What if you don't have a job

At this point, what do you have to lose? Is your wife on board with this? But one question that you really need to ask yourself is, do you really want to be a trucker, or are you thinking about this for other reasons? If you really want to be a trucker, then go for it. Yes, it will be tough at first, but it will get better. But if your heart is not in it, or if your wife is not supportive, you might want to look elsewhere.

 

The question you really need to ask yourself is....... Could I make it bringing home about $400.00 a week? And you'll be burning up about $100.00 of that on the road every week (a reasonable average for most people). Now, you might get lucky and do a little better than that..... most don't. Soooooo....... if you can meet your financial responsibilities on about $1,200.00 a month..... go for it. Most can't!!!!!

These are after tax numbers, by the way.

Hope this gives you some perspective.

 

i had no job, no money , no house about 2 years ago so i thought i would try bein a trucker i have now driven for 1 year i took some time off since i saved up some money i now have a house a car and a bank account that has allowed me to get a part time job as a shuttle bus driver i am now getting ready to go back on the road just like leannamarie said make sure your wife is on board with u going out for up to 3-4 weeks at a time it will be had on both of you at first but if you get in with the right company she can go out with you no good for a family man but in your situation i would say go for it. be safe out there keep it rubber side down

 

Things were totally different 2 years ago when you got into it . There was still a driver shortage then . Now there's an oversupply of drivers because driving schools keep turning out graduates while about 20,000 people a month are losing jobs in the trucking industrty . Thre are plenty of posts here by both graduates and experienced drivers unable to find work or find work and only get 1,000 miles a week at $.26 a mile .

 

Compare that scenario to working for 8.00 per hour, 40 hours per week at the burger joint.

 

My answer...Yes. I AM unemployed and was offered financial assistance through the state. To ME it's a risk I'm willing to take. I don't have a tremendous amount of bills and a have a couple back-up plans if things go south.

My question to you would be this -

Do you really truly understand what it's like to drive a truck over-the-road for a living?

People talk about it being a lifestyle change and it is. You have to live with the possibility of not seeing your family for weeks on end. What's not always brought up is the stress level involved with driving an 80,000 lb lethal weapon that takes a football field (or more) to stop. Your not just responsible for keeping it between the lines and obeying the traffic laws, your responsible for knowing what EVERY other vehicle around you is going to do. It's not like driving a car and having someone else hit you and it not be your fault. Some companies will still hold it against you because you should have seen them coming.

I'm currently a CDL student that has experience pulling trailers, driving a stick and driving a lot of highway miles. My biggest concern isn't that I won't pass my CDL tests. It's that I've spent enough time behind the wheel of a truck so that I don't feel like a rolling hazard when I get out on the road.

My advice to you...listen to what the people on here have to say and then decide if this is the right decision for you. If after all of our rants and raves you decide to pursue trucking as a career then I wish you the best of luck.

If you have any questions please feel free to ask...

 

All this time, I still feel like a rolling hazard. Target would be a better description I guess.

Day in and day out, dodging dumb#### who think it's okay to cut you off, okay to pull out in front of you, okay to race you to the barrels in construction zones.

Rolling hazard, or cash cow ???

 

Let's see . 1,000 miles at $.26 a mile = $260 a week . 40 hours at $8 an hour = $320 a week . Then when your 8 hours is up at the burger joint you can relax at home instead of hanging out a day or two at a nasty truckstop .

 

Eat all of the meals at home versus spending money in the truck.

Comfort at home from heat and AC. Company prohibited running of the truck for driver comfort.

Regular working environment and hours. Burger joint pays for all hours spent working.