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hookers are relatively cheap in the truck stops[especially when compared to fuel]. watch out for transvestites, some look pretty good after 11 hours on the road. unscrupulous brokers are numerous. a steady freight stream, at a reasonable rate, with a strong floating surcharge can lead to a pretty good income. there is a lot of paper work. federal, state, and local authorities[dot] sometimes can seem stifling, but this is true in any business. toothless hookers, though not the most beautiful, can sometimes be the most satisfying. be sure to carry some large paper bags and do not be afraid to double bag.
A job or career in trucking is not all about being otr or driving a combination.There is many jobs for a cdl holder.People need to look into other fields of trucking.Working for a ltl is not good right now for new drivers who are trying to get in,with all the changes and layoffs.Otr doesn't pay much, considering time spent from home and working long hours.If you do the math for otr drivers,the mileage paid with the hours driving or waiting for a load,it's like working at a retail store.Better off being in a factory job if you can find one.O/o is another story.
There are companies that pay well for otr,If you can get into one.The ones to try to work for are tankers,rather it dry bulk or liquid.Walmart is pretty good to work for if you can get in.
WOW, don't know why I didn't see this thread until now... But there's already some excellent advice posted above. IMright, the advice could go on for pages and pages. I guess there's some things you should consider right off the bat:
What do you want out of trucking? Where do you want to be in 5 years? Can you deal with the LIFESTYLE of trucking? (It's MUCH more than a job) I'd highly recommend doing some research in these areas before you even go off to driving school. Spend LOTS of time at a nearby truck stop and talk to LOTS of different drivers about the industry, their lives and the companies they work for.
DO NOT BUY OR LEASE A TRUCK UNLESS YOU TRULY KNOW HOW TO RUN A TRUCKING BUSINESS!!! (Once you know how to run a trucking business, you may decide it's better to truck on someone else's money; many owner/operators have learned that the hard way...)
If you feel like trucking might be for you, the most cost-effective training you can get will be at a public community college or Vo-tech. (All ANY driving school will do is teach you to pass a road test; years of experience will make you a truck driver)
Honestly, I've been a company driver for 11 years now. And I truly love it; wouldn't want to do anything else. But it's a darn hard way to make a living. Driver wages aren't nearly as good as they should be (especially at large truckload carriers...) Most of the good union jobs take a while to get into and many of the union LTL carriers will have you start out doing dock work. There are plusses and minuses to every kind of trucking. But the nice thing is that, if you love to drive, there is a job out there for you.
Probably the best source of GOOD information about trucking (from the driver's perspective) is: The Owner Operator Independent Driver Association (OOIDA) OOIDA is an association (not a union) that lobbies on behalf of truck drivers (as opposed to other groups that may not have the best interest of DRIVERS at heart) at the local, state and federal levels. If you plan a career in trucking, I HIGHLY recommend being a member: they have website OWNER-OPERATOR INDEPENDENT DRIVER ASSOCIATION - REPRESENTING TRUCKERS or call 1-800-444-5791. Ask them to send you Land Line magazine for free to look into us further!
Best of luck!
Last edited by Crew Chief; 04-22-2008 at 08:13 AM..
Reason: Added more info
Thank you for all of the great info. I think about being a truck driver because I love to drive, and it seems like it would be a job that would be fun because you get to drive when you want, and you stop and sleep when you want, get to see a lot of places.
I have been looking at some of the companies that will train you and give you a job, and I am not sure what one to try to go with. I do not have a truck (obviously) so how do I take a driver's test for a CDL? Would I have to have a truck to use for the test?
I am also wondering how the gas prices are effecting the truck driving industry. Do the company's pay for the gas?
What are the best companies to start with, and what is a good starting out pay? How do you get paid? Do you get lonely? Do you ever have to fly home for any reason like a family at home?
Thank you for all of the great info. I think about being a truck driver because I love to drive, and it seems like it would be a job that would be fun because you get to drive when you want, and you stop and sleep when you want, get to see a lot of places
maybe it can be in the beginning.Stoping and sleeping when you want too,yes and no.As long you get the freight there when it due.
I have been looking at some of the companies that will train you and give you a job, and I am not sure what one to try to go with. I do not have a truck (obviously) so how do I take a driver's test for a CDL? Would I have to have a truck to use for the test?
If they train you,they will give you a truck to take the test in.These companies will want you to sign a contract in return,to work from 1 to 2 years for them.
I am also wondering how the gas prices are effecting the truck driving industry. Do the company's pay for the gas?
Companies pay for gas for their own truck.If you lease a truck thru them you pay for gas.
What are the best companies to start with, and what is a good starting out pay? How do you get paid? Do you get lonely? Do you ever have to fly home for any reason like a family at home?
You will get lonely.You get paid by the miles.The bottom feeder companies start off like .30 cents a mile.Home time isn't good either.
How do I take a driver's test for a CDL? Would I have to have a truck to use for the test?
When I got my CDL class A I paid out $2500 for the course which cover your learning for a permit,driving training and DOT physical. They let you use their equipment and better yet the DMV came out to the school to test you on the pretrip and roadcousre. When you pass you get paperwork to take down to the DMV to get your license all preapprove by the state. All you have to do is smile for the picture at the DMV.
