Starting in the trucking field

Good luck to you in reaching your goals.

Can't speak about anything you listed but reefer. It's done good by me, flatbed is also pretty lucrative.
Brand name of truck? That's going to be a personal preference. Starting out though, depending upon your budget, your options will be limited. Biggest downfall to a budding O/O or any business owner is having a high overhead when it's not necessary.
Leasing? Use the search function and you'll find hours upon hours of reading about that situation.

 

Welcome to TTR. Gears is such a gentleman. He didn't say get at least a year or two of experience before you try to buy a truck.

Also if you are talking about buying a truck on your own and leasing it, that is one thing. If you are talking about a lease/purchase then don't. They are one-sided and the success rate is not much more than single digits expressed as a percentage.

Here's my standard advice.

You need to research and find out what the important questions are. You can make an above average living but you will make sacrifices that other jobs don't require. Read the "good companies" and "bad companies" section on this forum and get an idea of what company you want to work for and what kind of trailer you want to pull. Don't just go to school and then try to figure out where to go.

I don't know your financial situation. Don't take training from a company if you can afford it or get it with financial aid. You will be their slave for up to year. If you leave they will trash you DAC and credit record. Check out your local community colleges and employment office.

Just know that most training and trucking company recruiters will do nothing but lie to you. They will let you talk about what you want and then tell you what you want to hear. Trucking is about moving freight to make money for the company. Your home time, family, paycheck and everything else comes second.

It is not like any other job. Local is usually backbreaking delivery work 10+ hours a day, 6 days a week. Often you unload dozens of times a day or you are a salesman. In my area most dump truck jobs pay less than a good factory job. Regional is lots of loading and unloading time, fewer miles than OTR and not as hard as local but will wear on you and push your HOS limits. OTR is out 3 - 5 weeks with 3 - 4 days home, less manual labor and more miles.

You'll probably have to pay your dues before you get the gravy job. Weekends off, if you are lucky enough to get something like that starting out, may be home Thursday afternoon and leave Saturday night or home Friday night and leave Sunday afternoon. Loads deliver on Monday early and you leave in time to get them there. Often your home time will be in the middle of the week.

Regardless of your driving choice, after school you will go through company training. For OTR this can be six weeks to three months with little or no home time. The first phase is usually $400 a week and the second phase is $500-550 a week. Some pay less. One company pays 12 CPM for training.

You don't want to wait around too long after training or you'll have trouble finding a job. If you get out before you have a year in, when you try to come back a few months later you will find they want you to start over.

One last thing, if you have anything that makes you less desirable than your competing job applicants, a phone or in-person interview will often bring the best results. Even if I am the best candidate I will choose face-to-face if at all possible and phone if not. Sure you may have to fill out that online application but that isn't the best way to get a good job. You have to do something or be someone who stands out from the crowd. Do regular follow-ups by phone on the jobs you really want.

 

Here is some reasearch information on companies:

http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/trucking-company-dac-reports/

http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/discuss-your-favorite-trucking-company-here/

http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/report-a-bad-trucking-company-here/


Here is some must read research information on becoming an owner/operator:

http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/ask-an-owner-operator/146942-how-to-become-an-owner-operator.html

http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/ask-an-owner-operator/147854-what-would-experienced-o-o-buy.html

http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/ask-an-owner-operator/125507-what-estimated-operating-costs-o-o.html

http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/ask-an-owner-operator/148340-keeping-track-o-o-operating-costs.html

http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/ask-an-owner-operator/134211-no-experience-but-getting-authority.html

You should read the docked threads in the "Ask An Owner Operator" section too.

 

lol I'm new here,but I know all ready is that. Where ever you go, you will always have a boss some where. good luck though.

 

You are very welcome. I have no personal experience with Prime but I feel you could do much worse. I think their training is some of the best.

You need 7 posts to be able to PM. Until then you can get one of the moderators to forward an email (thank you note) to another member. Gears might do it.

 

Living in KC, you are right in the heart of the meat business. A reefer might be your best bet. But you do alot of late night runs. Flatbed is lucrative and you work better hours, but you do alot of tarping and strapping. You'll do more backing in tight spots with a reefer than a flatbed.

Yes, go company and get your feet wet first. You don't even know you are going to like it yet. Most change their mind, so don't go committing right off the bat until you are sure.

Only a few companies offer flatbed training. You learn that, it's easier to jump over to a van/reefer. It's not as easy the other way around. There's companies like Maverick that have both divisions. The same with Swift, JBHunt and Schneider. But do your homework. Good Luck!