Tell me your "career change" sucess stories

It gets cold as hell here and monsoon season is crazy Have you been here and spent much time.

Last winter 3 am I was changing a starter/generator outside on the ramp and it was 14 degrees and the wind was blowing and you say it don't get too cold,lol

 

I spent 3 years as a contractor there when I was younger running parts all over the country from busan to the DMV until rules changed and I was no longer employable. I never found it that cold. But then again I'm Canadian and I spent the first 7 years of my life living in Labrador were NATO had a base for winter training. And last winter I was dealing with -40 weather where I came out and found my power steering fluid gelled when the breaker for my block heater popped.

 

It is probably like summer to you then haha , cold weather is the main reason I want to leave Korea. If I was driving a truck I might have to get out in the cold now and then but not for long.

We have a house in the Philippines where we will retire , that's the type of weather I like and will visit family in Indiana in the summer lol

 

And I find that weather too freaking hot. I find cold so much easier to deal with then hot weather as you can just add layers. I don't want to scar people for life by removing too many layers during the summer. This is also the reason why I'm making sure to sign on with a company APUs. I'm going to need that AC when dealing with Texas, Cali or Arizona and all those southern states which I've only ever heard about. Been to every state on the west coast... during the winter... never been below Boston on the east coast. Looking forward to seeing them all. More so during the winter as while I prefer winter to summer I still prefer fall and spring to either of them.

 

Okay , you take care of the northern states and I will take care of the south,lol

I have been going to the TransAm forum , have you been there ? I think it is called TransAm still.

Some real nice people on there, just go to search on here.

They have nice equipment ,all Kenworth with APU and fridge. It is all refer , maybe check it out.

 

I drove full time OTR from 91-96 and stepped out to make my now ex-wife happy. I have worked the last 18 years in cranes as a service technician. I make fairly decent money and am not totally unhappy at my job, I just think there is more to be had than being a slave to a time clock for someone else. When I was trucking, I was looking at the prospect of becoming an O/O, talked to Randy Marten Jr (Marten Transport was who I last drover for) and was about to do the deed when the wife wanted more time at home from me. When I got divorced in 98, I started looking into the idea of becoming an independent O/O. I made the decision that IF I was ever going to get back into trucking, it would be as an independent O/O. I took some business classes for one of my previous employers in 2004 and in the business class, we had an assignment to outline a new business idea, research the market, provide cost/expense spreadsheets and outline a growth potential in the market of our new business. I had chosen independent O/O and started doing some research. When I saw what an independent trucker with my experience, knowledge, work ethic and training is capable of making, I knew where I would one day end up.

The money has never been there for me to fund a startup, until now. Even now, it is not 100% available, but will be by early to mid Oct. So, I made the decision to pull the trigger. Quite frankly, I'm scared ########. This business endeavor is taking the entire savings of me and my current wife of 14 years to do this. In order to have the $90,000, my wife has to quit her job to get into her 401K, so there will be no safety net for money. We have discussed this many times over the past few years, examined every possible scenario, talked with accountants, bankers and lawyers and the only way we can make this happen is by withdrawing our 401K. And her companies 401K does not allow a person to make a withdrawal as long as they are an employee. So over the last few weeks, we sat down, put our prices together and came out with a timeline to funding our business. Yesterday, I started my legal zoom dot com paperwork to get all the necessary business licensing and tax ID numbers. This process takes about 2 weeks in NV, so we are both staying on our current jobs. On or about Oct 5th, I will receive my company profit sharing quarterly check, which by current measurements will be around $3,500. This money will go to TBS for all my insurance, DOT authority, MCC number and so on. Takes about 2-3 weeks to get all this back. Once the process is started, my wife will quit her job so she can start the 401K withdrawal process. I can access mine at any time, it's in a nontraditional ROTH IRA funded with post tax monies and is already past the 5 year maturity mark, so I don't pay any early withdrawal penalties or taxes if I leave the paid interest in there. I will continue to work my daily slave to the time clock job until all the necessary DOT paperwork is back. The day it all comes back, I walk into my job and tell them to get bent. No, not really, I've already told them of my plans and yesterday gave them my general timeline. They have agreed to let me stay on as long as I want and when the day comes, all I have to do is come in and work my last shift and they will consider it adequate notice. Then, we will be looking on craigslist and the local dealers for a truck to buy that day, cash in hand of about $40,000. I have already talked to a local trailer leasing company and will be buying a used trailer from them for $10,000 and they have assured me that one will be available whether I come in today or in a week, a month or a year. Then we get to take all the paperwork for the truck and trailer to the NV DOT to get our apportioned plates and go home one last time before hitting the road. By our figures, we will have about $30,000 cash in hand with a $10,000 egg stuffed away because #### happens. But, with no equipment loans to be paid, all we have to worry about is the same things we worry about paying now; mortgage, utilities, the everyday bills.

