[madrider]

LOL
I will tell ya, to hear some of you talk, either this is a terrible job or/or you just hate driving trucks for a living. There is some positive post here but allot of them are negative. I personally take the post with a grain of salt, but there is a ton of negative info here.
Is it really that bad, with bad companies, bad driving/living conditions, bad pay, etc???
I also know that is human nature to complain more than praise or say good things.
What is you real input on trucking as a whole?

[Uturn2001]

Would you reccomend trucking to a friend or family member?

The answer to that would be maybe.

[RebelDarlin]

There are some real DRAMA QUEENS on here, but we also have some very realistic and POSITIVE people on here too. (Take a look at ANY of G-Man's posts!)

Like any other profession or job, it's what you make it. YOUR attitude is what will make you a success or failure, just like any other area of your life. There is no PERFECT company, they all have positives and negatives, and your own wants and needs will differ from someone else's. So research companies to find out what fits your needs. Make an informed decision don't just jump blindly!

What I see is that a lot of people have no idea what they're getting into, all they see is Ads telling them they can make 50K their 1st year and they'll train you. It may happen, but it's rare. There are no free rides, there is no easy money! When people say OTR is a lifestyle, not just a job, they aren't kidding. OTR is NOT for everyone.

My personal opinion is that our Government has once again blindly thrown money at a problem by making WIA funding available so ANYONE can go to CDL school. The problem being they can teach almost anyone to drive a truck, but there's no screening process and they don't teach them what it takes to be a successful truck driver. Hence the over-abundance of CDL Mills!

BOL

Reb

[repete]

Rebel, great post I couldn't have said it better ( no really I couldn't :lol: )

It is what you make it, when I 1st went out I thought I knew what it would be like :shock: what an eye opener! Make a list of what you want out of life and see if OTR will provide it. Do not count on being home 2 days every 2 weeks and 50 grand your 1st yr, it just dosn't always happen that way. As far as pay you can make some good money but you work for every penny(sometimes fight for it too)
Would I reccomend driving to a friend Yes but I'd also slap him in face with a heavy dose of reality(sp?)

[Snowman7]

Would I reccomend it? As a rule...no...but I did once and it is working out. People dont understand this is not a glamorous job like they show in the movies. Its a blue collar job at best and similar to migrant work at worst. If you have a clue what you're doing you will find there are small pockets of decent jobs with decent pay and bennies but you have to learn where they are and what it takes to get them. I would guess 20% of the truckings jobs out there would be considered decent by 80% of people looking. The other 80% of the jobs out there arent worth having and only 20% of people would consider it a good job. The jobs worth having are not usually available to newbies. So the newbie, who has unrealistic expectations in the first place, ends up with the crappy job, gets discouraged and disillusioned, and quits the industry. And yes...it absolutely was a crappy job...but he never gets a chance to see if there's something better. I admit I like it but I work a good local job at UPS Freight. I work 45 hours a week and make good money. I did OTR at first to get my experience but I knew thats what I had to do. Some people like OTR but most hate it, including me. Will you like it? No one knows. The washout rate is over 100% so what does that tell you?

[BigDiesel]

Well...... do you want a truthful, blunt to the point answer without the sugarcoating ??? Or do you want an answer that blows sunshine up your skirt ??? Many questions that are posed here want the rose colored glasses, sunshine blowing answers. But,when someone answers with the cold hard truth and facts they are vilified... I could post many examples.

[headborg]

I think the longer a driver is in this industry-- alone with seemingly everyone
out to "get them" to get their hands in YOUR wallet-- with companies CYA their OWN bottom line by shifting Cost to the drivers-- and not backing them up---- it's only natural that a person gets Jaded-- and progressively more cynical. It's a shame.

[Night Zombie]

I've only been at it for 14 months. I got a "decent" job right off the bat. Got lucky. I drive local and make $48k per year.

But the schedule is slowly grinding me down into a medium sized mound of sawdust. I have 13 hour day, from 3 pm to 4 am. Only 5 days a week, but still....

I loved it for the first six months, but over time I think I might be getting burned out by the schedule. (It's always something, right?) I've got white hairs popping out in my eyebrows, and am getting that jowly look around the jawline.

I might end up driving a smaller class B, or non-cdl truck in one of those 7 am to 3:30 PM gigs that only pay $24k per year, but at least I would have a "normal" schedule.

Having said all that negative stuff, I should add that I would not trade my current trucking job for the higher-paying programming job I used to have.

[Snowman7]

Originally Posted by Night Zombie

I've only been at it for 14 months. I got a "decent" job right off the bat. Got lucky. I drive local and make $48k per year.

But the schedule is slowly grinding me down into a medium sized mound of sawdust. I have 13 hour day, from 3 pm to 4 am. Only 5 days a week, but still....

I loved it for the first six months, but over time I think I might be getting burned out by the schedule. (It's always something, right?) I've got white hairs popping out in my eyebrows, and am getting that jowly look around the jawline.

I might end up driving a smaller class B, or non-cdl truck in one of those 7 am to 3:30 PM gigs that only pay $24k per year, but at least I would have a "normal" schedule.

Having said all that negative stuff, I should add that I would not trade my current trucking job for the higher-paying programming job I used to have.

Not trying to be mean Zombie but alot of drivers would not call 65 hr weeks for 48k a decent job. They would rather do OTR than that. Thats what I mean when I say 80% are not good, regardless of OTR or local, both have bad jobs. The fact that it is a local job makes it decent for you but not for all.

[dle]

You really can't make a blanket recommendation.

There are too many variables involved.