Do you want to be a truck driver?

[longknife]

It's been years now but, when I was in the Army, I frequently drove from one coast to the other on both interstates and federal highways.I found truck drivers to be among the safest and most courteous drivers on the road.

Now my road trips are few and far between, usually Vegas to San Diego and return. 4 wheelers texting while driving or with cell phones to their ears rather uncommon.

And the truckers have become just as bad as the 4-wheelers! Add to that the many, many trucks with Mexican plates and it's become a zoo out there.

 

[pwjohn]

Try to avoid the busiest freeways.

 

[Moonglow]

Starting OTR pays squat...you're probably better off at McDonald's.

My kid makes 50k a year driving, and he's been driving about three years...He loves it, he has no wife or kids, gets to see the USA. takes his dog with him, has his computers to play on..Perfect place for him..he hated all the previous jobs he had, except one I got him into, armed security guards..

 

[Moonglow]

Actually, no, it's not. (Remember: you WILL be expected to work 60 hour weeks.)

I used to work 90+ hours a week running my own company and managing restaurants...

 

[Moonglow]

Dude, just stop. We BOTH know that most big OTR companies pay crap, demand they ignore HOS laws regularly, and generally treat drivers like garbage. (Offhand, I recall that to gross $50K/year for some carriers, you have to get 3000+ miles a week, every week!)

3,000 x .50 cents per mile = $1, 500 a week x 52 weeks =$77,000 a year..gross.. Not bad pocket change..

 

[Rexx Taylor]

i am one of those who starts to fall asleep after two hours of driving.

 

[Moonglow]

i am one of those who starts to fall asleep after two hours of driving.

Me too, when it's hot, it's sooner...

 

[Rexx Taylor]

i am one of those who starts to fall asleep after two hours of driving.

Me too, when it's hot, it's sooner...

well we all know how common it is, its not that the individual is tired, just the dilemma of having to stare at an eternal highway and can never take your eyes off the road to text or eat a burger. kinda like being hypnotized, "You are getting very very sleepy! Keep staring at that white girl walking half naked on the sidewalk"...sleeeepy!

 

[longknife]

As strange as it sounds, I found driving a 45' tour bus to be a lot easier and less stressful than driving a four wheeler.

Good seats to sit erect, steering wheel at optimum angle, excellent air brakes, and an awesome vista. Looking forward to someday buy an RV of equal size.

 

[Rocko]

There is no employment forum, so the brass here can move this thread as they see fit.

Do you think you can drive a big rig? Do you want to make a decent living, with a little hard work, and time away from home, you can learn to drive a truck, if you have the ability to safely maintain a passenger vehicle, then you can probably drive a truck for a living.

I have been in the trucking industry for over 25 years now. I have been a dispatcher, a planner, but mostly a truck driver. I started off driving a dump truck on a class B CDL(commercial driver's license), I got my class A's within 6 months of that, and started pulling a dump trailer. I've pulled covered wagons, tankers, low boys, and mostly dry box trailers. I've worked on local jobs, where I was home every night, and paid by the hour, and on jobs where I'm paid by the mile and now a job where I am paid by the mile and by the hour. I average bringing home over a grand a week, that's after all the taxes, and health insurance, and 401k comes out, and that's a bunch of money there. My gross check averages over 1400 a week, and I'm usually gone from home for an average of 5 consecutive days a week.

Getting a job in the trucking industry is as easy right now, as it has ever been. Here are the major guidelines.
1. Be 21 years of age.
2. Have a clean driving record.
3. Have no DUI's.

If you can answer yes to all the above guidelines, then you can get a job as a truck driver, with the right training.

How can you get trained? It's so easy nowadays. A couple of well placed phone calls, and you can get a job driving a truck. My first suggestion is to call SWIFT, Schneider, and JB Hunt. From my understanding, they all now have programs which will pay for your training, if you sign a contract to work for them for a certain number of years. Not only that, but they might pay for your training, and pay you at the same time.

You are not going to make a thousand a week to start with. In this industry, you can't beat experience. The insurance companies insure that. Most good companies won't even look at your application unless you have at least 6 months experience, and the best companies require a year or 2. But, if you are willing to put in the time, then in 2 years, you can drive for a good company and average a grand a week, or even a few grand a week.

Some drivers buy their own trucks and bring home several thousand a week, there's a lot more work involved, And you must be willing to set aside a majority of your profits just in case you have a major malfunction.

What can you do to be more successful than others in the truck driving industry?

This is where I set myself apart from the majority of truck drivers on the road.
1. Drive safely, don't speed, and don't get tickets.
2. Keep your truck in good working order, in other words, do your pre trip inspection, and don't slack on tire pressure, and checking everything.
3.Wear decent clothing. You don't have to wear a suit, but wear pants and not shorts when at a customer.
4. Respect other truck drivers, how can you do this? Have you ever come to a traffic jam, and seen two trucks side by side, holding up one lane of traffic, while the other lane slowly moves, well, that is respect for the other truck driver. Your time is not more important than someone else's, no matter how conceited you might be.
5. Keep your cell phone out of reach, if you need it, then pull over and use it.
6. Respect 4 wheelers. They are for the most part, idiots, and will drive you crazy, but no, you can't run them over, even though you think that most of them will not make it home tonight.
7. Respect your DM's(driver manager), I bring mine fruit or donuts at least twice a month, as a thank you for their hard work in finding me loads.
8. Respect the customer.

There is a lot more to it,ut the keyword is respect.

If you have any questions, please ask. And if you have trouble finding training, then please ask. There are hundreds of training places nowadays. And a driver shortage of over 30k, with an estimated shortage of 100k in 10 years. So get your foot in the door now, because driver pay is about to go thru the roof. In 10 years I expect to be bringing home over 2 grand a week, as a company driver.

