Turned 18, Plan to become a hot shot driver by 26 (hopefully), need advice

A few of my relatives own(ed) logging trucks and you'd have to go through their iron with a fine tooth comb to find any equipment violations. You might spend 20 minutes at the end of the day putting a new mudflap on the truck or 10 minutes splicing an airline in the parking lot at the mill. Trick is to keep on top of it.

Even when I started wrenching in my late teens the logging trucks were usually in better shape, mechanically and cosmetically, than a lot of the highway trucks that came in the door.

 

SO you all know, he is talking about going to be a dental hygienist which is a 2-year degree, and a dentist is 6 years, a huge difference in the investment of time and money. The former seems to have jobs all over the place and the latter - I know a few broke dentists.

 

Speaking from experience, in my dad’s construction company, we ran many miles with our 3500s. If you are planning to run that truck day after day, get as loaded of one as possible. 2 reasons, resale value, and quality ofYOUR life while running it. Currently, dad has a GMC 3500 Denali. It is awesome, very comfy to drive. Also, another thing you gotta keep in mind is, cost of the truck, and I’d be floored if you got a brand new one for $80,000 in 2030. Cost of tax on that truck, and cost of insurance on that expensive of a pickup, plus it being a start up operation. A lot of hotshot haulers are logging well over 100,000 miles a year, so now you’re looking to replace that truck in 2 years. And, you will need to buy a trailer. Which will run you at least $20,000 for a good one. I think you will get further ahead financially if you stick with the dentistry idea.

 

No replacement for doing something you enjoy though.

 

Dentistry program is actually 8yrs. 4yrs for undergrad, 2yrs for medicine, and 2yrs for dentistry doctorate. It’s grueling, to be sure.

I once spoke to an urology resident who was $450K in the hole. He’ll spend the rest of his life paying off that debt. By contrast, my ex- was a veterinarian and came out of school $120K in the hole. Gotta’ be financially conservative when pursuing a career in medicine.

 

Posts #6 and/or #8 above have the least investment with the highest/quickest return (of the options discussed -- by far).

Also -- post #29 above is spot on -- DOT loves them hot shots......

And well they should.

-- L

 

You are right, 8 years, I hit 6 for some reason.

 

I know an oral surgeon that's making tons of money. He got his start in the Navy. Joined the Navy as an enlisted Dental Technician. He was assigned to an oral surgeon to help him. They tended to people returning home from conflicts with severe facial wounds. He did his 4 year enlistment then used the GI Bill to pay for dental school.