I believe the industries that are doing the best are utilities, like the electric companies, and insurance. Have not heard of an insurance company that has needed a bailout yet.

Did you forget about AIG!:eek1:

Mack....Your a young guy. Don't be afraid of repairing track...those guy's make killer bucks..but yeah...they are gone from home a lot.

I have two friends that work for Union Pacific on the track crews out of GreenRiver WY. One has paid off an 1800 acre ranch in Afton WY he bought back in 1977, working for UP on the repair crew. He has worked his way up to the machine that installs the rails, from a pick and shovel. Vince will retire in 2015 with 35 years. He is 52 now.

Jack started as a mechanic at UP, and has worked his way up to Engineer. He and his wife have a home on Flaming Gorge Resevoir in Utah, that is paid off, a home in Fort Bridger WY on 500 acres that is paid off, and none of their 3 kids has had to pay a dime for their college education. Marge works for UP too. She is in the office there in Green River. Marge is 48 and Jack is 53.

I have a friend that is a building contractor and has an exclusive contract in the area to refurb repo'ed Fanny Mae and Freddy Mac homes. His business is booming! :tears:

Well i will do anything just to get in the door at CSX. I was thinking about going to NARS railroading school but they want 6,000 for conductor class. Thats alot of money. It is 6 weeks long. I was going to post a topic on here about me tryin to get a railroad job. I also visit railraodforums.com there is alot of good info on that site as well. As soon as CSX post something in the Philly area i am applying. It wouldn't hurt. You are right i am a young man i can do alot of things.:thumbsup:

CSX? They're union so you retain seniority rights in the event of a callback. Another nice thing about the RR is that you get out of the Social Security ponzi scheme and go under the Railroad Retirement Board (RRB).

I sure as hell wouldn't be in any hurry to live out of a truck, no matter what the economy. If I were you, I'd collect max unemployment which lasts 9 months (the gov is talking about extending it) and wait for a callback from the RR. Then get a part-time job under the table. That's what I used to do. I'd work for my buddy's home improvement biz installing ceramic tile...still do from time to time. You'd be surprised how many people in big mansions need stuff done around their homes. Once they get to know you and realize you won't steal anything, they'll hire you for all kinds of stuff and they'll recommend you to their rich friends. That's why my buddy is still busy in this economy...he's got jobs going around Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard, etc...some of these houses are bigger than the Taj Mahal. And it's all cash money for me. :thumbsup:

Some good points EXCEPT for the under the table business.

i got a feeling we know tired trucker...but he seems to behaving and actually some decent advise.

it's only a matter of time before he goes back to the same old routine.

how stable is the trucking industry right now? bout as stable as a one legged man on a pair of stilts