Wannabe has question

Maverick would be a good choice. I spend at least 25 dollars a day for food and drink. You will need cash for tolls,scales,etc. The company will pay you back for these. Maverick seems like a good company from what I have read about them. Maverick makes you tarp almost every load. If you go there keep mouth shut and ears open. Have heard they will be sizing you up from the get go at orientation, even while on breaks. They won't take just anybody. Show up there looking like a flat bed driver(boots,jeans,etc) look the part. First impressions you know!

 

Usually good to have a couple hundred on ya for a week. Fuel, etc is paid for by the company. They issue a fuel card to you that enables you to get your fuel without having to take money out of your pocket. At today's fuel prices that can get really expensive, really fast.

Every company is different on how they deal with things like oil, antifreeze, etc. Some you pay for it and they reimburse you as long as you turn in the receipts. The companies also usually have it set up for you to get advances to pay for road expenses, which could just be reserved for truck/lumper/etc rather than having to use it to feed yourself too.

At least you do have some clue as to what it will be like out there having travelled for work as much as you have. It's a bit different, but not by a whole lot. The biggest difference is the size of the vehicle you will be driving! And yes, you will be putting on more than 300 miles a day most days.

There's a little for ya to think about til the drivers with more current experience get on here. I've been out of the seat for 10 years, but my hubby just came off the road a couple of months ago.

 

Besides your normal budget, I would keep at least a hundred or two in cash for emergencies only! You can get advances from your company too if you run into problems on the road. Really try not to buy stuff from truck stops. It is expensive and really adds up day to day. Even sodas or drinks. Most walmarts you can pull your truck into so go in and stock up your truck. This will save you a lot of money. Stay away from buying dvd's and such. This is also an expense that will add up to thousands a year! Sounds funny but most of your time off will probably be watching tv. As far as other out of pocket expenses it is going to differ from company to company. Most of the time scales are going to come out of your pocket. They will reimburse you but you still need to pay cash at the time. Figure on pulling 4-5 different loads a week. Scales are usually $10.00 and re-weighs are $1-2. Like I said depending on the company, you may have to front the toll fees too. They can pricey. I would designate $40-50 a week for tolls. Showers are usually free with your point card but if you are out of points they are about $10.00. Probably going to wash your truck every other week - $75-100. I would advise you getting a bank account at the new pilot/flyinJ. They will give you a debit card. You can have your check automatically put into this account. I wouldn't really recommend all of it but a portion of it. Use this for your over the road expenses. One of the biggest reasons is ATM's. If you are getting charged $1.00-$2.00 a pop at the truckstops it really adds up over time. There is no fee if your using their card at their ATM. Another reason is this bank knows you are a truck driver, your bank doesn't. If you cross three state lines a day and are buying stuff at several different places they will freeze your card. It is a pain in the butt trying to explain this to your bank at home once a week! With the new turnover I am not sure what the name of the bank is now but it used to be TAB. Go to the pilot website and it should have all the info on there. Good luck. Good post!

 

thats a good thing to know if i ever go OTR again.