Soon to be a new trucker in nj

[tonyt007]

Hey too all here!!! I ben on the forum for about a week or so, and read alot of stuff on here both good and bad. As for me ill be getting my class a, unlike alot of people, this is something i have been wanting to do for a while not not something i want to do because the goverment will pay or anyother reason like that. How bad is the industry? Some people tell me there is great money out there in the industry,some tell me its a horrible time to be a trucker, and some say to buy my own truck(nothin new) and do loads for a company that pays by bthe load not the mile. Whats really going on and what should i do

[Fredog]

it's as good or bad as you make it, get on with a good company, dont consider a lease purchase EVER and dont consider buying a truck until you have a few years experience

[tonyt007]

Well im in nj. And im a painter at a highend body shop. What are the payrates by the hour? Also alot of companies want exp. So who will hire a driver with no exp?

[Fredog]

most of the better schools offer placement assistance, pay is usually mileage or percentage, you could realistically expect to make around 35-40 grand your first year, maybe a little more if you learn fast and are willing to stay out, you wont get rich anytime soon. however, if you want to know how to make a million dollars in trucking very quickly, I can tell you

[jagerbomber3.0]

Well im in nj. And im a painter at a highend body shop. What are the payrates by the hour? Also alot of companies want exp. So who will hire a driver with no exp?

I cant imagine that the money would be anywhere near what you should be making in a high end body shop as a painter,especially the way things are right now. You will also be very hard pressed to find anything paying by the hour with no experience.

[repete]

I cant imagine that the money would be anywhere near what you should be making in a high end body shop as a painter,especially the way things are right now. You will also be very hard pressed to find anything paying by the hour with no experience.

Right now you would be much better off in the body shop, I know this is the slow time of year and this year is probably worse than last, BUT it's still better pay than what you can expect as a driver. If things are that slow pick up some side work and hack out a job or two in your garage at home, I still do about 2 a year and make good $$ I just can't do it full time anymore (health reasons)

[Windwalker]

I'll take your job at the body shop, and you take my job driving. I'll bet I make more money.

Wait a minute... Where'd you say it was? New Jersey? Ummm.... Maybe not. Not in NJ.

[Malaki86]

I'll take your job at the body shop, and you take my job driving. I'll bet I make more money.

Wait a minute... Where'd you say it was? New Jersey? Ummm.... Maybe not. Not in NJ.

With the way people drive in NJ, the body-shop business would be the perfect one to be in.

[1catfish]

Right now you would be much better off in the body shop, I know this is the slow time of year and this year is probably worse than last, BUT it's still better pay than what you can expect as a driver. If things are that slow pick up some side work and hack out a job or two in your garage at home, I still do about 2 a year and make good $$ I just can't do it full time anymore (health reasons)

dang straight,your going from a good job to a suck job. you've got to realize all the time that is spent being laid over in some truck stop, rather than being in your own home. how much is your time worth.

[1TruckDrivinSunUvAGun]

Wow why are you leaving a great job like that? Trust me the novelty of driving a big truck wears off quick, it happens about the time you have your dispatcher breathing down your neck, the smell of pee bottles while fueling, having lot lizards knocking at your door, and getting in arguments with shippers and other drivers. I mean would you rather make good money work normal hours and be home every night or be out weeks at a time awake at all hours with no normal sleep schedule or life. There is no one hiring inexperienced drivers out there, very very few places are. There is a huge over saturation of experienced drivers right now. Those that are driving are barely moving sitting for days on end waiting for a load not making a dime. Stay where your at then if things recover down the road and you still have the bug then get driving but as of now I would just stay where I was at.

[1catfish]

Wow why are you leaving a great job like that? Trust me the novelty of driving a big truck wears off quick, it happens about the time you have your dispatcher breathing down your neck, the smell of pee bottles while fueling, having lot lizards knocking at your door, and getting in arguments with shippers and other drivers. I mean would you rather make good money work normal hours and be home every night or be out weeks at a time awake at all hours with no normal sleep schedule or life. There is no one hiring inexperienced drivers out there, very very few places are. There is a huge over saturation of experienced drivers right now. Those that are driving are barely moving sitting for days on end waiting for a load not making a dime. Stay where your at then if things recover down the road and you still have the bug then get driving but as of now I would just stay where I was at.

amen to that brother, you hit the nail on the head.

