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I got my brother a job where I used to work and he made $100k last year just hauling hazmat drums around in a bobtail.
Example: Normally he's home every night with an occasional 2 day trip out of town. The last one he got sent on a overnight trip (400 miles one way) to pick up two 5 gallon drums of waste batteries. All this in a 3 axle bobtail truck.
Yep, that was a hard job...
Companies are SCREAMING for drivers right now, especially those that can pass a simple drug test have a fairly clean DMV sheet and can safely deal with cargo with minimal supervision.
Now the above makes *me* want to quit software engineering and do some driving, considering I'm not into substances (or alcohol) and pretty self-sufficient/smart. And a loner, and love to drive distance.
"I'm hired!"
Might do it, too, but the money to be made as a senior software manager is worth the significant stress. To OP, it is not. And guys like OP are definitely under stress, today was a doozy for some peers with a couple escalations I witnessed. They (we) are paid well but ...it's a meat grinder much of the time. Tough work, intellectually and interpersonally. Physically, not, other than sitting around on our ample rears all day which needs to be broken up to get some steps in, periodically. Lot of guys work standing up, I haven't tried that yet.
There will come a day, in maybe 10 years (who knows) when I can afford to earn a third or so of what I'm currently making. That's the day I "might" consider driving trucks, to. It ain't bad advice. Bottom line is it's all about what a person can live with for job and life satisfaction.
(My dad, when he retired, starting driving hearses. He loved it, not in a ghoulish way but to get in the miles and have peace and quiet. He was one of the least sentimental people I've ever known, too. It paid enough for his trips and fun stuff. His pension and social security covered expenses, and then some. So, apple doesn't fall far from the tree. The dead are great to drive with, apparently: no complaining, gossiping, whining, messed up drive through orders, etc. Not great conversationalists, though.)
You mention gutting and renovating homes. You can do this on the side. I did this on the side and kept my day job. Did the renovating on weekends and evenings and hired others as needed to do tasks and they were able to do those during weekdays. It was long hours every weekend and going to the property nearly every evening after work for several hours.
Having a steady income(day job) gives you investment income that is necessary to buy the property that you will renovate.
Maybe do that for a few years while keeping your day job and then decide after 3 years if you want to quit the day job.
You are moving to VA? Isn't that the holy grail of government related IT development work? Get a job either for the feds or even for the state or county or city gov.
Then do the renovation on the side for 3 years. Write the date down 3 years after you buy your first reno property. Then at that 3 year mark make the decision.
You want to make the best amt of money? Buy renovate a property and LIVE THERE 2 years and then sell. The profit is tax free when you live there 2 years. Some people do this every 2 years and they actually move every 2 years. It's a sweet deal if you are ok with moving every 2 years.
I think you are burned out right now. You need a small break and then switch to an IT job that is closer to 40 hrs a week. You'll be a different person.
The problem with trucking is 98% of the industry is completely crooked, doesn't pay much and prefers to churn and burn through drivers. Then, every good driver in existence wants those top 2% jobs and most don't get them.
If you can get through three years of being OTR and making little money, you might have a shot at a job that actually pays.
If trucking was such a great high paying profession, why is there 100% turnover?
Also, there is no shortage of drivers, only a shortage of new drivers. The mega carriers feast on churn and burn in order to keep costs down since they don't have to pay the new drivers much.
And to top it off the cost of freight has been going down, down, down, last time I checked.
The guys who make money in trucking are the ones who get themselves into little niches or they drive for a company that uses big trucks, but trucking is not their business.
You're talking freight or containers which I agree, is like working as a cashier at Wal Mart. I'm talking about specialized cargo which generally pays upwards of $20-$25 per hour NOT per mile or load.
I wouldn't recommend construction because when the recession hit, lots of construction workers lost their jobs. Some of them are still struggling to find work. Even if you find work, it would be off and on and not stable. You'd work six months or so and be laid off for a few months. I think being an IT technician would be a better fit. I suppose you wouldn't be stuck sitting in a desk most of the day.
In addition to working in construction, I have also gutted and renovated 2 houses, so I already have a pretty solid foundation to build on. Not saying I want to be a general contractor right away, but that would be the goal.
You can flip homes without a contractor license in California. You buy the home, do the rehab, and sell the home. Not sure if your timing would be that great though. You would want to find a home that is more than 25% undervalued.
You can also find work doing smaller jobs. Hanging doors for example. You are working under someone's license normally. It is paid by the job work and not by the hour. The faster you are the more you make.
Another thought is instead of construction, why not building maintenance. An idea I have been bouncing around is building a clientele of offices or other buildings and offering them a flat monthly fee to take care of all their maintenance needs. Lets say you have 50 customers and charge them each $200 a month. to take care of their maintenance. Using that economy of scale you can charge them a lower flat fee in exchange for taking care of all their basic maintenance. Plumbing, electrical, locksmith, anything else. Making regular visits to each of your clients and I am betting that after your expenses you could still make a decent living. The beauty of this is you would be handling smaller to mid size offices. larger places would have on site maintenance.
You're talking freight or containers which I agree, is like working as a cashier at Wal Mart. I'm talking about specialized cargo which generally pays upwards of $20-$25 per hour NOT per mile or load.
I agree, niche trucking or working for companies that use trucks, but aren't in the business of trucking, is where the money is, but that is a very tiny slice of the market. Most truck drivers will never be able to obtain it.
The positive though is if you can survive 3 years working otr it does open up the doors to the better jobs. Other positive is companies hire on the spot, none of this 6 interviews over 2 months bs. Also, trucking is very easy to get into.
What type of construction? Trades do not earn enough credit. They are generally stable jobs. Great earning potential.
Same thing with truck driving. If you are specialized, competent and safe and work for a reputable company you can do quite well.
In you can earn a comfortable living and keep your bills paid and do something you enjoy. You have it made.
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