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I'm a 40 year old single parent, with only a high school diploma and my occupation is a truck driver for a local construction company. I'm just burned out from going to a job and working for someone else everyday. I want my money to make money so I can work when I want. Travel when I want, around my son's school schedule of course lol. I have been driving truck for 15 years it's the only skill I really have. I've been reading a lot that freelancing your skills is becoming the new thing to do, but it's a hard to freelance being a truck driver. I just want to change course and earn more $$$ and have more freedom but in my situation is it even possible. I have a 401 with around 25k if it matters. Thanks in advance
The far far majority of people in America work for someone else AKA “The Man”. There is nothing wrong with it you just need to pick the correct job. My buddy moved from FL to a northern ATL burb and bought a bread truck route for somewhere in the $60k - $80k range. He works for himself as and LLC but has to get up at 4 am everyday and works 6 days per week. I think the latest he told me he nets just under $2k per week (not sure if after taxes or just expenses). Pretty sure the value of his route has doubled in the past 6 years that he has owned it so he has good equity there. His house in rural ATL was < $150k and is relatively nice so he makes out quite well as a 35 year old single man with no kids.
You may want to look for another career due to automation depressing local driving jobs when long haul trucking gets automated. This is much closer to reality than you think.
Also I am in the transportation industry too and grappling with the automation issue as well. I do earn a decent wage though and save at this point a good chunk of money a month.
You may want to look for another career due to automation depressing local driving jobs when long haul trucking gets automated. This is much closer to reality than you think.
Yeah you know my industry had a shortage too. Let's see, pay people $18k a year out college where they just dropped $60k on training (or easily more, like double) and expect them to keep lining up?
Eventually the new hire pay tripled and the top end pay has increased 50% or so to entice people.
So cry me a river when I hear shortage. Yeah. There's a shortage of people willing to be on the road for 50 weeks a year and sleep in their trucks to make $40k.
The marginal effect on increasing mileage rates 50% in the trucking industry will have a negligible impact on each delivered good and would solve the "crisis" overnight. Gas prices have a higher impact.
Always felt I lived from check to check (except for one time in my life).
At one point, I had 3 jobs but I was determined to pay cash for a car and would not buy anything until I had the money.
I can still remember going into the department store, buying an outfit and actually writing a check (OK, it was in the early 1980's). Not on credit even though I had a card there.
I started saving $5 weekly until I got to $50 weekly and just never stopped doing that. I was determined to always have enough somewhere (real estate) in case I needed to liquidate.
I always paid the bills first; then worried about what else had to be paid.
Some of it was my college tuition.
One thing that helped me is that I had good credit so I didn't pay high interest rates. I made sure I got good loans and educated myself. I also didn't go crazy with shopping but when I did go shopping, I bought quality stuff that would last.
Make a list of what you pay each month; go through your bank statements and cut down on the little things.
For example, if you stop for a coffee or fast food twice a day, try to make it once a day twice a week instead of 5 days a week. Little things. See what you can cut out. Maybe it's $10 a month - start there.
Keep contributing to your 401K and forget it's there. Spending the time with your children is important also and will pay dividends one day. (I have 2 wonderful young adults in my life).
Yeah you know my industry had a shortage too. Let's see, pay people $18k a year out college where they just dropped $60k on training (or easily more, like double) and expect them to keep lining up?
Eventually the new hire pay tripled and the top end pay has increased 50% or so to entice people.
So cry me a river when I hear shortage. Yeah. There's a shortage of people willing to be on the road for 50 weeks a year and sleep in their trucks to make $40k.
The marginal effect on increasing mileage rates 50% in the trucking industry will have a negligible impact on each delivered good and would solve the "crisis" overnight. Gas prices have a higher impact.
You are off on your income figures so your opinion of the shortage has to be discounted
Uh, this is one of thee most bizarre posts I have ever seen. You don't know how to be an indy trucker? You don't know anyone who is, or someone who runs their own trucks and has a few guys driving for them? Drivers are in demand right now, contract drivers even more so. I know a couple of guys who are small operators, they are thriving and have been for some time. One immigrant I know sold his gas stations and started a trucking company just last year. He made good money with his gas stations and real estate so he must have saw an opportunity in trucking.
You are off on your income figures so your opinion of the shortage has to be discounted
Lol, my income figures are spot on for my industry
Average owner operators net 60k-ish or so after expenses, of course some make more especially if they pair up.
New drivers working for a company start around 40k. It might be closer to 50k now maybe.
There are of course companies that pay better but not the norm. Some are union like UPS but it takes a decade of throwing boxes to land a spot on their list.
Average fuel costs are more than avg labor costs in trucking.
Uh, this is one of thee most bizarre posts I have ever seen. You don't know how to be an indy trucker? You don't know anyone who is, or someone who runs their own trucks and has a few guys driving for them? Drivers are in demand right now, contract drivers even more so. I know a couple of guys who are small operators, they are thriving and have been for some time. One immigrant I know sold his gas stations and started a trucking company just last year. He made good money with his gas stations and real estate so he must have saw an opportunity in trucking.
A co-worker owned a trucking company. Had 10 or 12 trucks, and hauled for GM. Lost everything in the 2008 recession. GM left him hanging with over $1m in invoiced bills.
Lol, my income figures are spot on for my industry
Average owner operators net 60k-ish or so after expenses, of course some make more especially if they pair up.
New drivers working for a company start around 40k. It might be closer to 50k now maybe.
There are of course companies that pay better but not the norm. Some are union like UPS but it takes a decade of throwing boxes to land a spot on their list.
Average fuel costs are more than avg labor costs in trucking.
Walmart is start drivers in the 80k, FedEx here locally is starting cdl drivers in the 70+ range
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