[tonyt007]

well iguess you are rite in one way, but the bodyshop bussiness isnt that great at all this time of year, my boss had a staff meeting like 2wks ago and was saying the bussiness has not been averaging what it used to in the past 2 yrs. he is making some money but juat to get by and pay his overhead. we are like the most busy shop in northern nj, but the numbers arent that great, no overtime in like a year and some months. the average pay for a painter now days is between $43000 and $48000 and thats bcuz there are way to many wanna be painters that think they can paint for a cheaper labor, this is something that i read about on here, the more experienced drivers want the big money loads but you got the rookie thatll take anything for a lower rate. i dont wasnt to do over the road or be out days a week. thats why i wantd the opinion from you experienced drivers. i hear is bad, then its good, or people say get my own truck. this is all new to me

[Windwalker]

well iguess you are rite in one way, but the bodyshop bussiness isnt that great at all this time of year, my boss had a staff meeting like 2wks ago and was saying the bussiness has not been averaging what it used to in the past 2 yrs. he is making some money but juat to get by and pay his overhead. we are like the most busy shop in northern nj, but the numbers arent that great, no overtime in like a year and some months. the average pay for a painter now days is between $43000 and $48000 and thats bcuz there are way to many wanna be painters that think they can paint for a cheaper labor, this is something that i read about on here, the more experienced drivers want the big money loads but you got the rookie thatll take anything for a lower rate. i dont wasnt to do over the road or be out days a week. thats why i wantd the opinion from you experienced drivers. i hear is bad, then its good, or people say get my own truck. this is all new to me

I can understand a slump in the bodyshop business as well. But, with the number of companies that have gone out of business in the last two years, there are quite a number of people that have spent the money to go to driving school, only to find out that they can't get a job, but have thousands of dollars to pay back for the school.

Your business may be slow now, but wait till the first snowfall hits. I've seen hundreds of cars (and SUVs) that were going to need work in one trip from Trenton to the NY line along I-287. The way folks DON'T KNOW HOW TO DRIVE up there, it should pick up in a couple of months.

[tonyt007]

same thing in the body shop world, so many shops either closed down or just went out of bussiness. i was even thinkg of buyin a small shop, but here is the thing, guy gets into an accident, puts the claim in, gets the chk, and finds the cheapest way to get the car fixed so he can have some money to pay some bills, this past winter we had both buildings packed with work but more than half were totaled. thats why there is a big big slump in that world now. im gettin all my practice from my aunts 2nd husband who is a trucker. so im not going thru a school and spending thoudands of dollars (LUCKY ME)

[Windwalker]

same thing in the body shop world, so many shops either closed down or just went out of bussiness. i was even thinkg of buyin a small shop, but here is the thing, guy gets into an accident, puts the claim in, gets the chk, and finds the cheapest way to get the car fixed so he can have some money to pay some bills, this past winter we had both buildings packed with work but more than half were totaled. thats why there is a big big slump in that world now. im gettin all my practice from my aunts 2nd husband who is a trucker. so im not going thru a school and spending thoudands of dollars (LUCKY ME)

You'll also find that a lot of companies will not hire unless you are a graduate of an accredited school. Good luck.

[tonyt007]

im not really worried about findng a job, i more concerned in the long run. are companies steady, are there lots of lay offs even in the big companies. like i asked when i started the thread,("" Some people tell me there is great money out there in the industry,some tell me its a horrible time to be a trucker, and some say to buy my own truck(nothin new) and do loads for a company that pays by bthe load not the mile. Whats really going on and what should i do")

[1catfish]

im not really worried about findng a job, i more concerned in the long run. are companies steady, are there lots of lay offs even in the big companies. like i asked when i started the thread,("" Some people tell me there is great money out there in the industry,some tell me its a horrible time to be a trucker, and some say to buy my own truck(nothin new) and do loads for a company that pays by bthe load not the mile. Whats really going on and what should i do")

stay where your at.

[seal3k]

im not really worried about findng a job, i more concerned in the long run. are companies steady, are there lots of lay offs even in the big companies. like i asked when i started the thread,("" Some people tell me there is great money out there in the industry,some tell me its a horrible time to be a trucker, and some say to buy my own truck(nothin new) and do loads for a company that pays by bthe load not the mile. Whats really going on and what should i do")

man you gona learn the hard way. its no joke when you cant feed your family. stay were u at

[tonyt007]

im gonna stay where im at for now, but if its sooooo bad being a truck driver why become one, if your a truck driver already and it sucks why not do something else?

[Fredog]

man you gona learn the hard way. its no joke when you cant feed your family. stay were u at

I feed my family, drive a nice KW, bought my wife a new suv for Christmas, bought my son a pickup, and bought new atv's for my son and me.. you can make good money in trucking, you just have to find the right niche and adjust your attitude
ALL jobs have good and bad sides, it's all what you make of it