I Need Advice on Becoming an OTR Truck Driver, Please!

[dcedlr]

I am currently a 43 yo casino dealer in Reno and I am looking for a career change. I currently make about 50K take home and would be happy with the same income from this career. However, I would certainly like to make considerably more over time and have put away enough money to retire when that time comes. Since I was a little kid I always wanted to drive a truck. My step father was an OTR driver but I was too young to really grasp how it was for him. That was the 70's and he seemed to enjoy what he did. I went on a couple runs with him, and from what I remember was very bored.

I would greatly appreciate all your advice on where to train, what companies are best for the driver, and what a typical week in the life is like if possible. I would like to be in a truck that is clean and has the creature comforts since most of my life will be in the truck. Also, I think I would like to be an O/O so any advice on possible truck leases or purchases would be helpful, and what the best route to take to accomplish this.

I am an intelligent, college educated man that just did not like working for others and wants a career that I can succeed based on my desire.

If there is anyone in Reno that would be interested in taking me under their wing and mentoring me (if there is such a thing in this industry) I would be sincerely thankful.

Thanks in advance for all your replies and help.

Chuck

[carolina trucker]

Chuck,

If you're planning on working as a company driver, you're probably making as much right now as you're going to make driving a truck. In fact, you're probably making more right now.

However, it's important to do something you like and want to do, so if you have your heart set on trucking, by all means go for it.

Starting right out of truck driver school, and depending on how important it is for you to have home time, you can expect to earn from $35k (staying home most or every night) to $45k +/- if you're out on the road full time with occasional time back at the house.

As an owner/operator you should be able to make more, but there are a lot more headaches that go with that as well.

The two important things you want to look for in a new job are: (1) what is the average length of haul for the company, since every time you pull that parking brake to get loaded or unloaded you're going to be at someone's loading dock for 3 hours or so on average, or more; and (2) how much does the company pay per mile.

There are a lot of other things that are important as well, but those two factors are 90% of what I'd be looking at if I were looking for a job. (The other 10% being does the company run a forced dispatch operation or not.)

This is a very broad generalization, but I've noticed that some of the best paying trucking companies have older equipment. I guess they can either invest in trucks or in the truck drivers and many of the companies that have the nicest equipment just don't pay particularly well.

Just my $0.02 worth, as always.

-- c t