So, yeah, I share your skepticism about getting into the trucking industry. Totally for different reasons, but skepticism that had and still has to be overcome. My suggestion is this, if it's something you really want to do, go for it. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise; this life is yours to live, not theirs. Will you or I make it in the trucking industry? I don't have a crystal ball, nor am I God (contrary to popular belief), so I can't tell you the answer to that. Don't do something you will regret. And by that I mean, if trucking is something you really want to do and you let someone else talk you out of it, think about 5, 10 or 20 years down the road. Will you be able to live with yourself living your life off the advice of someone who isn't living in your mind? I have had MANY people try and discourage me along my route. I would say for every POSITIVE piece of advice I have been give, I have gotten two "Don't so it, there is no place in today's market for an independent" type discouragements and another three horror stories of how that person had no book keeping skills or was "screwed over by the man" and wasn't able to stay running. All I can say is, I made my decision and I will sleep better under a bridge in a cardboard box knowing that I at least TRIED to live my dream than I will in 20 years in a warm, comfy bed wondering what might have been.

 

Hi dennisroc,

The job was in Malaysia. They were refereed to me by a Malaysian friend that I went to flight school with. I can't remember who the outfit was.

Yes, the PT6 was/is legendary. I think every civilian trained pilot who went on to bigger and faster airplanes has flown it. Just keep the kerosene flowing and it won't let you down. The hardest part for me was learning how to taxi with it.

I was in Korea in 80's courtesy of Uncle Sam. A buddy of mine got a job offer to teach advanced flight training in Korea to Korean Airlines flight cadets. I can't remember the type but I believe it was for a single engine turboprop. TBM??? This was 20 years ago. I believe Korean Airlines still has their initial flight training school in Livermore, CA.

 

That is an amazing leap. Not many people would leave a cushy job to try and do what I'm sure you will try and succeed at. I have read that it is better to follow your heart than to follow the money and be spiritually dead inside.

I am trying to do the same as you and have run into some obstacles, I have the money saved up but it doesn't look very promising for leasing on with a good outfit without recent experience. I may have to get my own authority too, and to tell you the truth I would much rather lease on somewhere first.

May God bless and keep you and your wife in your new endeavor.

My hat is off to you.

Please start a thread on your journey in the owner operator section when you get going. I for one would love to follow along on your progress.

 

Every job I have had since I was 15 has always been driving something. The only thing that's changed for me over the years is the size of the vehicle I'm paid to drive and what im hauling.

I was was put on this earth to be a driver, and I don't care what the vehicle is. It can be a semi, 84 passenger city bus, or even a backhoe, forklift, or a Chrystler Minivan. If it has wheels on it, I want to drive it.

 

In high school.I was halfway to my pilot's license.I joined the army after qualifying as a Warrant Officer Flight Candidate [ helicopters ]. I did basic and then 2 days before I was to leave for school,they told me that I didn't make it because of my eyesight. Being 1969,they screwed another kid. Went to Viet Nam as a tanker,got blown up a couple of times ,but managed to come home in one piece. I kicked around for a few years until I fell into this job.
I'm retiring at the end of this year after a long career at the same place, I too am looking for a total career change since I'm still too young to sit around the house. I too have studied different choices and have made a decision...............I'm gonna be a stripper!