Well, I got TMC out of my system real quick...

The building trades are screaming for help around here
A 5th year pipefitter is 50 an hr
Carpenters and electricians are mid to upper 40s an hr.
In 08' my $ 34 hr job went away and never came back, it was a rough time and got me back in a truck after 18 or so yrs. As a trim carpenter

 

Why not? the girls at the strip club do it

 

I think part of your problem is where you’re located. Florida is notorious for low wages ( comparative to the North East ) . I know many
Northerners who have gone there and tried to live the dream of living in a nice year round climate and start their own business or get a job down there and finding out they’ll be working for a lot less. Unless they were somewhat wealthy , or retired with a pension everyone I know who moved to Florida to earn a living in a trade ,start a service business or get a job there , didn’t last a year or two because of the low priced competition or low wages . Don’t get me
Wrong when I’m in the middle of a Northeast blizzard , i sometimes think how nice it would be to be on a beach in Florida ! Lol .
I understand the instability of owning your own business and the ups and downs of your income , I’ve owned other businesses too and that aspect of it is tough. Being over the road living out of a little box behind your seat making
Less than minimum wage when you factor in all the time you’ll be in that truck working for an out for like TMC will get old real fast when your used to being home everyday with your family and running your own business. What your trying to leave is what many OTR company drivers would kill for. If you’ve made up your mind to drive a truck to stabilize your income and do something a little easier on your body, why not a local job driving tanker or something similar and keep your business as a side hustle
On the weekends and when you can fit it in.
Just a thought. I’ve been in and out of trucking
For over 33 years (I just turned 55). In that time I’ve owned multiple businesses outside of trucking and still buy and sell equipment , vehicles , real estate etc. Honestly I’ve come to almost hate trucking with the crazy amount of DOT enforcement, electronic logs , cut throat competion ( it’s easy to get into , but not easy to do it well) . The constant climb in operating costs and stagnant or down ward push in rates and income is never ending.
It’s a classic case of the grass is greener etc.
I would think twice about leaving what you have to go over the road. I would modify what you do to add more stability in your income and maybe add more services ( cabinet work is nice , but it’s a luxury item , they don’t need nicer cabinets , they want them , times get tight they stop buying cabinets, but if their roof is bad they will find a way to put a roof on .lol! )

Anyway , best of luck in your journey , and a skilled craftsman in any trade will always be in demand if he positions himself correctly.

 

Your Welcome ... I think your on the right path , it just needs some adjusting. Forget food service delivery. It’s brutal Slave work. Very hard on your body. I did it for years as a company driver for Sysco and as an owner operator in the 90’s. It pays well but it’s not worth it , especially at our age. Trust me it’s blood money. Dump truck or Dump trailer work with decent equipment is gravy work if it pays ok. Tanker usually pays ok especially if you have hazmat. There’s also local car hauling gigs
Etc. Running otr is not what many make it out to be. It might seem fun at first traveling around, but it’s brutal on family life and parking overnight has become ridiculous with ELD’s . Many truck stops and rest areas get filled up fast and you’re living out of a little box behind your seat. You won’t be living in your home in Florida anymore , you’ll be living in that truck and get to visit your family and home when the
Company “allows” you home time on the weekends. That will grow old fast , especially after working for yourself and being home with your family every night..... Good Luck!!