Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I had a buddy who was a trucker. 26 years old and he pulled in 80K a year by volunteering for the long hauls which no one wants to do if they don't have to.
On the flip side, he was already on his 2nd marriage which quickly became his 2nd divorce.
I doubt it would be legal for them to lie.
And it makes sense, as there is a shortage and it is easy to get hired at truck driving companies if you pass schooling and have a good driving record.
My goodness. Do you believe everything you are told? It is in the best interest of the school to paint the picture. Further, if they just said and didn't provide you with literature to back the statement up.....well, yeah they could just lie to you.
Pro tips:
Can get a loan from a truck driving company to complete the truck driving school (like $3,000) or get it paid for by a gov department like the EDD.
If you get a loan from a carrier, or attend a company-run school, you will have to work for them for at least a year to repay the loan. This is a good thing, because you need to stay at your first carrier for a full year to set yourself up for finding a better job. If you can finish that year with no ticket or accidents, there will be even more doors open to you once you've completed your first year of driving.
Quote:
Originally Posted by wonderman65
Oh I forgot to mention. In some areas they start at $50,000 a year, and make up to $150,000 a year as an owner operator?
Don't even THINK about becoming an owner-op until you've been a company driver for at least 2 or 3 years. You need to learn this business well before going into business for yourself. You will also need to have a lot of cash in the bank, not only for start-up expenses but also to cover operating expenses until your first few settlements arrive.
As far as the income potential of being an O/O, the truck may gross $150,000 or more in revenue, but the driver will only be able to take home a fraction of that after paying all the expenses associated with owning and driving a truck.
Someone mentioned "taking you wife with you on the road ".
No way, most transport companies have a strict "no riders " policy, which is based on the very sensible idea that they don't want to be liable for that non employee in their truck. There ARE some double teams, that are a husband and wife, BUT the wife has to be properly trained and licenced, and do half the driving.
That, in my opinion, is the fastest way to a divorce court.
JiM B.
Some companies have a spouse-rider policy.
I took my first wife OTR with me for several months, and I can attest being around your SO 24/7 in a space the size of a closet will test your relationship. For us, it worked well.
If a couple is going to be on the truck together long-term, it's best (for several reasons) if they both drive.
I'm guessing you hauled Gas/Diesel to stations? I did that for a while and was a driver trainer. I'd never do that again unless I could get in with a major like Shell/Arco/Chevron and maybe not even then.
Most (if not all) of the majors sold their fleets years ago, and have since been using third-party carriers to move their product from the rack to the customer.
My goodness. Do you believe everything you are told? It is in the best interest of the school to paint the picture. Further, if they just said and didn't provide you with literature to back the statement up.....well, yeah they could just lie to you.
That's what recruiters do - they are salespeople, after all. Whether they're recruiting for a company or a school, their job is to get you to sign up, therefore, their numbers always represent a "very best case" scenario.
Maybe it's just me, but it seems like truck driving is a popular consideration for older people or someone looking to get into a second career later in life.
If I was much younger trucking would have been an option, but I'm in my 40's and my body definitely could not handle it, so props to those older folk who can.
When I was in my mid 20's, I used to drive for fun between LA and San Fran regularly, sometimes going back and forth the next day. I loved to drive everywhere.
Nowadays just driving for an hour will start to give me backaches, neck pain, and I have to use the bathroom more often. Not for me.
The job placement numbers are close to correct. Placement is the key.
I went through the TDI program out of my own pocket. Got a job with Werner. Lasted about a week.
They did place me, I just wasn't cut out for the job (plus my 'trainer' was an O/O who was behind on his payments, so no real training took place - I was more 'meat in the seat' to keep his wheels moving). I did have years of experience of driving a concrete truck, so it wasn't a completely new experience for me.
Not really sure of the point of this thread, but here is my take on becoming a professional OTR driver:
It's going to cost you $3-6k for schooling. Either through a for-profit school or through a company's in-house program.
Roughly, it was $5k for TDI, but since I paid out of pocket, I didn't have to pay the extra $1000 of interest for their funding program. While in school, you will apply to several companies in order keep their high placement statistics up. You will probably be picked up by one or more companies to take part in their student driver program. You will paired with a trainer for a set amount of driving hours before you will be evaluated to drive your own truck. Pay for this period is roughly $300 a week.
I you choose to go the in-house route, most of the above will be the same, but at this point you are on the hook to the company for the cost of your schooling. Drive for them for a year and it's paid. Quit for them before that point and you will have to make up the pro-rated difference.
So I would say the placement numbers are correct. You can go from the street to the seat in 6 weeks. It's the 3 months after hiring statistics that would be more telling.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
