Where is the money in trucking?

I predict we'll see a lot of your tear stained threads in the ...Report a Bad Trucking company .. fourm
Cause your one of them Special Victims.. that always think your getting screwed

 

The money is in recovery vehicles,,,

 

With all due respect... if you cannot hack it as a company driver... then there is very little chance to make it as an owner... you think companies offer you to much b.s... just wait til you start playing the ownership game. The b.s. grows by 300x .. If you don't love it , you have little to no chance... just an honest opinion, nothing personal.

 

You just described my operation...

 

Money isn’t in tankers.

 

^^ Now that's what I'm talking about. I spent a while looking at moving up into specialized/heavy haul...but my last back injury effectively put me out of the flatbed game for good, much to my chagrin at the time because I genuinely loved what I did.

That said, I've found a new specialized lane that pays me very well: mobile medical imaging.



(Not my truck or company: just an example.)

Before this job found me I didn't even know this kind of work existed. But now that I'm in it, I wish I knew about it sooner. I do get a daycab and my company pays for lodging & meals while I'm away from home (which, for my current operation, is quite frequent because these services are in high demand); on top of that, I get paid hourly ($30-plus/hr) with OT after 40. (And I do more than just drive; there's way more to this particular segment of service than simply moving equipment.)

All of which is to say: sometimes you just gotta know where to look; sometimes it finds you (as this one did). The money is out there; sometimes you may just have to move off the mainline to find it (or hope it finds you).

 

I never understand when people say you can't make good money in trucking. These days you can 70 to 80k if a company you're working for has the ability to keep you busy. 70k and above is good money. Work and life balance is virtually nonexistent for most drivers. Moat drivers won't work any less than 60 hrs per week. That's local or OTR. Jobs that pay 100k or better and allow you to be home with regularity are few and far between in this industry. I think truckers see a check every week, but too many "toys" and material things, or buy too much luxury items, and then blame the industry, and cry "low pay" when there pleasures outweigh their income. I don't care what company you work for in this industry, your income will always be based on what you put into it.

 

Problem is during Covid times everyone and their mama wanted to become trucker or start trucking business. I had people ask me out of nowhere how to start trucking business or get CDL. People who absolutely had nothing to do with trucking but because so called “influencers” and social media told them they could make $100k a year at least with brand new CDL.

I had neighbor tell me that they gonna start trucking dispatch business. Lol

My point is that there is too many truckers now, slow freight and everyone still has high expectations.

 

After being in this industry for almost 3 decades you're going to find the Good, Bad & Ugly in Trucking. People in most industries become the issue from the top to the bottom. Even after moving from a company after spending 20 years there I've come to realize that you'll find morons & good people with integrity in Trucking but it's up to you to find your individual sanctuary and exhilaration. Some Managers & Executives allow dispatchers to run the show wondering why they have a retention issue whiles other companies try to drive insurance cost down because incompetent drives on board. Finding the right balance as a driver becomes difficult as many think the grass is greener with the next company they move to but forget that it's still grass of different shades. As the industry slows, there might be lesser demand for drivers in the 4th quarter oppose to now. So, either way it's good to just find something reasonable and wait the storm ahead.

 

Sounds like he is in my position when just out of the Army, (1961) applied to the Border Patrol.
After some testing and a personal interview was told : Exact quoting.
We appreciate your application and you scored very well on our written exams.
But, "You are not exactly what we are looking for today".

My answers to retaining individuals in custody during escape attempts differed from theirs.
He has his desires/requirements, companies have there own criteria. No Border Patrol for him either.