Who should go into trucking?
 

I have been looking into OTR sinse 2004. I have done a fair amt of research and have learned a lot from the posts here. There has been much advise given in this and other forums for wannabes as to whether or not to make "the" change. Many have said if you have young children to avoid OTR (I would have to agree with this), or newly married or a number of other reasons one should avoid this industry. To those who are currently making your living driving, WHO SHOULD GO INTO TRUCKING ? Bodies are needed to fill the seats, so what kind of person and\or what kind of situation is more suited for this industry ?

I would think that people who have just gotten out of the military may be suited better than most because the are used to being away from home...
People who have family members who drive. The first time i went out in a big rig, I was a kid. Went out with my uncle overnight and thought it was fun. I thought about for many years before I decided to give it a chance.

married to the road, what finally caused you to make the decision to start dirving?

here's my 2cents worth .. and I'm sure other will disagree and some may understand where I'm coming from. ..... And I think it goes for male or females, but a person has to have a bit of a gypy spirit about them, never knowing where your going to spend the night, or which way your going to be traveling in a matter of a few days. A person who enjoy's meeting new people daily and knowing that they'll not see each other again or it may be months before you walk into a TS and see someone you've met weeks ago. Someone who is a bit of a 'loner' and can enjoy your own time alone. You spend alot of time by yourself and with your own thoughts.

Someone is independent, and doesn't need others to tell them every step to take and someone who can make snag decisions at any given moment. .. If you have a family at home ... both you and them need to be in agreement that this job will benefit both of you and your relationship is strong BEFORE you ever decide to drive otr ... you need to be able to save your money and find ways to eat 'out of your truck' and not give it away in the TS .... that's not the reason your on the road.

When there's children involved or a loved one at home that isn't secure within them selves .... this job isn't the best kind to have.

I'm single and my children are grown ... so I don't have to answer to anyone for the decisions I make .... and if I should meet someone down the road .... I need not feel gulity about enjoying a beer and laughter with them, because a loved one is back home waiting for me. ....... The day's are long, and the nights can get longer. .... But I've found alot of enjoyment rolling down the hwys across this country we live in and Canada. ........... You need to have a bit of adventure in your personality and never want life to get boreing ... it's all what You make it.

If this is something your seriously considering ..... go for it ! ..... You'll never regret it, and you'll be able to use your license in other areas of work ... if you decide not to continue driving .... Life is an adventure ... don't let it pass you by. Ask yourself .... if 20yrs from now your seating on your front porch ... will you look back and say " dang, I wish I would of decided to drive semi for a living?"

Good luck in the future.

Re: Who should go into trucking?
 

The first question you must ask is WHY are there so many bodies needed to fill seats? Why are these OTR outfits constantly advertising 40K, 50K, and even 60K and yet still can't find enough drivers?

The answer is that when you tally up all the hours spent on the job and time away from home, the job really doesn't pay all that well. Any extra $$$$ you make on the road goes right out the window in truckstop meals, showers, laundry, etc. What's left over is a meager hourly wage.

I did the OTR thing for awhile and it didn't work out for me. That's because I prefer to have a life away from the job and if you drive OTR, you won't have one. Nor will you see your family more than a few times per month. OTR is a lifestyle, which is a nice way of saying that you eat, sleep, live and breathe in the truck day in/day out, week in/week out for weeks and even months at a stretch. You live to work instead of work to live. That may be why it appeals to so many ex-cons as they are familliar with the confined space of the big truck regardless of what's rolling by.

My advice is don't do it.

