Soon to be a new trucker in nj
 

Hey too all here!!! I ben on the forum for about a week or so, and read alot of stuff on here both good and bad. As for me ill be getting my class a, unlike alot of people, this is something i have been wanting to do for a while not not something i want to do because the goverment will pay or anyother reason like that. How bad is the industry? Some people tell me there is great money out there in the industry,some tell me its a horrible time to be a trucker, and some say to buy my own truck(nothin new) and do loads for a company that pays by bthe load not the mile. Whats really going on and what should i do

it's as good or bad as you make it, get on with a good company, dont consider a lease purchase EVER and dont consider buying a truck until you have a few years experience

Well im in nj. And im a painter at a highend body shop. What are the payrates by the hour? Also alot of companies want exp. So who will hire a driver with no exp?

most of the better schools offer placement assistance, pay is usually mileage or percentage, you could realistically expect to make around 35-40 grand your first year, maybe a little more if you learn fast and are willing to stay out, you wont get rich anytime soon. however, if you want to know how to make a million dollars in trucking very quickly, I can tell you

I cant imagine that the money would be anywhere near what you should be making in a high end body shop as a painter,especially the way things are right now. You will also be very hard pressed to find anything paying by the hour with no experience.

Right now you would be much better off in the body shop, I know this is the slow time of year and this year is probably worse than last, BUT it's still better pay than what you can expect as a driver. If things are that slow pick up some side work and hack out a job or two in your garage at home, I still do about 2 a year and make good $$ I just can't do it full time anymore (health reasons)

I'll take your job at the body shop, and you take my job driving. I'll bet I make more money.

Wait a minute... Where'd you say it was? New Jersey? Ummm.... Maybe not. Not in NJ.

With the way people drive in NJ, the body-shop business would be the perfect one to be in.

dang straight,your going from a good job to a suck job. you've got to realize all the time that is spent being laid over in some truck stop, rather than being in your own home. how much is your time worth.:thumbsdown:

Wow why are you leaving a great job like that? Trust me the novelty of driving a big truck wears off quick, it happens about the time you have your dispatcher breathing down your neck, the smell of pee bottles while fueling, having lot lizards knocking at your door, and getting in arguments with shippers and other drivers. I mean would you rather make good money work normal hours and be home every night or be out weeks at a time awake at all hours with no normal sleep schedule or life. There is no one hiring inexperienced drivers out there, very very few places are. There is a huge over saturation of experienced drivers right now. Those that are driving are barely moving sitting for days on end waiting for a load not making a dime. Stay where your at then if things recover down the road and you still have the bug then get driving but as of now I would just stay where I was at.

amen to that brother, you hit the nail on the head.

well iguess you are rite in one way, but the bodyshop bussiness isnt that great at all this time of year, my boss had a staff meeting like 2wks ago and was saying the bussiness has not been averaging what it used to in the past 2 yrs. he is making some money but juat to get by and pay his overhead. we are like the most busy shop in northern nj, but the numbers arent that great, no overtime in like a year and some months. the average pay for a painter now days is between $43000 and $48000 and thats bcuz there are way to many wanna be painters that think they can paint for a cheaper labor, this is something that i read about on here, the more experienced drivers want the big money loads but you got the rookie thatll take anything for a lower rate. i dont wasnt to do over the road or be out days a week. thats why i wantd the opinion from you experienced drivers. i hear is bad, then its good, or people say get my own truck. this is all new to me

I can understand a slump in the bodyshop business as well. But, with the number of companies that have gone out of business in the last two years, there are quite a number of people that have spent the money to go to driving school, only to find out that they can't get a job, but have thousands of dollars to pay back for the school.

Your business may be slow now, but wait till the first snowfall hits. I've seen hundreds of cars (and SUVs) that were going to need work in one trip from Trenton to the NY line along I-287. The way folks DON'T KNOW HOW TO DRIVE up there, it should pick up in a couple of months.

same thing in the body shop world, so many shops either closed down or just went out of bussiness. i was even thinkg of buyin a small shop, but here is the thing, guy gets into an accident, puts the claim in, gets the chk, and finds the cheapest way to get the car fixed so he can have some money to pay some bills, this past winter we had both buildings packed with work but more than half were totaled. thats why there is a big big slump in that world now. im gettin all my practice from my aunts 2nd husband who is a trucker. so im not going thru a school and spending thoudands of dollars (LUCKY ME)

You'll also find that a lot of companies will not hire unless you are a graduate of an accredited school. Good luck.

im not really worried about findng a job, i more concerned in the long run. are companies steady, are there lots of lay offs even in the big companies. like i asked when i started the thread,("" Some people tell me there is great money out there in the industry,some tell me its a horrible time to be a trucker, and some say to buy my own truck(nothin new) and do loads for a company that pays by bthe load not the mile. Whats really going on and what should i do")

stay where your at.:thumbsup:

man you gona learn the hard way. its no joke when you cant feed your family. stay were u at

im gonna stay where im at for now, but if its sooooo bad being a truck driver why become one, if your a truck driver already and it sucks why not do something else?

I feed my family, drive a nice KW, bought my wife a new suv for Christmas, bought my son a pickup, and bought new atv's for my son and me.. you can make good money in trucking, you just have to find the right niche and adjust your attitude
ALL jobs have good and bad sides, it's all what you make of it

That's freaking great, here's a cookie. Here can you repeat that to my 7 month old and my 7 year old daughter who is handicapped I don't think they heard you over my wifes tears she cries every night worring about here unemployment running out or my job moving to ohio, or how were going to aford groceries next week, tell that to the other guys one here with kids and no job.
I kno you can make money in trucking.
But so can you in other other fields.
Im saying this, guys come one her asking questions with there minds already made up and there gonna learn the hard way. Im not a painter but I used to work in a body shop in pa. Where they get 15 to 20 an hour. But your in jersey so it should me more. If your bored go get a hobby, takea vacation. Hell get your cdl if you have time, just don't jump into it fully right now. Lotta places like that your cdl even tho you might now use it. They may even give you raises. You never kno they may need you to pick up class A trucks or drive rollbacks for them

there gonna learn the hard way.
or MAYBE they will make it just fine

yea maybe your right, what was i thinking.
trucking is where its at now

thats kind of an open ended question, why does anybody do anything

I know a lot of guys who are making it in trucking and a few who arent, things suck everywhere, it's possible to make it or fail in any job.. I would rather be home every night, but believe it or not, I can make more money trucking than anywhere else right now, and I have a degree in air conditioning and appliance repair. only problem..

"construction is down right now and no one is having anything repaired"
if I only had a dollar for everytime I heard that

thanks for the cookie, it was delicious

home made chocolate chip

I will send you a homemade peanut butter cookie in return.