[rutha1105]

Very realisitic post BIBound. And the worst part is that most truckers can't drive legal and make a living. And sorry to hear you are living alone. I did that for 17 years. Do whatever you have to do to be together. The relationship will not survive if you don't.

[berretta09]

But the reputations of truck driving still has people hesitant. It really is a shame its a very rewarding career and you can make alot of money doing it.

[Bhaalspawn]

Originally Posted by malamute

Bush is making sure the trucking jobs are going to be given to Mexican truck drivers. They'll drive for hours, work long hours and who cares how many Americans are killed by them. It's what the corporations want.

Yeah, that could be a problem. However, it still seems like a halfway decent field for now. The problem is that you'll probably have to start out as an over-the-road type of driver, which means that you'll live in your truck and not at home, which may or may not be an issue. That's one of the reasons why jobs might be available in that field. Also, the pay isn't that fantastic and you might be pressured to do illegal or unethical things--speeding, falsifying log books so that you can drive longer, etc. You might also have to put up with weigh station inspections (aka "chicken coops") and I've heard that if you get fined for being overweight, it comes out of your pocket. Once you have some experience, it might be possible to get a local gig, perhaps driving gasoline tanker trucks. That pays pretty well, I garner.

Hey, if you don't have anything else going on for yourself, then go for it.

[Driller1]

I had a bad experience two summers ago with the DOT. He pulled me over because the tuck looked heavy. To this day I believe the problem was I am female. Then he told me to pull over in a lot and he would weight the truck. It was an uneven surface, it was water, 3000 gallons. Yep, the truck was heavy on one side. Then he tried to tell me I had no license plate. He called his supervisor to find out I was right. I did not need one. Then he picked at every little thing he could find. He asked me a million questions, as if he was testing me for a CDL. It was awful! I got an $1,800 ticket, the court tossed it out. It was still more time I had to spend because of him. I hate the DOT.

[MittenDweller82]

Driller:
Well you are in a state that needs money badly so of course you are going to get weight stations that inhibit unfair treatment, ( I drive I-94 all the time) and I see it daily, they will do most anything to post a profit.

[Driller1]

Originally Posted by Sociologist

Driller:
Well you are in a state that needs money badly so of course you are going to get weight stations that inhibit unfair treatment, ( I drive I-94 all the time) and I see it daily, they will do most anything to post a profit.

It was on a two-lane road, no weight station. Portable scales on uneven ground. It was all overturned in court. Just cost me time. What really mad was he asked me questions like a licensing test. He had looked at my license.

[marmac]

I have a lot of respect for "over the road" truckers.
In the past,the job seemed like you had a lot of "freedom". Now most truckers say the dock schedules are so tight that you are under the gun to make the weekly schedule click.

I also heard of many "horror" stories of how badly some smaller trucking companies treat their "over the road" drivers.(perhaps that explains the large number of --Help Wanted-Drivers ads that appear in so many newspapers.

[rutha1105]

Originally Posted by marmac

I have a lot of respect for "over the road" truckers.
In the past,the job seemed like you had a lot of "freedom". Now most truckers say the dock schedules are so tight that you are under the gun to make the weekly schedule click.

I also heard of many "horror" stories of how badly some smaller trucking companies treat their "over the road" drivers.(perhaps that explains the large number of --Help Wanted-Drivers ads that appear in so many newspapers.

You got it-- line for line. It "used" to be a job for people who liked freedom. You only had two orders for the day--where to go and when to be there. Now you can't possibly do the orders legally and make a living.