How do you stay motivated?

[tracer]

I wanted to save on fuel so I've been driving at 58-59 MPH. That's how I spec's the truck - 1350 RPM at 59 MPH (Cat C15, 3.73 rears, 295 tires, 13 speed). That means I have to be behind the steering wheel at least 9 hours to do 500 miles a day. I've been losing my motivation lately and tried to sell the truck. However I know for sure that as soon as I sell it and stop trucking, I'd be heart-broken looking at the big rigs on the highway. I tried driving faster, at least 60 MPH, and I noticed a part of the fun was back. Do you guys think I should switch to tall rubber or swap my axle rears for faster speed? I think if I drive at least 62 MPH (I'm in Canada), it'd more fun because I could do the same 500 miles a day in - probably - 8 hours. Any comments? By the way, I bought a FLIP High Definition camcorder and have been busy making movies about the trucking life ... If interested, check it out: YouTube - smd5231's Channel

[allan5oh]

Do you have satellite radio? That definitely helps with the "fun" factor.

[firebird_1252]

Do you have satellite radio? That definitely helps with the "fun" factor.

i agree!! i dont do OTR but when i was doing 500-700 a day it was a savior! if you dont have one get a ipod, book on tape (mp3 etc), cb (i personaly hate cb) , etc. something i was thinking and if you have the capibility why not set up a podcast? maybe a live dash cam as you drive (facing road?). i can think of alot more. if you think the truck is the problem try trading it in. i mean.. if you arent happy with the proformance of it get something diffrent with a cummins or detroit.

but if it comes down to motivation thats all what you work for and enjoy. me at 26 i'll find out in the next few weeks if i can get my own truck in with my boss making good moeny. if i can first order of business is out of debt, then after that get my 87 buick grandnational down here and enjoy it then save for a house.

for you it might be a vacation. something you have to ask yourself.

[lowrange]

Books! Audible.com! Seriously, I'm getting through books I'd never sit down to read. Really, you can learn so much, you can almost think of that as your primary activity and you can think of trucking as the way you pay your bills.

My outlet is message boards. I like to get into deep discussions about faith and politics and the books I listen to on the road teach me a lot. The one I'm finishing up, His Excellency, a book about George Washington. Who knew Washington was called 'His Excellency'? As a colonel in the Virginia militia, Washington would hang deserters. He was about 25 years old at the time. Imagine being in battle and hearing the screams of guys getting their heads scalped! Imagine being the commander of the regiment and watching the hangings you have ordered being carried out. There is a whole lot you can learn to get into the mind and the heart of Washington, stuff your average American doesn't know.

Well, you can learn the same about many people. The next book will probably be the Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin. All these books together, including The Story of Liberty, and another one that had some biographical information on Alexander Hamilton, and furthere mentions of Washington, it starts to build a picture you probably didn't get in school. The 5,000 Year Leap, or whatever it is called, just came in the mail. And now that I think about it, I probably ought to get Common Sense, to really figure out what the Constitution and the country are really built on.

Anyway, with Audible, if I get a hankering for a particular book, and if they have it, I can pull over anywhere and buy it and download and I don't have to wait for anything in the mail. Tom Sawyer, who has actually ever read Tom Sawyer? I got it and listened to it and the reader of the book was utterly brilliant. This one guy would do all these different voices. Crazy funny stuff about Huck Finn and Becky Thatcher!

Anyway, my suggestion, roll the wheels and keep your babies fed, or whatever. Listen to books and learn things no one around you has any clue about. And, when you are hanging out, head on over to Panera bread and download lectures, documentaries and debates. Really good stuff about 9/11, the New World Order...or, for a leisure break, Check out Chris Crocker doing 'Bitch Pleeeaaassseee'

[tracer]

Books!... I'm getting through books I'd never sit down to read. Really, you can learn so much, you can almost think of that as your primary activity and you can think of trucking as the way you pay your bills.

Thanks, guys... that's pretty much what I've been doing. Satellite Radio and audiobooks ... I love Old Radio plays on XM and stand-up comedy. But I think in my case the remedy would be to cut the miles! I'd be one happy camper if I could do let's say 1,000 miles a week (1 return run from Guelph ON to Chicago IL), instead of 2,500 miles a week. Once my truck is paid off in December 2010, I"ll start thinking seriously about getting own authority and doing it sort of part-time, just for fun. The bills will be paid by other sources of income, ideally PASSIVE income from real estate.

[allan5oh]

What kind of trailer do you pull?

[matcat]

I wanted to save on fuel so I've been driving at 58-59 MPH. That's how I spec's the truck - 1350 RPM at 59 MPH (Cat C15, 3.73 rears, 295 tires, 13 speed). That means I have to be behind the steering wheel at least 9 hours to do 500 miles a day. I've been losing my motivation lately and tried to sell the truck. However I know for sure that as soon as I sell it and stop trucking, I'd be heart-broken looking at the big rigs on the highway. I tried driving faster, at least 60 MPH, and I noticed a part of the fun was back. Do you guys think I should switch to tall rubber or swap my axle rears for faster speed? I think if I drive at least 62 MPH (I'm in Canada), it'd more fun because I could do the same 500 miles a day in - probably - 8 hours. Any comments? By the way, I bought a FLIP High Definition camcorder and have been busy making movies about the trucking life ... If interested, check it out: YouTube - smd5231's Channel

Wow I would switch rears to 3.36, or atleat 3.55 if you do a lot of mountains.