VERY INTERESTING. With the same info and responding to the same post one suggested to "go for it" and one vote to avoid trucking altogether. Having spent over 20 yrs in an industry outside of trucking I have noticed that one person's dream is another's nightmare. Many look at trucking through some romantic haze, having visions of seeing the country and not being accountable to anyone. I do agree that truking is a lifestyle (having a brother and brother-in-law in the business), but every vocation is a lifestyle in one form or another. Things seem to always look better over there, that guy must make more than me, have it better than me. Many industries are not what they seem (including mine), but the transportation industry is more visable because it involves so many more people. I would not recommend to anyone to do what I do, but that is because I see all the bad and the negatives. I have the utmost respect for all who chose to make your living this way and I look at this industry as an opportunity to make more money long term than many other things out there. The thing that many dislike about this industry is exactly what attracts many to it. It is so vast, that, if you keep your nose clean, you can chose who you want to work for and demand top pay. Many other industries are more narrow, not allowing this flexability. Many of us may never make the "change" and while we may not know what we would be getting ourselves into, we do know what we are currently into. Thus, the continued interest in an industry that many in it, take for granted.

couldn't agree more.

In the years since deregulation in 1980, median earnings have dropped 30% and most OTR drivers earn less than half of pre-regulation wages. Work weeks average more than 70 hours per week with no overtime. Today's American long-haul truckers are working harder and earning less than at any time during the last four decades. Conditions are so poor and the medieval piece-rate pay system so unfair that OTR companies compete with the fast-food industry for workers. Your average run-of-the mill carrier averages a whopping 120% annual driver turnover.

The real problem is open, unrestricted entry to the trucking business. It has resulted in under-financed companies operating 80,000-pound equipment at highway speeds where aggressive competition drives the economy. When the freight rates drop below the cost of doing business, deferred maintenance becomes widespread. The 22% national out of service rating for Class 8 vehicles is proof in the pudding enough for me. In the last decade more Americans died in truck accidents than in the Vietnam War...225 per week and rising...the equivalent of an airline crash every seven days.

That's the facts, Jack. Run, don't walk away from irregular-route over-the-road trucking!!

and most OTR drivers earn less than half of pre-regulation wages

Where and the World did you come up with that one? I drove "Pre-Deregulation" up until '04 and that is hardly the Facts.

To the Poster-Do what you feel is right for You

Say it like it is Frosty :D

froisty is almost as smart as cluggy, make up some numbers, use some big words, and appear to be smart. and why do you fell we should get paid to sleep and watch tv in the bunk, no one else in the world gets paid to sleep and eat and watch tv. just because you are big, dumb, lazy, POS, does not mean the world of trucking is broken...just you.

Well "who should go into trucking"?
Somebody has to do something like either work at McDonalds (which pays more for management) or trucking.

Personally, its just a job. Its not a hard job, almost akin to working for the govt. Just sittin' on your butt 90% of the time.

I don't mind not getting paid for sleeper berth, but if something happens that I need to go on duty for 15 minutes 9 hours in to my reset, makes me wonder why I should take the loss of anther 10 hour off duty.

Do you think we should get paid to load and unload, paperwork, boarder crossing, fuel, company meetings, waiting for you truck at the shop while under repair, and waiting for a dispatch?

well be smart, don't log the 15 min interuption to your 10 hour break. work smarter,not harder. and while on this point, i disagree with running illegal logs but sometimes there may be a time to fudge 15 min here and there, if you are not prepared to do so then this otr life will not be for you and the company will see the same. if you get woke up and asked to move your truck and it takes 10 min, then don't log it. this is not hard to figure out.

yep, smarter not harder! Manageing your time is the key to makeing money OTR. Some people are better than others and some go LTL :lol:
read all the info you can find but only believe 1/2 of it!

