Is trucking right for me?
#31
08-30-2010, 03:55 PM
You will clock-in 80-100 hours per week driving truck OTR.
But you will only compensated for about half those hours. The hourly rate breaks down to around 6-10 bucks an hour...you'd make more at McDonalds flipping burgers if they worked you 70 hours per week. No overtime after 8/40 hours. Worthless benefits with high co-pays (if you even get them). Hometime a roll of the dice. No friends, family, or social life whatsoever. Treated like a 4th class citizen at some shippers/receivers. Traffic, tickets, fines, DOT/LEO's watching your every move. 8th most dangerous US occupation. No place to park in some areas of the country. Sedentary nature of the job combined with poor diet and irregular shifts will take a toll on your health. Median age-of-death of truckdrivers is 61 years old...16 years less than the general population. Highest divorce rates of ANY occupation. There's a reason the turnover rates are so high in this biz. It's because the carriers can't keep drivers due to the low pay, long hours, and drivers having NO LIFE.
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The Guy From Boston
#32
08-30-2010, 04:30 PM
You will clock-in 80-100 hours per week driving truck OTR.
But you will only compensated for about half those hours. The hourly rate breaks down to around 6-10 bucks an hour...you'd make more at McDonalds flipping burgers if they worked you 70 hours per week. No overtime after 8/40 hours. Worthless benefits with high co-pays (if you even get them). Hometime a roll of the dice. No friends, family, or social life whatsoever. Treated like a 4th class citizen at some shippers/receivers. Traffic, tickets, fines, DOT/LEO's watching your every move. 8th most dangerous US occupation. No place to park in some areas of the country. Sedentary nature of the job combined with poor diet and irregular shifts will take a toll on your health. Median age-of-death of truckdrivers is 61 years old...16 years less than the general population. Highest divorce rates of ANY occupation. There's a reason the turnover rates are so high in this biz. It's because the carriers can't keep drivers due to the low pay, long hours, and drivers having NO LIFE.
#33
08-31-2010, 03:33 AM
You will clock-in 80-100 hours per week driving truck OTR.
But you will only compensated for about half those hours. The hourly rate breaks down to around 6-10 bucks an hour...you'd make more at McDonald's flipping burgers if they worked you 70 hours per week. No overtime after 8/40 hours. I have never met someone who works at McDonald's who can make even $30,000 their first year, much less $40,000+ after a couple of years in the business unless that worker is a manager. Worthless benefits with high co-pays (if you even get them). Like with any other profession, it depends on the company. Some have better benefits than others. Keep in mind that the greater the benefits the lower the pay. There is only so much money to go around. Hometime a roll of the dice. No friends, family, or social life whatsoever. Most carriers try to get drivers home when they need to be there. With the nature of this business and the current economy it may be more difficult these days. I have friends whom I stay in contact even though I am on the road. It is a matte of making the effort to stay in touch. Whether you are a trucker, salesman or executive, you can be away from your family and friends. It isn't unique to this business. I have known some couples who do better when they are not together so much. They have told me that it keeps their relationship fresh. Others find it difficult. Those people are likely to have had problems regardless of what the husband or wife does for a living. Treated like a 4th class citizen at some shippers/receivers. This can be true, but for the most part I have been treated fairly well at most shippers/receivers. I have found that when I treat people well they usually reciprocate. If you go in with a crappy attitude it will also be reciprocated. Any time you are involved with the public there is the chance that you can not be treated well. It isn't unique to the trucking industry. Traffic, tickets, fines, DOT/LEO's watching your every move. The DOT is taking a closer eye on truckers. If you keep your speed down and do your job you are not as likely to have a problem with the LEO's or DOT. On the other hand, we are among the most regulated industries in the country. As such, we come under greater scrutiny. It is part of the job. I don't like it any more than anyone else, but you either learn to deal with it or find something else to do for a living. 8th most dangerous US occupation. I don't recall where we fall in the most dangerous occupations, but I would not be surprised. Any time you drive 100,000+ miles per year you area at a greater risk of having an accident than someone who drives 10,000. I would like to know the criteria they use to classify this industry as one of the most dangerous. Sometimes when an organization takes a survey or compiles data it is the matter in which the data is compiled or how the questions are structured. Some will structure a question to get the results they want rather than an unbiased answer. No place to park in some areas of the country. Some places are better than others. It can be a problem in certain areas of the country. Sedentary nature of the job combined with poor diet and irregular shifts will take a toll on your health. There are things we can do to stay healthy. We can control our diet and eat better. You can stay away from the buffet and eat a balance diet. We are not forced to take 3 trips to the buffet. We can control what goes in our mouth. We can eat a nutritionally balanced diet and control our portions. We can also park at the back of a truck stop rather than finding the nearest parking spot. That is not much, but can help. I have also met those who take weights and other assists to stay healthy. We do have some control over our health. And this is not the only sedentary profession. Office workers also lead a sedentary profession. Median age-of-death of truckdrivers is 61 years old...16 years less than the general population. I don't recall having read anything about the average life expectancy of drivers. If true, I am sure there are other professions where the live expectancy is not as high as some other professions. Highest divorce rates of ANY occupation. I would question that this industry has the highest divorce rate of any occupation. I am not so sure that it is the occupation as the people. An occupation will not force people to divorce. My wife and I have been married for more than 30 years. I know others who have been married longer and are still in the business. I think that it is a relay stretch to try to blame a high divorce rate on any profession. There's a reason the turnover rates are so high in this biz. It's because the carriers can't keep drivers due to the low pay, long hours, and drivers having NO LIFE. Fast food has a turnover rate at least twice as high as trucking. I have not checked recently, but a couple of years ago we had an average turnover rate of 136%. Much of that is what we refer to as "churn" or movement from one carrier to another. Some fast food companies have a turnover of 300% or more. You like to draw a lot of negative conclusions about this industry. I would be interested in knowing why the turnover is so much higher in fast food than trucking? You can't use the excuse of long hours or being away from home or having no life. The truth is that you can earn an above average income in this business. There are few occupations you can do where the cost of entry is so low. You can start with only a few weeks training. There are those who come into this business with unrealistic expectations. During a slow economy, some may come from other professions as a means to earn a decent living with a minimum of time invested in training. Some may go back to their professions once the economy improves.