The truck I drive now, has a C15, with 3.36 rears, 18 spd tranny, does 65 at 1350, 78 at 1500

[solo379]

How do you stay motivated?

That's easy. I don't have any other sources of income.
And speed, doesn't really matter, tho sometimes, I'll let it roll. ECM recorded 96.6 mph. Of course, you are going to pay for that fun, the same like you pay for everything else. The question is;- can you afford it?

[lowrange]

That's easy. I don't have any other sources of income.
And speed, doesn't really matter, tho sometimes, I'll let it roll. ECM recorded 96.6 mph. Of course, you are going to pay for that fun, the same like you pay for everything else. The question is;- can you afford it?

Yeah, forgot about the obvious. Food, clothing and shelter keep me going, too.

[GMAN]

How do I stay motivated?


Well, I do like to eat.

[RostyC]

How do I stay motivated?


Well, I do like to eat.

I'm with G, I also like to have food in my diet.

[zipy46]

Books....books and stories...they are portals to other dimensions.

Good stuff to have while on the road

[Jumbo]

Hunger is a great motivator. And how else are we supposed to purchase life's necessities? You know, Lottery tickets and line 5 refreshments. Can I get a sixpack and a Powerball ticket?

[b00m]

I think depends on what you expect from this and how better u do it.

I always find some interesting to see,think listen and talk about. Also I have 5 -6 trucker friends that we continiously keep in touch and burn around 5000-7000 minutes a month on my cell. Thank God about the unlimited plan I'm under cause otherwise my wife will be screaming. Main motivator is my family and the hope that I will be able to be sucessfull financially. Off course,right now its a little tough on this part but hopefully things are going to change.

[moe]

I don't want to start an argument here but there seems to be much confussion about what a backhaul was and so called de-regulation. There is so much to this and it is a very interesting subject but I will try to do a short version of the way it was. The term backhaul didn't mean cheap freight it just meant a load back, in some cases you might make more on the back haul then you did on your headhaul. To haul regulated freight you had to trip lease or be leased on to a regulated carrier. freight rates were published and established. The more off the beaten path the better the rate. The trucking industry was protected, great for us but not the consumer. Contract carriers were few and auth. was hard for them to obtain( You had to go to D.C. with the intended cust. and a lawyer and prove they needed your services and common carriers had lawyers trying to prove they didn't) Also manufacturers or non-trucking companies were only allowed to haul thier own goods and that meant out loaded and back empty unless they picked up something going back to one of thier facilities to be used by them. This is for the most part where the term backhaul started taking on a different meaning. This is where we got beat up most on dereg., now shippers started getting more of thier own equipment and the general attitude was any money coming back that at least paid the fuel would be good. Now we started competing with trucks that are not supported by the freigt rate. The backhaul is extra. Don't forget they(shipper) already cut us out by delivering thier own goods to begin with. If there is anything we could change in this industry to help it, it would be to make it again so that we don't have to compete with shippers for commercial freight. Before dereg. thats all every O.O. hoped for and we got it and it"s been down hill ever since. If you were an independant you ran what was called exempt products and or trip leased from time to time. One other thing I did as an independant was hauled what was termed hot freight. That was non-exempt goods without auth. In many ways it was exciting and looking back maybe even fun. I"ve been an O.O for 35 years and lived this. I have to stop here and appoligize for running on.

[moe]

Sorry! my posting on backhaul was meant to go on the deregulation thread.

[poster]

You might want to leave your setup for maximum mpg alone. When fuel goes up you will again majorly benefit from your original intent. That will be fun. And motivational.

[tracer]

What kind of trailer do you pull?

i now pull a 53 ft dry van. tried flatbedding last summer and it WAS more interesting, but tarping just isn't my idea of fun. i know you have a stepdeck ... that's probably the best thing to have for an o/o.

[tracer]

Wow I would switch rears to 3.36, or atleat 3.55 if you do a lot of mountains. The truck I drive now, has a C15, with 3.36 rears, 18 spd tranny, does 65 at 1350, 78 at 1500

I talked to a gear shop mechanic today and he says i can switch to either 3.58 or 3.42. it's the same 2 grand as far as he's concerned ... my only worry is how will the truck perform on hills? right now it pulls like crazy going up but then everyone passes me on level ground By my calculations if I keep the same 295 LP tires (500 revs/mi), the best ratio would be 3.42: I'd do 65 MPH at 1,350 rpm (Cat recommends to cruise at between 1,300 and 1,350 RPM). Do you guys think 3.42 ratio would be too fast for those nasty hills in parts of New York, North Carolina or California?

[tracer]

How do I stay motivated?


Well, I do like to eat.

I spent 9 hours behind the wheel yesterday and did 514 miles, running mostly at 59 MPH. Since I know I'll get roughly Cnd$0.60 per mile NET income, it means I just made $308 in 9 hours or $34/hr and that's BEFORE the truck payment of $1,600 a month and BEFORE maintenance. For a 9 hour work day especially when you stay out for 2 weeks at a time, I think you should make at least 60 bucks an hour after all expenses, not $34.

Which of course leads me to a possible conclusion that I should stop being an o/o leased to a company but get my own trailer and own authority ... I should be able to make more than 60 cents per mile NET, right?