OTR Driving
 

Quick funny story about OTR. After I quit Celadon because of making no money, just sitting in Laredo at the Mexican border for days for free, I had to decide between Gainey and Shaffer. I went to Gainey for orientation. Here we are about 10 drivers. ONE had this IDEA, how great trucking must be, glorious and shiny. When I told him something about ugly truck stops, morons as dispatchers, fines which go on your record which were given to you NOT BECAUSE YOU DID SOMETHING WRONG BUT THE CITY YOU DROVE TROUGH OR SLEPT USES TRUCKERS AS AN EXTRA INCOME SOURCE, Shippers and receivers and all the other nice OTR stuff most drivers have to deal with I got told from him I MUST JUST BE BURNED OUT!!!. I told him, ask all the guys in this room, who is doing it because they LOVE THIS JOB or they are happy being a driver, NONE said YES. He was shocked now, and other drivers agreed to my complains about OTR, making him speechless. I really dont know why many people think this is such an awesome job. B.T.W, I DIDNT drive for Gainey, after many statements in orientation like, BAD SAFETY RATING or THEY PULL OUR TRUCK ALWAYS OVER ON SCALES IN SOME STATES, or YOU WILL PICK UP AND DELIVER IN NY FOR FREE I left Gaineys orientation and went somewhere else. I drive Linehaul now, be home every day, make on average MORE money compared to OTR and have my WEEKENDS OFF. OTR IS UNDERPAID. I will not argue why or who is at fault, cluggy said in one of his statements how much you SHOULD earn OTR and he is right. If the BIG companies PAID good there would be no DRIVER SHORTAGE. Lets say i work for one of the big companies and I HATED it, I still would have stayed if the PRICE IS RIGHT. I drove OTR almost 3 years before I went to local and I will NEVER go OTR again. Rather flip burgers or starve.
Just my two cents.

yeah, better to starve than go get employment. glad you found a good linehaul gig.

My uncle made $40,000 driving truck OTR in 1980. I'll bet you're thinking that you pull down like $55,000 today and so you're much better off then he was. But what you don't understand is that overall inflation has more than doubled in that time frame. So in order to equal what my uncle made in 1982, you would have to be earning around $88,000.

By choosing to drive truck OTR, you are working harder and longer for less money as the years roll by. That's why I tell people to stay away from that business. Never met a bunch who were so happy with penny raises every year.

If nobody took these crappy mega-carrier jobs, then there would be a real SHORTAGE and then wages would HAVE to rise. There is no "driver shortage" like the industry tries to spin it. Do you see freight piling up on the docks? Empty store shelves? No, it's all a ploy to get illegals and foreigners behind the wheel. And you know what? They'll GET EM'. So have fun. I hope you habla espanol.

225 Americans die per week in accidents involving large trucks?

No. Those aren't the facts. I think if you go to google and type in "truck wreck fatalities statistics" you'll find several sources that state about 5000 people die per year in the USA in accidents involving large trucks.

Now if you divide 5000 by the number of weeks in a year, i.e. 52, you'll find that the actual number of people that die in accidents involving large trucks is much closer to 96 per week.

96 kills per week...oh gee what an improvement. That makes me feel so much better. Thanks! :roll:

Yes, I accidentally typed in the wrong number 225. But the facts are still the same because approx 50,000 servicemen died in Vietnam. 96 kills X 52 weeks X 10 years = 49920.

Which brings up another point. Long-haul truckers are SEVEN TIMES more likely than workers in other professions to be killed on the job. Why? Intense competition, an endless supply of tax-funded labor, and an unregulated market with low barriers to entry have fueled long hours, low pay, and cheating on logbooks which have contributed to needless highway deaths. Why does this country need to save $.05 off a box of Tide when long-haul truckers are working 80-100+ hours per week and mowing over innocent victims?

The song remains the same. Stay away from this job. Your life and those of others may depend on it.

The song remains the same. Stay away from this job. Your life and those of others may depend on it.

Totally Unnecessary statement
You don't like it Fine-Let others decide if it's right for them

For 96?

LOL, 95 might be an "accident"
86 might be an "accident"
196 might be an "accident"
296 might be an "accident"
596 might be an "accident"

But 225?

No way guy.

You "accidentally" proved that you're a BS'r and nothing but.

Huh?

dropouts,the poor,this or the army,etc

In the years since deregulation in 1980, median earnings have dropped 30% .....Far as I know this is true........and most OTR drivers earn less than half of pre-regulation wages. Work weeks average more than 70 hours per week with no overtime. Today's American long-haul truckers are working harder and earning less...........Nah. The current hours of service prevent that.....I made 56K my first year.... than at any time during the last four decades. Conditions are so poor and the medieval piece-rate pay system so unfair......Nah. Most companies pay practical miles and they used to all pay HHG miles. I get paid actual miles.... that OTR companies compete with the fast-food industry for workers. Your average run-of-the mill carrier averages a whopping 120% annual driver turnover.

