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Old 10-01-2007, 01:19 PM
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Default wanting to get into trucking

just had a few questions for you guys on the road i am presently a high school math teacher in mississippi and i make ar ound 32000 yearly i have tossed around the idea of becoming a driver what do you guys think
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Old 10-01-2007, 01:39 PM
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Default Re: wanting to get into trucking

Quote:
Originally Posted by okra77
just had a few questions for you guys on the road i am presently a high school math teacher in mississippi and i make ar ound 32000 yearly i have tossed around the idea of becoming a driver what do you guys think
I'd get my advanced degree(s) and stay in teaching.

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Old 10-06-2007, 04:41 PM
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Default Re: wanting to get into trucking

32,000 is all a high school teacher makes :shock: I wouldnt get near a class room in todays environment for that amount of money.

Quote:
Originally Posted by okra77
just had a few questions for you guys on the road i am presently a high school math teacher in mississippi and i make ar ound 32000 yearly i have tossed around the idea of becoming a driver what do you guys think
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Old 10-06-2007, 05:53 PM
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We need good teachers. Why do you think you want to drive a truck?
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Old 10-06-2007, 06:12 PM
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Default Re: wanting to get into trucking

Quote:
Originally Posted by mccfry
32,000 is all a high school teacher makes :shock: I wouldnt get near a class room in todays environment for that amount of money.

Quote:
Originally Posted by okra77
just had a few questions for you guys on the road i am presently a high school math teacher in mississippi and i make ar ound 32000 yearly i have tossed around the idea of becoming a driver what do you guys think
Do you think teachers make good money? :lol:

My wife has been teaching for 10 years. When she started in 1997 she made $28,000. Now she's at $44,000. Crap money considering she went to school full time for 5 years(4 years for bachelor and 1 year student teaching). Plus, factor in an average 50 hour week in addition to school supplies she has to buy on her own because the districts hardly supply anything. You definately have to love what you do or most people can't hack teaching. A lot like trucking now that I think of it.
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Old 10-06-2007, 06:19 PM
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Search your innermost soul.

Specifically identify the reasons you either want to get out of teaching and/or get into trucking. Write them down. Study them. If money is the sole reason, it's not a good enough one. You entered the teaching profession for a reason. Make sure your feelings haven't changed.

I trucked for eight years, went through a divorce, managed a bowling center for two years, then decided that I didn't want to babysit people...so I'm back behind the wheel again. And I love it.

I think that most of the experienced drivers on CAD will tell you that if your primary (or perhaps only) motivation is money, it's probably not a good decision.

Good luck and Godspeed in your deliberations!
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Old 10-06-2007, 06:19 PM
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Default Re: wanting to get into trucking

Quote:
Originally Posted by okra77
just had a few questions for you guys on the road i am presently a high school math teacher in mississippi and i make ar ound 32000 yearly i have tossed around the idea of becoming a driver what do you guys think
I think you would be crazy to get into trucking. The average new driver at one of the Mega companies only makes about 35K during year one trucking. Thats only about 3K or so more than you are making right now.
So you would be giving up being off and home with your family and friends on weekends, holidays and the summer for 3K a year more. Plus the average trucker works about 70 or more a week to earn their 35K or so. Even when you add in things like grading papers at home and making phone calls at home, your probally aren't working 70+ hours a week.

But, if you must scrath your itch to be a trucker, I would try finding a school that has night or weekend classes in your area. Time your completion date for the end of May or early June. So when school is out you can hit the road trucking. If you like trucking, you can just keep on doing it. If not you can always go back to teaching in September.

Personally, If I was you, I would go back to school and get my masters or PHD and move up to a principal or an administrator in your school system.
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Old 10-06-2007, 08:23 PM
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I'm in Mississippi. And I retired from my sales position and became a trucker.
Depending on where you live I can steer you to several worthwhile companies....Ashley, Action, and some others..

I made 57K my first year, was home once a week and every weekend...oh, yeah, and I worked my butt off.
It's easier now. I've settled in - it's been two years - and I just do the job and go home. But it sure as hell wasn't easy at first!

All in all, you know what? I'd grit my teeth and finish teaching to nail down the retirement. Then I'd go trucking.
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Old 10-07-2007, 04:41 AM
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Default Re: wanting to get into trucking

Quote:
Originally Posted by okra77
just had a few questions for you guys on the road i am presently a high school math teacher in mississippi and i make ar ound 32000 yearly i have tossed around the idea of becoming a driver what do you guys think
Here's some numbers for you to consider:

Log 70 hours per week
Work 80-100
Paid for 50
No overtime after 8/40 hours on the job
120% average annual turnover rates
7 times more likely to be killed on the job than workers in other professions
1 week of vacation AFTER one year of service
$40-60.00 holiday pay (if they even pay it)
Anywhere from 3-10% of all miles will be driven for free
$0.00 for inspections, dropping/hooking trailers, breakdowns, 2 hours of docktime, scaling loads, DOT, safety meetings, PM's, paperwork, stuck in traffic, waiting for loads, fueling the truck...to name but a few of the freebies you'll perform.

Keep the teaching gig and sleep in your own bed evernight with weekends and holidays off. If you need more money then get a part-time job somewhere. Forget OTR trucking - it's a low-paid burn job. 40-60k sounds good until you find yourself working round-the-clock, living out of a sardine can, and never seeing home.
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Old 10-09-2007, 04:12 PM
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Default more thoughts

okay here are some more specifics i am also a coach so i am gone most nigths of the week and on fridays i get in around 330 in the morning with my kids already asleep

also i have been told by a local place that i can make some runs on holidays and this summer to see how i like it

so do i even look into it or just leave it alone
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