$$ to walk away from being an O/O

Orlando. I'd need 100k and to work close to bankers hours for it to work for me. I had an opportunity to use my sales experience to make that last year, however, the hours were nights and weekends, so I'd see my family a lot less than I do now. With 14 years trucking experience, I have found a niche that gives me far more home time, but far less security and reliability. I could care less about trucking, really. Shifting gears and tarping don't get my libido going. The freedom to not answer to anyone and make my own schedule, while making excellent money is what keeps me from selling out.

 

Just a quick thanks to everyone posting here. I'm on the other side of the coin on this one. I'm in an office, I've been at this job for 10 years. I'm about to get a decent raise, and bonus. I go into the office at 9:00am and leave at 6:00pm, I have 120hrs of vacation plus 5 sick days a year and 11 paid holidays. I make about 55k a year probably 60k after everything is said and done this year.

I'm leaving it all at the end of the month to do something I truely have always wanted to do. I may make a little less money and won't make my bills for a while, but that will all work out. I plan on being a company driver for a year or two and going O/O when the time is right (Unless if am with a company who makes it not worth going o/o). If things don't work out I can always go back to the office.

I've reached an age where its not about the money to me. If you've seen office space, you know what I mean. I have 5 bosses. when something goes wrong I hear about it 5 times. The 4th I'm ready to lay them out. When my phone rings I cringe. I don't want to talk to anyone and I'm miserable when I get home. My family has about had enough of me being miserable. Every decision I make here is based on corporate politics here NOT what is right or wrong, or what is best for the company.

It's a big risk, but a risk im willing to make. I just hope I can hold my credit together long enough to get a truck a year or two down the road and truely do my own thing. My only regret is not doing this sooner or doing crap when I was younger that prevented me from doing this sooner.

 

Sounds like you already know that trucking is where your heart is. Hating some days and loving it others is the case with any job. Shux, it's even the case in some marriages.

Maybe you need to take the job to confirm what it sounds like you already know... trucking is where your heart is. If you'd ONLY be chasing the money, you're probably going to be miserable. There is no shortage of miserable and regretful doctors, lawyers, engineers out there. Sure they live comfortable, but the unhappy ones only stay cause they are so deep in and know no other life. TRUST ME!

 

When I die and go to hell it is going to be a office that I will suffer through eternity in.

There nothing that I could think of that would cause me more suffering than a 9-5 office cubical lifestyle.

So I am another vote for there is no amount of money to get me to sell my truck and go to work in a office.

 

I'd take 150k 9 to 5 job with a lunch, Sat and Sun off and a personal secretary. I'd be like that guy In the movie who got hypnotized and stopped worrying about every single thing in his cubicle life.

 

When I die and go to hell it is going to be a office that I will suffer through eternity in Planning on work in CHR's load brokering complaints dept are you ?

 

I think that an intelligent person will always look at their options. And I think that it is human nature that when we are in the midst of the good and bad of any situation that another can seem appealing.

I am writing this with the assumption that trucking brings in enough money to pay all of your bills, enough to sustain your business, and you live a relatively comfortable life.

So the office job would be "easier"... set number of hours and benefits. The IDEA is tempting, but it depends on what satisfaction that you get from trucking. I don't think that you can put a dollar value on that. That's more of a personal thing, assuming the above is true.

Myself, I worked in an office for a little while at one point in my life, and it absolutely, positively is not for me. I have a very good friend that works in an office, and the politics, the gossip, the brown nosing, the cliques, people after your job, you having to take people out to keep your job or advance in the company, downsizing... it doesn't stop. In fact, they have been trying to fire him for the last few years because they feel they can hire someone half his age and pay that person half as much. So instead of firing him, they just keep doubling and tripling his workload until he quits or he falls short and they fire him.

Being an owner operator I'm sure is not for everyone. The regulations, the expense, the rates... it's not easy. But at least you have a certain freedom. If you are a successful owner operator, you have done something that 90% of the guys out there can't do. And every movement that you make every day is for YOU, not for some schmo that sees you as a cubicle that can be filled with anyone that will work for less than you.

It can be a rough business, but someone on here once compared it to being a farmer. The real satisfaction is in the work.

 

Just to add to this as an O/O every move you make is for you, win or lose, pass or fail. your destiny is on your shoulders. You are not reliant or dependant on someone elses decisions. If freight sucks you can get it somewhere else, or move something else. You will not likely be brought down because of someone elses failure. Atleast thats how I see it from this side of the cubicle wall.

 

This is such a pretty eye tear bringing subject I just had to chime in and show the world what you are missing or will miss on... lol Would anybody like to come and tarp it? Lol Just getting the straps on was a challenge for a texan! Haha By the way in case you didnt know, I consider myself not a white but a chrome collar..