Is trucking right for me?

[gmh]

Another former IT'er.

I'm making .34 cpm and getting about 2400 miles per week so far.

I prefer the seat on my K1200LT to my air ride seat, but I've never put a 600 mile day on the bike

You're not a paid tourist. That's what these cut-rate McMega haulers tell you to get you behind their wheels. It's a J-O-B "job"...one that doesn't pay well when you add up all the unpaid time and freebies expected of you.

OTR trucking will soon be overrun by illegals when your government sells out the American working man once again. Think $.28 cpm is low now? You ain't seen nothing yet!

[pred8tr]

Another former IT'er.

I'm making .34 cpm and getting about 2400 miles per week so far.

I prefer the seat on my K1200LT to my air ride seat, but I've never put a 600 mile day on the bike

Awesome! The longest distance I've done on my CB750 in less than 24 hours is just over 1000. Me and 3 other riders in my group wanted the Iron butt moniker. BMW's are nice. I am thinking about a R1200GS Adventure or Buell Ulysses but that requires I get a job first.

[gmh]

That K1200lt is the only thing I have left after my divorce. I keep it in a van down by the river. I get to look at it every 6 weeks or so.

[honestashol]

click on the videos

Your videos have been removed.

[Rev.Vassago]

What would be ideal for me is to be able to drive from point A to point B. hopefully have a few days at point B to myself. Then go from point B to point C. Spend a few days there. etc...

Is that unrealistic? If I have any kind time off AT the destination the route is fine.

That's very unrealistic. First off, that piece of equipment that you are driving needs to constantly be making the company who owns it money, or it does them no good. Depending upon the company you drive for, you may find them pushing you to drive well beyond what is even legal, so the chances of them allowing you to take a few days off after every trip isn't going to happen.

Secondly, you are driving a vehicle that is over 70 feet long. When you do have time off, it is going to be at a truck stop, because that's the only place you are going to be able to park without the possibility of getting towed (yes, there are exceptions, but for the most part truck stops, shippers, and receivers are all you have). If you want to get out of that truck stop, you're going to have to rent a car. The logistics of that may be very difficult, as car rental places don't normally build next to truck stops.

[LARM]

If you want to get out of that truck stop, you're going to have to rent a car. The logistics of that may be very difficult, as car rental places don't normally build next to truck stops.

I've always wondered why someone hasn't opened up a small line of rental car places next to/in truck stops. It seems like such an easy money maker.

[Walking Eagle]

Larm, didn't bother to read the whole thread but How Long Have You Been In Trucking ???
Few drivers can take "3 or 4" days at the end of a trip, I can because of what I haul and Vassago can because he is independantly wealthy But most guys have to keep the wheels turning to make bills at the end of the month.
If you are looking at this as a "Paid tourist" forget it, ain't gona work.

[Walking Eagle]

Oh, and Enterprise will come to the truck stop and drop off or pick up a car, use them a lot. Have to have an A1 CC though.

[LARM]

Larm, didn't bother to read the whole thread but How Long Have You Been In Trucking ???

I've been at it coming up on two years now. Still a rookie. I typically stay ou 4-6 weeks at a time, looking to get something that gets me home every weekend or better when I hit the 2 year mark. I've used enterprise in Columbus, Ohio a few times. Wish more car rental places would pick you up.

[pred8tr]

Larm, didn't bother to read the whole thread but How Long Have You Been In Trucking ???

I've been at it coming up on two years now. Still a rookie. I typically stay ou 4-6 weeks at a time, looking to get something that gets me home every weekend or better when I hit the 2 year mark. I've used enterprise in Columbus, Ohio a few times. Wish more car rental places would pick you up.

For the 4-6 weeks that you are out is it 7 days a week, pick up at point a drop at point b. Pickup at point b drop at point a with no day off?

[Rev.Vassago]

Larm, didn't bother to read the whole thread but How Long Have You Been In Trucking ???

I've been at it coming up on two years now. Still a rookie. I typically stay ou 4-6 weeks at a time, looking to get something that gets me home every weekend or better when I hit the 2 year mark. I've used enterprise in Columbus, Ohio a few times. Wish more car rental places would pick you up.

