Stacking the deck in your favor.

This job is known for destroying marriages, its definitely a job for singles only.
....i feel bad for the little ones whose mom or dad is an OTR driver

 

Big problem I think a lot of guys have is they think about getting their own truck and the first thing they want to know is "How much can I make in the first year?

The better question is "What steps can I take to create a successful business?" This will pay dividends year after year. Short term thinking is usually expensive.

 

I stay out of the NorthEast....rates going in are average at best and the rates coming out are pure garbage.

I'll take those $900 loads in the Midwest I can turn every day over a $1200 load going to CT that takes two freaking days and requires a 300-500 mile bounce for a garbage load that doesn't even fully cover the fuel and tolls, thanks.

 

I think a common factor in stories like Six started this thread with, is people don't know how to put time in anymore. How to start at the bottom and work their way up. Its understandable in a world of smart phones and Amazon prime when 'a long time' is considered a week but its not realistic.

Doctors have to pass regular college, then med school, then a residency. Musicians who suddenly make it, spent a lot of time broke and in small venues. You can't look at someone in the middle of their career and think you'll get to that same point in a week.

One year gets thrown around a lot in this industry but its not a golden ticket to a great job. One year doesn't mean you've made it, one year is the bare minimum. Sure, some people get great jobs right out of school or after a year and being smart or talented or just plain lucky helps your chances but that's not necessarily the norm. Base your expectations off the average, not the top ten percent.

*edit

This isn't a knock on young people or millennials. I think a large part of this mindset comes from people entering trucking as a fallback career. People who have already experienced varying amounts of success in life having to start over. It sucks. Believe me, I know. I've done it a few times already but you don't get an automatic pass because of your age or previous experience. You go into a new field, you start from square one. That's just the way life works.

 

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Plus 1 to This.

The other thing about this industry is:
It takes at least 15-20 yrs to become an Overnight success...

This is something the Gen Y generation are unable to comprehend..!!!

 

Why? Not any worse or better than a military family. You think driving is harder on the family than that? How about t he ones that settled this country that would be gone months or years at a time?

Quit being a bunch of ####### and grow a backbone.

 

Well, I can fix almost anything!

Good thread, Six!

 

The North East for me (Flatbed) has been very good. Heading back next week.Plenty of pipe to haul, and back hauls have been easy to find, and pay well.

Also, Six is spot on in his opening post. I wasn't ready for it. I'm lucky to still be in business. Stable now, but it was tough. Paying cash for our truck was the best decision I've made thus far. Capital goes very quickly. We were/are lucky, most are/were not. My circumstances at the time warranted my actions, still, I'd be lying if I said I was prepared.

A man who drives a truck for a living does not need to be great with a wrench, just serviceable. However, he does need the wrench. I had a water hose blow a couple months ago. I just cut a piece of the line that runs back to the APU (there was enough slack) and fixed the leak. Poured my drinking water in the radiator to get me 5 miles down the road to a truck stop to buy coolant.
Oh, buy extra hoses! LOL

No tools, and I'd have paid a pretty penny to someone.

Great thread.

 

Nowadays breathing has been known to end marriages!! I've been on and off the road for going on 30 years..my wife and I have been married for 20 of those years! If you're smart and are about your family doesn't matter what job you have!! Just like trucking and being an O/O you get out of it what you put in it!

 

5 years ago I began CDL training and went OTR after doing much research, which still didn't tell me half of reality experienced during the first month.

Money & Earnings = just starting told myself I'm gonna make terrible money for a year, less than what I previously made "back home", that was based on research. Low Expectations. From the beginning, I've been pleasantly surprised. Some of that is work ethic, some is loving the job and lifestyle.

Now a question posed to Mr.Six, how do I become your understudy?
Probably you already have a couple of them...?
If not, perhaps you don't wish to devote the time and "give away" detailed know-how...even to someone as hungry, and proven worker, as I already am....maybe info you share on this site is enough contribution.

I've continued to research options while I work hard every day. Used-to have a decent brain, but cannot seem to uncover the situation that makes sense to me in taking the next step as an Owner Op. I would value having the guidance of a true mentor.