Why I Decided NOT To Become A Trucker

First and foremost, I applaud you for putting as much effort as you have into making this decision. Most folks don't put in nearly that amount of effort and I think that has a lot to do with the high turnover rate among those entering the industry.

And I don't want to second guess your decision or in any try to convince you to reconsider. But since you've created this thread as a sort of data point which others might use when facing the same decision, I did want to just offer some counterpoint to a few of things you've mentioned.

You don't really make it clear whether this person is gone as in no longer posting on the forum or gone as in posted on the forum that he was leaving the industry. People leave the forum all the time for all kinds of reasons. That doesn't automatically mean they're no longer in the industry.

Well I'm not going to pick nits here but I am going to say this and you'll have to excuse me if it sounds a little harsh. If your 6 year old needed a $3k medical procedure next week, I'm going to bet you'd be able to find a way to make it happen. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying you're taking a cop out because of the cost of entry. I'm just saying the cost of entry isn't impossible if you make enough of priority. In many cases, yours included I assume, the reward wouldn't justify the means. But the fact remains that $3k is almost always doable in a lot less than several years if one is willing to make it enough of a priority.

And for the record, I totally agree that signing a training contract with a mega carrier is the wrong way to go for just about everyone. Paying for training on your own, even if you have to borrow the funds is a far better option for many reasons.

And finally I will add a bit of counterpoint based on my own personal experience. When I got into this industry, I enrolled in a CDL and took out a personal loan through the schools finance office to pay for it. Six weeks later I had a CDL. A week before I finished school, I answered an ad in the sunday paper and interviewed with a food service logistics company. They hired me contingent on getting my CDL. That first job paid between $45k-$55k depending on which route you got and/or how much extra stuff you made yourself available for. And the schedule was four days per week. Monday Tuesday and Thursday Friday. Weekends and Wednesdays off and home for at least a few hours on the other days. That was right out of school, driving a truck, home every day and working 4 days a week with weekends off and bringing home about $50k. I only mention this in order to show that it can be done. Its not easy. Its not guaranteed. But it can be done if you put your mind to it.

Like I said, I commend the OP on his decision and I have every confidence that he is making the best choice for himself and his family. But as this thread is intended to help others with making the decision, I felt it was appropriate to offer some counterpoint.

 

I for one am happy to see someone on here put so much thought into a decision and share it with us.

I read too many posts about other noobs such as me having big dreams, this is their life's ambition, gonna get rich.........

I know I put a ton of thought into this whole career change for me, and while you and I share completely different backgrounds, and completely different outcomes of the same problem....reading your post gives me hope their are mor like you out there who are doing not only what is right for the mind but also the heart.

Good luck to you on your journey in life.

 

I didn't put much thought into this at all. It is what I want to do. From everything I have read and everyone I have talked to, this might not be an industry you will get rich in, but if it is what you love to do, it can be very rewarding. Just go into it for the right reasons, not because of the money, home time, etc., but because you want to do the job.

Just to turn something you mentioned on its head. If you want to be a driver bad enough, you will find a way. It won't matter how little you make, how much you have to be away from your family, how crazy your schedule is, or how few days you actually get to see your house, you will find a way to do it. Look at all the negative comments, they complain about those things, but I haven't read one yet that says I dreamed all my life about being a trucker and it sucks. Only the money and other things previously mentioned suck. No one should go into a new career if they don't enjoy the job itself. Otherwise, you are going to be just another one of the many broke, divorced, depressed, unemployed people that complain they couldn't make it.

 

Just out of curiosity, what kind of work do you do now?

 

I think alot of these drivers are committing fraud !!