#34
08-31-2010, 05:35 AM
Senior Board Member
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Somewhere between Western Canada and Texas/California
Posts: 1,623
It is not possibe to do that and stay legal with a log bookNot true. If you get paid by the load, the non driving hours are part of your rate. Most places that pay by the mile have a work rate for hours when you are loading, but not driving. Some are low, but that is a decision you make when you sign on with the company
And the truck driving will only be consideration of that divorce, not the overridding one. I have a buddy who just celebrated his 55 th wedding aniversery and he has 5 million miles of OTRIt is because it is so easy to get into it. four weeks of school and off you go to work, with no idea of what the real world is. doctors get seven to ten years to decide if the job is right for them, before they ever go to work,.It is not low pay, it is long hours, and the life part is a choice you make each and every day. Last edited by RockyMtnProDriver; 08-31-2010 at 05:45 AM.
#35
08-31-2010, 02:14 PM
You will clock-in 80-100 hours per week driving truck OTR.
But you will only compensated for about half those hours. The hourly rate breaks down to around 6-10 bucks an hour...you'd make more at McDonalds flipping burgers if they worked you 70 hours per week. No overtime after 8/40 hours. Worthless benefits with high co-pays (if you even get them). Hometime a roll of the dice. No friends, family, or social life whatsoever. Treated like a 4th class citizen at some shippers/receivers. Traffic, tickets, fines, DOT/LEO's watching your every move. 8th most dangerous US occupation. No place to park in some areas of the country. Sedentary nature of the job combined with poor diet and irregular shifts will take a toll on your health. Median age-of-death of truckdrivers is 61 years old...16 years less than the general population. Highest divorce rates of ANY occupation.
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KW Last edited by KW10001; 09-01-2010 at 02:47 PM.
#36
09-01-2010, 12:29 PM
"I'm not becoming a Truck driver for the benefits, the home time, or pay. I'm looking for adventure, freedom and hopefully some day, owning my own truck to become more independent."
KW10001...If you want to become a truck driver do so, but your statement gives me some concern. Anybody becoming a truck driver looking for freedom seems to be a bit confused on the meaning of the word. It's a job and/or a lifestyle, but please don't confuse it for freedom as you'll be anything but. I enjoyed the job, but would not be naive enough to confuse it for freedom. You'll will have more supervision as a driver than you likely had before. Whether we want to admit it or not, the guy from Boston is absolutely right. Become a driver because you want to do it, but don't do it thinking you'll find freedom as you won't. Being comfortable in your harness does not make you free.
#37
09-01-2010, 04:37 PM
Who cares about pay, bennies, and hometime? Jeez. Own your own truck, eh? Want to be like GMAN? 40 years in the biz and still grinding it out on the road with a disabled wife at home? Is that how you want to spend your golden years? Most of these guys are beyond saving. They're stuck behind the wheel for the rest of their lives. But you've got choices...don't end up like them. Once you go down this road, there's no going back...
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The Guy From Boston
#38
09-02-2010, 02:25 AM
Looking for adventure? LOL!!!
Who cares about pay, bennies, and hometime? Jeez. Own your own truck, eh? Want to be like GMAN? 40 years in the biz and still grinding it out on the road with a disabled wife at home? Is that how you want to spend your golden years? Most of these guys are beyond saving. They're stuck behind the wheel for the rest of their lives. But you've got choices...don't end up like them. Once you go down this road, there's no going back...
#40
09-02-2010, 04:26 PM
I can't believe it! I agree with almost everything said by GMAN ... AND... RockyMtnPro in the SAME thread! :eek2::lol:
I "totally" understand KW (ten thousand and one) What does that mean? ..... when he says:
I'm not becoming a Truck driver for the benefits, the home time, or pay. I'm looking for adventure, freedom and hopefully some day, owning my own truck to become more independent. (Don't give me the whole Qualcomm spiel about how they are always tracking you, it has absolutely no resemblance with a boss looking over your shoulder in an office.)
Anybody becoming a truck driver looking for freedom seems to be a bit confused on the meaning of the word. It's a job and/or a lifestyle, but please don't confuse it for freedom as you'll be anything but....
ALL of these let me get "out of the office" for long periods of time (or totally) and see the world and the beautiful NATURE of this and other countries. THAT... my friend.... is FREEDOM! Especially when it is PAYING the bills and stimulating the inquisitive part of the mind... and soul.
You will have more supervision as a driver than you likely had before...
Apparently, you have never worked a cubicle in a "Call Center." I hate to admit that I HAVE... but at least it was for ONSTAR! Still... having management over your shoulder is the WORST! Trucky doesn't HAVE to be like that.
Become a driver because you want to do it, but don't do it thinking you'll find freedom as you won't.
Being comfortable in your harness does not make you free.
I don't wear my seatbelt in the truck... cuz I don't WANT to. I stop WHEN I want to. With my last company (I'm on dedicated now,) I chose which RUNS I wanted to which parts of the U.S! I have a "meal ticket" in my wallet that allows me to CHANGE my situation, job, home, lifestyle.... pretty much ANYTIME I want! :thumbsup:
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Remember... friends are few and far between. TRUCKIN' AIN'T FOR WUSSES!!! "I am willing to admit that I was wrong." The Rev. |