For the 4-6 weeks that you are out is it 7 days a week, pick up at point a drop at point b. Pickup at point b drop at point a with no day off?

I bet there's a few 34 hour resets taken in truck stop parking lots.

[LARM]

Larm, didn't bother to read the whole thread but How Long Have You Been In Trucking ???

I've been at it coming up on two years now. Still a rookie. I typically stay ou 4-6 weeks at a time, looking to get something that gets me home every weekend or better when I hit the 2 year mark. I've used enterprise in Columbus, Ohio a few times. Wish more car rental places would pick you up.

For the 4-6 weeks that you are out is it 7 days a week, pick up at point a drop at point b. Pickup at point b drop at point a with no day off?

There is really no way to plan your time off and you don't really know when it will come. Sometimes I'll only run a few hours on a Monday. Sometimes I'll run a few on a Thursday...sometimes I won't run at all on a Saturday...but it's never predictable so there's really no way of planning it. I rarely ever use a 34 hour restart (maybe once every 6 weeks) and am usually working against my 70 hour clock.

Once you get out on the road you'll grow to hate a 34 hour restart because like someone just mentioned...it's not that fun to sit in a truck stop parking lot for 34 hours. When you're out here you want the wheels to be constantly rolling. The way I see it is if I'm not running, I'm not making money so there's no point to me sacrificing time away from family/friends to be out here. Make no mistake about it, this job/lifestyle is a sacrifice. You can make a good amount of money at it, but you are giving up a lot of social interaction. Right now I have one bill (my sprint aircard) for $60 a month and every other penny I make goes into a savings account so I can save for a down payment. Once I have 20k in the bank I'm buying a house and finding a job that will get me home weekends or every night. I've been on the road now for 2 years and there's not too much that's interesting about it anymore. Kudos to those guys who stay out on the road away from home for 10+ years...but I just don't think it's for me much longer.

The benefit of being an OTR driver is really making money. Cut down all your bills and just put all your money in the bank. Don't sit around and waste money in truck stops because then you're just wasting what you worked so hard for. Make no mistake, this is a hard job...and while you might run across a straight highway with no traffic for 5 days, you can be damn certain you're going to have to work for your money at some point and navigate your big rig through a heavily trafficked city with restricted routes and low bridges or jackknife your trailer into a tiny dock. That's when the money is earned. Sometimes will be great and some days will be horrible. You just gotta roll with it and keep your head up. But if you're getting into OTR trucking for the scenery and whatnot...you're probably making a mistake. There is some nice scenery no doubt, but there is also a lot of ugly scenery...like unloading at a grocery warehouse where no one speaks english on the outskirts of New York/Jersey.


In the 1.5+ years I've been on the road I've been able to pay off my CDL loan ($4500) and $4000 in credit card debt and now I have $10,000 in the bank. So in 1.5 years I've been able to put away about $20k. That's not too bad.

[Phreddo]

i've never had to take a 34. i've had a few 34's occur because i had no freight, but i've never -needed- the 34. you just have to let your hours come back on you log and drive within them.
hell, i kinda prefer bumping up against my 70. that way i can drive less for one day and take my time about it, and nobody can gripe.
i usually take a day like that to drive to someplace interesting enroute and shut down early so i can go to a restaurant, have a few adult beverages, find a mall, catch a movie, whatever.
there was one place, somewhere in tennessee, maybe cookeville, there was a few truck stops, some restaurants, a big outlet mall, and a bar in the restaurant. so i drove for like 2 hours, found this place, shut down early, and just unwound. maybe take a shower, clean the truck, whatever.
it's not all just sitting around twiddling your thumbs.

[pred8tr]

I want to thank everyone for their input on this. I have made a decision on what I am gonna do and this brings me to my next question which I will post about in the Trucking Schools section.

[Evinrude]

[

In the 1.5+ years I've been on the road I've been able to pay off my CDL loan ($4500) and $4000 in credit card debt and now I have $10,000 in the bank. So in 1.5 years I've been able to put away about $20k. That's not too bad.

[/quote]

workin 70 hours a week with no OT and living in the back of truck, I say that amount of cash saved is bad money.