark of Morning was the worst for me, but I really appreciated him when I was on my own. I had to come home. Medical issues and I can't wait to go back I get letters and calls from companies still and I will go back to the big white trucks nobody likes. I had a good DM that had just came off and he was great to work with too, BUT its like everybody has said you make it what it is. when I got up in the morning or night I wanted to make that truck roll and when I pulled in somewhere I wanted to look professional. Parking I would get out and look even when it wasn't necessary"habit" sometimes someone would say something about the company and I would just laugh and say I was worried about your truck and ya know most of the time those same guys would come up and offer suggestions or just Talk. so keep looking and keep working it and you will get there and take the neg and the pos and make it work. to those of you here who I have spken to around the states Thank You and I hope to see you soon.

 

Trucking is what you make of it. Growing up, I always wanted to be a trucker, because of certain things I got started in it later then I would have liked to. I've learned to take the good with the bad and make it a career that I love and will always do.

 

Let me put it to you like this:
Out of the 25 people in my original driving school class, there is only 1 left still driving truck.
And the only reason for that is that I was fortunate enough to move on to an LTL carrier.
Where I'm paid and treated like a human being.

There is NO WAY I would put up with 1/2 the BS these truckload guys do.
Sitting around for no pay.
Working, waiting, driving for free.
Grocery whorehouses
Freezing in the winter/boiling in the summer to try and win the company's idle reduction contest.
Living out of a rolling fiberglass cage.
Waiting in line behind 20 other sweaty drivers to take a shower.
Weekends spent in the truckslop.
Kids don't know you.
Working on holidays.
The list goes on and on and on...

Why do you think the turnover rates are through the roof at these OTR outfits?
Why are they constantly hiring even in bad times?

Stay away from irregular-route, OTR trucking...nothing but a dead-end.
Much better jobs in the health-care field and other industries.
Where you can live like a human being outside of and away from the truck.