Take this job or stay w/ union?

if you can afford to be laid off for 10 weeks, stick with it. the union non-trucking job will, hands down, be way better than this heavy haul job. ill be honest, i wouldn’t do heavy haul for <$30/hr...even then idk if that’s enough.

 

Nah bro, f all that. I couldn’t be an apprentice.

teamsters isn’t perfect but it’s a hell of a lot better than most other gigs out there. Plus it’s an easy switch to operator union.

like I’m technically a quad axle dump truck driver, doesn’t mean I don’t run pavers, low boys, skid steers, street sweepers and loaders. So once you’re vested it’s easy to move to operator because you already know how to do it all.

I’m basically a truck driver and underpaid operator lol.

 

Another thing about the trucking gig......I have never met anybody that
was very successful driving a truck that didn't work very hard at it. Trucking
looks easy but gigs come and gigs go. To succeed long term you have to develop
long term relationships. Heavy haul does pay better but you screw up one time
and you are looking for another job.

An example.....one of our customers asked me to move his brand new $250,000
curb machine. I was very careful......did a good job with my tiedowns.....didn't scratch
the machine, etc. When I got to the jobsite he was there......he looked over his machine,
after a minute he started smiling.....from than on I moved his machine.

The other issue with trucking gigs is when you get old....what than? When it gets
harder and harder to pass the physical......when you don't want to be gone all the
time???? Keep with the union plumbing gig and when you get your time in someday
you can be the boss....get paid top dollar telling the young guys to work.

 

I was a machinist for 5 years. Had my CDL for 3 years before I started making chips but didn't use it much (about a year's time). Worked up to a job where I was an unofficial CNC Programmer.

After being canned for "insubordination" (which didn't hold up under state scrutiny btw), I finally got fed up with the shop politics & depressed wages for skilled trades in my area.

I made my fallback position my primary & haven't looked back. I've had ups & downs, but I've always had options.

 

I was in the same position last year...I was accepted into Electrician apprenticeship program and did it for about 6 month... then got laid off for four months.

My father suggested trucking and told me I could make at least $1500 a week. I wish I kind of stayed with the electrician program but I have mouths to feed. However, I enjoy trucking more and I like my linehaul gig.