When should I give up my apartment?

Well many yrs ago I left Boston Massachusetts to live in my truck I rember staying on the road for 2 plus years living on a budget of 100.00 dllrs a week which I got it down to 67 week I made my change when I found I could use pmb and put 1800 month in my bank I never left a job with out having one lined out I have been strained buy companies that went out of bus ness but no big deal cause I had cash line out you plan have back up plan than work your plan don't worry about a landlord cause you will have cash like I did when I bought my 1srt house and paid it with a cashier check......

 

I'd say wait until your lease is up and give it 6 months to see if you like it or not. It's something like 1 in 6 stay with it. Everyone can try to paint a picture how it is but you really don't find out how it is until you get in a truck and start driving. There are a lot of little things a person is not use to and they have to adapt. Once you get past all the learning and abuse the job gets easier and easier. Many don't have the patience to go through the gauntlet. When I first started driving 600 miles felt like it took forever. Five years later it felt like 200 miles. I think that goes with any job is learning it and perfecting it. Given a chance trucking isn't bad.

But once your sure of yourself then if you want put your stuff in storage to reduce your expenditures then do it. It's fun for awhile but it gets old after a couple years of doing the motel thing.

One day you'll want to retire and have a house paid for. The earlier you start on that 30 year mortgage the better off you will be. In Vegas you don't have to worry about mowing grass.

 

When you pick a company, look at the hiring area to ensure Nevada is included. Once you're hired then all you have to do is give the company a change of address. For example, Watkins & Shepard hires out of CA & NV and has a terminal in Las Vegas. trans-system hires new CDL grads and hires out of CA & NV. Several other companies do also.

Some of the reasons new drivers don't make it in the beginning is they don't research enough and hire on with one of the mega carriers and the pay is poverty level so they become disenchanted quickly.

One idea is to set up a mail box, for example, in Las Vegas, then once you're hired by a trucking company, give up the apartment and notify the post office to forward your mail to the new mail box, maybe at UPS or where ever you choose to have a mail box.

 

You can have a mailing address at a Mailboxes Etc store. Works the same as a street address for residence. They collect your mail and have it ready and waiting when you swing through "home". Put the rest in storage. If you ever find yourself out of a job for a short period of time you should have saved enough to do a short term rent on a weekly basis at a motel until you are back with another carrier, but any time you depart a carrier have the next job lined up and give 2 weeks notice like a professional.

Research the options for home state. Living out of the truck OTR gives you enormous flexibility regarding where you declare as your home. Note that many larger carriers also allow you to take your home time anywhere you want, so you can visit friends or family all around the country or take in some R&R in places of your choosing.

 

What I would do is have your mail go to a box but use gour parents address as your physical address that way gou can tell next landloed you were crashing there when not on the road.

 

Hello Truck4Fun: seems we have here a man with a Master($$) Plan! I will address your points line by line using a numeric method 10-4.
1. If you are serious about going OTR: GET RID OF THE APARTMENT! There are other credible living arrangements whereby you do not have to give early notification when you want to leave. Here in Texas we have a. Studio 6 studio with nice kitchen separate bath (some with living room) cable tv, air & heat plus all utilities included for $750 - $900 per month (tax incl) depending upon the size you want/need and you can receive your mail there. B. Intown Suites C. Sun Suites D. Budget Suites.......... Most have Semi Truck & Trl parking and nearby storage facilities!
2. Have you considered TX? Better strategic location for a trucker- Better weather- More likely to past thru here more often than you would Nevada. NO STATE TAX- LOWER COST OF LIVING- LESS VANITIES/TEMPTATIONS to lose your money.....
3. I have never heard of storage facilities allowing you to receive mail there also. Besides, as often as many storage facilities change employees, are you sure you want strangers handling your mail? You should think over this. Here are some viable alternatives and they can be written off on your yearly taxes-
a. The US Post Office Box Rentals- offer various sizes, fees BUT they do sale your mail address to Val-Pak, ADCO- Carol Wright & Red Plum/Valassis meaning you will be bombarded with advertisements and solicited mail PLUS the US Post is less tolerant of you having your mail piling up in your box or of holding pkgs. Some Post Office have time restrictions for mail pick up (ask!) ....... ....... ..... ....... ....
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b. The UPS Store Box Rentals- Kinda pricey but they do protect you from mail solicitors much better than the US POST. And they will hold a truckers mail/pkgs as long as necessary. Just keep them posted. And they have copy machines after hours, you have access to your mail 24-7 and if necessary you can have your large pkgs placed in a larger box (free) so that you can pick up later in the evening. They offer faxing and of course various mail services.

4. As for the best advice as to when to give up your apartment! Well, what are the terms of your contract (6mos- 12mos) etc. How close are you to your contract ending date? Remember, if you leave the apartment early; YOU ARE STILL RESPONSIBLE FOR THE REMAINING MONTHS LEFT ON CONTRACT!

5. Most trucking companies want and or require that your license and address are the same.

6. Lastly, Most/the Majority of US Landlords are pretty lenient towards the Military and yep, us Long Haul Truck drivers as they understand the conditions of are employment keeping us away and will not hold this against you. Landlords are more concerned with your credit worthiness as opposed to when you last had a house/apartment.

I give this advice based on my own personal experience of being OTR the past 8 years (2004 -present), and having had an apartment only twice (during college 2006 & 2007) within that time frame. Around 2011 I rented a very nice (expensive) apartment in N. Dallas (6mos contract) and there was not one problem from the property management of my prior status; *they only wanted to know my savings, previous job/income level and credit score. If you have a Master($$$) Plan, you are making a sound, logical and reasonable (smart) decision.
Aim High!

 

depends on if your on a 1 year rental agreement or not. 1 year agreements usually want you till the end. so if you move out. your still stuck with the remainder of the agreement.

in utah, you end up with a collection and added collection costs. and a negative credit report. if you don't full fill the terms. living there or not. they want the full agreement payments.

 

I'd give it a few weeks after you start or until the end of your lease as CondoCruiser said.

Be sure to have a water-tight secure mailing address, I can tell you from experience that one piece of missed mail can be a WHOLE LOT of trouble.

Check out the state requirements for mailing addresses in regards to your CDL first, I think some don't accept out of state, or PO Boxes, or some hoo-ha.

I was 'homeless' effectively for the first year or so - no house, no bills, or 'stuff' . . . you can get a lot of cash stashed in that time.

 

One more thing to think about is the IRS. They require a home of record. That post office box will generally fill the requirement. But if you get audited by the IRS, do not mention you "live in your truck". I ain't saying lie, but don't tell them that. There are a number of tax deductions drivers can take, due to being away from home. And the IRS can and has disallowed them if the driver lives in his truck. Their thought is those deductions are only allowed because your job takes you away from home for substantial amounts of time. But if you live in your truck, you are technically always home, and thus aren't entitled to the deductions.