WOW, don't know why I didn't see this thread until now... But there's already some excellent advice posted above. IMright, the advice could go on for pages and pages. I guess there's some things you should consider right off the bat:
What do you want out of trucking? Where do you want to be in 5 years? Can you deal with the LIFESTYLE of trucking? (It's MUCH more than a job) I'd highly recommend doing some research in these areas before you even go off to driving school. Spend LOTS of time at a nearby truck stop and talk to LOTS of different drivers about the industry, their lives and the companies they work for.
DO NOT BUY OR LEASE A TRUCK UNLESS YOU TRULY KNOW HOW TO RUN A TRUCKING BUSINESS!!! (Once you know how to run a trucking business, you may decide it's better to truck on someone else's money; many owner/operators have learned that the hard way...)
If you feel like trucking might be for you, the most cost-effective training you can get will be at a public community college or Vo-tech. (All ANY driving school will do is teach you to pass a road test; years of experience will make you a truck driver)
Honestly, I've been a company driver for 11 years now. And I truly love it; wouldn't want to do anything else. But it's a darn hard way to make a living. Driver wages aren't nearly as good as they should be (especially at large truckload carriers...) Most of the good union jobs take a while to get into and many of the union LTL carriers will have you start out doing dock work. There are plusses and minuses to every kind of trucking. But the nice thing is that, if you love to drive, there is a job out there for you.
Probably the best source of GOOD information about trucking (from the driver's perspective) is: The Owner Operator Independent Driver Association (OOIDA) OOIDA is an association (not a union) that lobbies on behalf of truck drivers (as opposed to other groups that may not have the best interest of DRIVERS at heart) at the local, state and federal levels. If you plan a career in trucking, I HIGHLY recommend being a member: they have website OWNER-OPERATOR INDEPENDENT DRIVER ASSOCIATION - REPRESENTING TRUCKERS or call 1-800-444-5791. Ask them to send you Land Line magazine for free to look into us further!
Best of luck!
Very good advice! I've been an O/O as well as a company driver, tankers,hazmat (chemicals and gas) and frieght both long distance and local. To be honest, guys hauling loaves of bread made more than I did hauling gas. Hazmat liquids can pay decently but there is a risk involved. My brother hauls haz waste and is getting $24 an hour + bennies and is home every night.
At this point with fuel the way it is not to mention the cost of maintenence I'd drive for someone before owning again unless I could get either a mail haul or beer haul contract.
If I were to go back to driving I'd look at either Wal-Mart,Mc Donalds corp or one of the other fast food companies. You should take a look at your local Junior College, here it's $850 for a class A license course. The thing about being an O/O that you've got to take into account is while you may make thousands of $$ a month you'll only keep a small part of it. When I was driving I figured out how much time I spent and it worked out to about $4 an hour after everyone else was paid.
I do have to say it was an adventure for the 15 years I did it and I do miss it at times and have thought about going back but not until my kid is out on his own.
Good luck with whatever you decide!
Thanks for the info y'all. I am Jeff, 48, great physical condition, a paramedic and safety officer for an Oil and Gas company. I am going bonkers sitting behind a desk and need to get out and see more of the country. I've always love truck driving and those 5 hours hospital transfer were always fun for me. I wanted to get into OTR a few years ago. Currently, I am looking into Dootson School of Truck Driving for certification. How are computer applications helping with route finding and time for deliveries? We have them in our ambulances and they work great. Our charges are total miles driven from Hospital to drop off at $$$ per mile. What are practical miles? Shoot me any advice that you may have to my email adjeff13@hotmail.com.
I only went out once OTR for a short period of time and Swift Trans used Qualcomm. I never paid much attention to Qualcomm directions as they were usually wrong or there was a better way. Always carry an atlas.
That's the one thing I didn't care for about the job.......you weren't just a truck driver, there was tons of paperwork, logs and everything you wrote on paper , you also had to put on Qualcomm.
You may not get paid for every single mile. Some companies do hub miles, some do zip code to zip code, etc.
DH has decided to get out of sales, and into truck driving. He is now enrolled in a CDL course in which he is excelling. He will have a TWIC card and a Hazmat certification, and his driving record is pristine. We live very close to a port and local truck driving jobs are abundant, although long haul is more lucrative?
He is thinking of getting further training with a company in IA (TMC), and working over the road for awhile for experience. In other words he wants to be the best qualified, safest truck driver possible.
Any suggestions or pitfalls are appreciated.
To respond to some of the comments here, the DH would rather stay local, but is willing to put in a couple of years to pay his dues. He paid about $1800 for the course at a technical college, so is not beholden to anyone. Some trucking companies are recruiting pretty hard, and dangling some tempting stuff. The part that tempts him to go with one is the advanced training. Otherwise, he'd rather just haul containers out of the port all day long and be home every night. By the way, he is 61, so not beginning a career for the long term.
Last edited by gentlearts; 09-04-2011 at 10:31 AM..
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But there's already some excellent advice posted above. IMright, the advice could go on for pages and pages. I guess there's some things you should consider right off the bat:
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