Is Truck Driving my new career? (Long post)

[jd112488]

40k is cake starting out..if you get with the right carrier and apply yourself. gman put it perfectly. this is not a decision that anyone of us can even really help you with, that is up to you and your family to decide. there are so many here that do nothing but bash otr and everything about it. there are guys here that think a local job is the only way to go...but we do not know there situation, to some 35-40k is good money. just do your research and be prepared if you decide to take the plunge.

[MidMO]

Wow, thats a ton of input, so this will be a long response. Sorry I wont be putting names with my responses this time.

Someone asked about my current income. Id rather not say exactly what it is, but I will say this much. My wife and I are both working full time M-F Days, averaging about 85 hours a week between the both of us. Our combined annual income is less than 50k per year. OTR trucking would put us over 50k, even if I only pulled in 30k from OTR in the first year. As far as expenses go, we are paying the bills, and we live in a smaller town where our house payment, utilities, property taxes and so on are considerably lower than if we were back in Saint Louis (where I'm originally from). We have minimal debts. Basically, were scraping by. We rarely have money set aside for entertainment or even emergencies because most all of our income goes straight to bills. On top of that, our home is just that, a house that needs maintenance now and then, and with our income, were unable to keep up. Weve already had to refinance just to afford foundation repairs. We did get an awesome rate so that helped out. Im not saying our home is junk either, so please dont take it that way. Its just an average middle class home that requires care, like any other home. Our income and the economy are the only reasons why we cant keep up.

Thats really why Ive given so much thought to OTR Trucking these past few years. Ive been doing local courier work with several businesses pretty much ever since I was 18 and have always enjoyed it. Or at least its the only business I really have a mind for. But theres only so much income you can make with a Class E License and a high school education. Even if I get a Class A on my own, most companies offering local or daily runs always demand experience. From what Ive studied on OTR, the courses are usually 3 weeks, and most trucking companies have anywhere from 4-12 weeks of their own training and/or orientation. So I look at is as "I can get this career going in 3 months". Or I can spend years in College, not knowing what to major in, which would also be fine (I wouldnt have the expense that most would), but 3-4 years is alot longer than 3 months. Another reason Ive considered it so much lately is simply because Im no longer happy with my current employer, and the job market is very bad right now (nothing to choose from). Hopefully the economy will get better once we get past this election year.

A few of you have mentioned talking with my Wife about this. Believe me I have, along with many other friends, family and tons of other people, including truckers (in person). My Wife and my Father so far are the only people who support the idea, mainly because of the income. My Dad was OTR many years ago and then went local, he basically gave me the "youll pay your dues first" bit that I'm familiar with, but other than that he says he enjoyed it. I have other friends who went OTR years ago and quit doing it because they got tired of it quickly and they also got tired of constantly being away from family and friends. They tell me, like most of you are telling me, that its a decent job if your single, but stay away from it if you have a family.

I guess I just can't understand why the trucking industry is like this. I dont know about all of you, but I personally think the high turn around rates, high number of overworked truckers getting into accidents, and overall demand would decrease significantly if the industry offered better hometime. I'm pretty certain I'm not the only joe schmo out there who would do this in a heartbeat if the hometime was better, and I honestly dont know how even you single drivers deal with the constant work. You have a hard enough time meeting customer demand, let alone the little things like getting your trucks in tight places (and I see it everyday at our loading dock, not very trucker friendly) and wondering whether or not youll get 8 hours rest from day to day. But most of the feedback I get tells me thats just the way it is, and it probably wont change anytime soon because demand is always too high.

In response to the long post from another board, All I can say is my marriage is very strong, and if it were ever in jeopardy I would make whatever changes are necessary to work through any issues (just as I would if it was happening now). If I didnt put my Wife and Daughter first, I wouldnt be on here right now asking all of you for your input, I would have just chosen this as my new career without any other thought. This post again makes me wonder how all of you do this, and most of you have been on the road for years I would imagine.

I will look into all the links you all posted for me, I just havent had a chance yet simply because Im just trying to catch up with all of your posts. One of you mentioned a company where I might get great hometime but only drive 2000 to 2500 miles per week. Would I prefer 3000 miles? Yes, but even 2000 miles at even the lowest known "per mile" income would be more income that I make now. Like I said before, Im paying the bills now and thats it. If I made even 30% more or higher than what I make now, That little bit would probably be enough to make home repairs and be able to entertain my family now and then. The only perk (in my opinion) with my current job versus OTR trucking is being home every night and on weekends, which is great, but we cant afford to do much but stay at home. If I found a carrier that promised my weekends, ok so Im not home every night, but I still see my family on weekends and can afford to treat my family right and good. Yes, I could get a second part time job (and I have done that already), but it would still barely be enough, and its just another way to give uncle sam more money (I guess the government thinks you are wealthy if you have 2 jobs).

One last note. I really hope I'm not coming across either as a "whiner" or "I think I'm better than you", so please dont take anything I say that way. I see the sacrifices you all make and the obstacles that are in your path every day, and thats just from working on a loading dock and talking to truckers. One of you said "were not heroes", and I wont make that comparison either, but at least most of you seem to basically give up your home life for this business just to get supplies and goods to joe schmo's like myself, and after all that your still finding time to share your opinions with me. Thats awesome and I thank you all.

Thanks!

[larryh31]

MidMo,

I wish you the best in whatever you decide for yourself and your family. When talking to different companies, be sure to ask them to define "Home Weekends". Is it a full 48 hours or maybe 36 hours? The reason that I am stressing this is that home time goes by really fast. You have to get yourself some rest after working a 70 hour week on the road. Then you will have to wash or exchange your clothes, restock your truck with food and other supplies. Spend a little quality time with the Mrs. and the kids. Plus, fix the car, garbage disposal or other items on your wife's honeydew list. Before you know it, it's time to hit the road again.