The real problem is open, unrestricted entry to the trucking business.....That's not a problem. Used to be you had to buy your routes and they cost many thousands. Nwo, you just go....... It has resulted in under-financed companies operating 80,000-pound equipment at highway speeds where aggressive competition drives the economy. When the freight rates drop below the cost of doing business, deferred maintenance becomes widespread. The 22% national out of service rating for Class 8....Don't know about the average; our company runs about zero..... vehicles is proof in the pudding enough for me. In the last decade more Americans died in truck accidents than in the Vietnam War...225 per week and rising.... Death of large truck occupants remains at 1.7% of total deaths, or around 750 per year....the equivalent of an airline crash every seven days.

That's the facts, Jack. Run, don't walk away from irregular-route over-the-road trucking!!Now, that true. Find someone other than a freight carrier to work for - and there aree plenty of them!

Reference:
http://www.bts.gov/publications/nati...ble_02_04.html

CFM said:

Most of this is total hogwash!!! The median annual earnings is just shy of $36,000. Are you saying that the median wage before 1980 was $54,000??? Prove it!

And pre-1980 OTR wages averaged MORE than $72,000??? Prove it!

Working harder and making less than ANYTIME since 1967??? Prove it!

Competing with the Fast Food industry??? NOT!!! The trucking workforce has basically ALWAYS competed with the CONSTRUCTION industry for its workforce! The current driver shortage occurred in the LAST decade when payrates dropped BELOW that of construction workers.


For some REAL info on these and other statistics and trends.... go here:

http://www.etrucker.com/apps/news/article.asp?id=50162


Prove it!

Close, but no cigar! First of all, the Vietnam War (full deployment years) did NOT last 10 years! So, this is a nonstarter comparison to begin with!

Secondly, the figures are about HALF that! I'll see if I can find the link, but THE TRUCKER magazine, Vol 20, No. 16 (last half of August) has an article with THIS headline:

"Large Truck-Involved Fatalities drop 4.7%; Overall Traffic Fatalities LOWEST in Five Years." And I quote:

"the number of people killed in fatal accidents involving lare trucks in 2005 was 5,240, compared with 4,995 in 2006."

Not Hardly!!!

In the years since deregulation in 1980, median earnings have dropped 30%

Hardly-I started driving in '78 at around .10cpm and that was pretty much the going rate(not including the lack of Benefits which now pretty much all drivers have) and inflation or not earnings haven't "Dropped"

NO, I DON'T!! Other than the border crossing, everything you mentioned might be considered a normal duty day for a dock worker at a terminal. He is going to be paid an HOURLY wage for the entire shift, not a piece wage for each task.

Your job is NOT just "driving." All these things are part of your job. As I said on another thread (to some laughter,) being paid by the mile for the miles involved in your trip, is meant to encompass ALL "related" tasks. It is the best way to approximate the number of actual hours you will need to work during those miles. If you are paid 40cpm, and can drive 60 miles in one hour, do you think you are actually WORTH $24 for that hour?? It might be nice, but I don't THINK so!!

A driver getting 2500 miles/wk, making 40 cpm, is grossing $1000 for that TRIP! (Or that week.) Despite all the whining and truth stretching on this board, I doubt anyone really has to work more than 55-60 hours a week to accomplish that task. That is AT LEAST $16.66 an hour!! EVEN at the max allowable of 70 hours/wk, that is nearly $15 per hour. This is MUCH more than Fast Food wages.... and closely approximate to Construction wages.

MOST companies that DO pay alot for bumping a dock or farting, for a NEWBIE, will pay a much lower cpm rate to balance it out. After you've gotten a few years experience, you should be able to find a company with BOTH!

Wow!! Yoopr!! You mean 10 cpm SOLO??? And you bring up a GOOD point that I wanted to mention concerning CFM's trashtalking!

Trucking is not the ONLY industry where wage increases have NOT kept up with inflation!! Anybody been tracking the Minimum Wage increases over the last decade or two?? Not even CLOSE to inflation rates!

yep-Solo-I started at either .10cmp or 11-This was the Norm and not the abnormal average I would say.

Who should go into trucking? Here's my ideal situation. No wife, no kids, no pets (that you don't want to take with you), don't like time clocks or a boss looking over your shoulder, like seeing the country (above the rest).Don't mind heavy traffic ,or traffic jams, cold sandwiches or greasy food, or owning an satellite radio. Good luck

No. But you are not taking into account the effects of inflation.

Trucking is unskilled labor. So is fast food. Not hard to figure out.

I will get that data for you.

Sure it did. The US began troop buildups in 1963 after Diem's assasination and we did not leave until 1973. The Vietnam War was never an officially declared "war" so you can't say that it started and ended with full deployment years.

First of all, The Trucker is an industry-sponsored publication. Second, one-year comparisons are silly. You need to look at data that stretches over 5-10 years to find a trend. Unfortunately, while there are year-over-year increases and decreases, the overall trend is toward MORE accidents.

Only someone who has never backed into a space at a Pilot would say that.

Newp. Large truck occupants die at the rate of about 750/year, which is about the same as the number of bicyclists killed. Large truck occupants and non-occupants die at the rate of about 5000/year.
http://www.bts.gov/publications/nati...ble_02_04.html

And the above lunatic statement has been refuted by the Bureau of Transportation Statistics link shown above.
1999 - 759
2000 - 754
2001 - 708
2002 - 689
2003 - 726
2004 - 761
So TWO (2) more truckers were killed in 2004 than were killed in 1999. It will be the year 7004 before your dream of seeing 11,700 truckers/year killed on the highway is realized.

If your vision is that 11,700 people/year are killed including non-occupants, the news is even worse:
1999 - 5380
2000 - 5282
2001 - 5111
2002 - 4393
2003 - 5036
2004 - 5190
It just doesn't look like we'll ever get there. Sorry. :?

yoop....was that back when you had to drive uphill there and uphill back home? :P

That was when we could run some pretty major miles in a week without the DOT screwing with us unless you did something really Stupid
Had to make up for the pay :P

Someone opened up a closet door and out stepped Johnny B. Goode
Playing guitar like a-ringin' a bell and lookin' like he should
If you gotta play at garden parties, I wish you a lotta luck
But if memories were all I sang, I rather drive a truck


'n' it's all right now, learned my lesson well
You see, ya can't please everyone, so you got to please yourself

Sorry to have to be the one to break the news to everyone but......those numbers mean NOTHING without comparing them to the total number of drivers. I'm sure that by comparing the number killed per ??? # of drivers will make a strong case for things being safer than before because there are more drivers now than in 1999.

It's not that simple.

You must also take into account the amount of 4-wheelers on the road in relation to the amount of trucks. There are other variables which must be taken into consideration as well before you can make a definite conclusion.

Also, what most of you fail to understand is that one-third of all truck crashes go UNREPORTED to the FMCSA according to a report from the GAO: http://www.theconservativevoice.com/....html?id=10082

In 2003, large trucks made up 3 percent of the nation's registered vehicles, but they were involved in 11 percent of ALL fatal crashes. :shock: :shock:

I'll tell you why I'm going to do it. It's a way to get my debt paid off and put a lot of money in my savings account so I can come back home and pick up where I'm leaving off in my real estate career. I don't have a time frame of how long I'll be on the road, but it will be long enough to accomplish the goals I have in mind.

For what it's worth this was in the Friday USA Today comparing wages and such from 25 years ago.

MEDIAN HOUSEHOLD CURRENT DOLLARS
1982 $19,074
2007 $48,201

INFLATION ADJUSTED
1982 $40,573
2007 $48,201

THE BUYING POWER OF ONE U.S. DOLLAR
1982 $1.00
2007 $.46

Pretty sobering stuff. When inflation is factored in, we as a nation of workers have only increased our wages $305 a year for the last 25 years.