Remember, if minimum wage goes up, everything goes up, and the one true rule of trucking. 'IF YOU HAVE IT, THEN A TRUCKER PROBABLY BROUGHT IT.'

I don't ever plan on driving a truck or anything, but I have a friend of mine that is planing on switching careers from insurance salesman to truck driver. He is looking to possibly do something with me when he gets his CDL. We've only had preliminary discussions about it and I don't know anything about the truck driving business. He says all I would need to do is put up anywhere from 20 to 30k to get us started in the business if we chose to lease a truck. Does that sound plausible to you?

 

[Preacher]

Got my class b cdl's. Can't find a damn job in the 8 years I have had it. Doesn't matter now driving record is shot to hell by now..Went to school for Class A but it was a joke...For some reason the state managed to send me to the only school that had lousy trainers and the turnover for them was horrid...couldn't learn a damn thing. Went to new school on my own dime and started out getting class A freaked out figuring I couldn't do it and switched to Class B. People wouldn't give me time of day....I keep them just in case and apply to whatever jobs come up but not expecting to be hired anywhere anytime soon.

 

[UllysesS.Archer]

There is no employment forum, so the brass here can move this thread as they see fit.

Do you think you can drive a big rig? Do you want to make a decent living, with a little hard work, and time away from home, you can learn to drive a truck, if you have the ability to safely maintain a passenger vehicle, then you can probably drive a truck for a living.

I have been in the trucking industry for over 25 years now. I have been a dispatcher, a planner, but mostly a truck driver. I started off driving a dump truck on a class B CDL(commercial driver's license), I got my class A's within 6 months of that, and started pulling a dump trailer. I've pulled covered wagons, tankers, low boys, and mostly dry box trailers. I've worked on local jobs, where I was home every night, and paid by the hour, and on jobs where I'm paid by the mile and now a job where I am paid by the mile and by the hour. I average bringing home over a grand a week, that's after all the taxes, and health insurance, and 401k comes out, and that's a bunch of money there. My gross check averages over 1400 a week, and I'm usually gone from home for an average of 5 consecutive days a week.

Getting a job in the trucking industry is as easy right now, as it has ever been. Here are the major guidelines.
1. Be 21 years of age.
2. Have a clean driving record.
3. Have no DUI's.

If you can answer yes to all the above guidelines, then you can get a job as a truck driver, with the right training.

How can you get trained? It's so easy nowadays. A couple of well placed phone calls, and you can get a job driving a truck. My first suggestion is to call SWIFT, Schneider, and JB Hunt. From my understanding, they all now have programs which will pay for your training, if you sign a contract to work for them for a certain number of years. Not only that, but they might pay for your training, and pay you at the same time.

You are not going to make a thousand a week to start with. In this industry, you can't beat experience. The insurance companies insure that. Most good companies won't even look at your application unless you have at least 6 months experience, and the best companies require a year or 2. But, if you are willing to put in the time, then in 2 years, you can drive for a good company and average a grand a week, or even a few grand a week.

Some drivers buy their own trucks and bring home several thousand a week, there's a lot more work involved, And you must be willing to set aside a majority of your profits just in case you have a major malfunction.

What can you do to be more successful than others in the truck driving industry?

This is where I set myself apart from the majority of truck drivers on the road.
1. Drive safely, don't speed, and don't get tickets.
2. Keep your truck in good working order, in other words, do your pre trip inspection, and don't slack on tire pressure, and checking everything.
3.Wear decent clothing. You don't have to wear a suit, but wear pants and not shorts when at a customer.
4. Respect other truck drivers, how can you do this? Have you ever come to a traffic jam, and seen two trucks side by side, holding up one lane of traffic, while the other lane slowly moves, well, that is respect for the other truck driver. Your time is not more important than someone else's, no matter how conceited you might be.
5. Keep your cell phone out of reach, if you need it, then pull over and use it.
6. Respect 4 wheelers. They are for the most part, idiots, and will drive you crazy, but no, you can't run them over, even though you think that most of them will not make it home tonight.
7. Respect your DM's(driver manager), I bring mine fruit or donuts at least twice a month, as a thank you for their hard work in finding me loads.
8. Respect the customer.

There is a lot more to it,ut the keyword is respect.

If you have any questions, please ask. And if you have trouble finding training, then please ask. There are hundreds of training places nowadays. And a driver shortage of over 30k, with an estimated shortage of 100k in 10 years. So get your foot in the door now, because driver pay is about to go thru the roof. In 10 years I expect to be bringing home over 2 grand a week, as a company driver.

Remember, if minimum wage goes up, everything goes up, and the one true rule of trucking. 'IF YOU HAVE IT, THEN A TRUCKER PROBABLY BROUGHT IT.'

I don't ever plan on driving a truck or anything, but I have a friend of mine that is planing on switching careers from insurance salesman to truck driver. He is looking to possibly do something with me when he gets his CDL. We've only had preliminary discussions about it and I don't know anything about the truck driving business. He says all I would need to do is put up anywhere from 20 to 30k to get us started in the business if we chose to lease a truck. Does that sound plausible to you?

I really don't know.

For someone with a little experience, they can usually lease a truck for very little down, for someone with no experience, I don't know.

I do know, to make money as a truck owner, you have to keep those wheels turning, so the most important thing is to get with a company that keeps that truck moving.

 

[Rocko]

There is no employment forum, so the brass here can move this thread as they see fit.

Do you think you can drive a big rig? Do you want to make a decent living, with a little hard work, and time away from home, you can learn to drive a truck, if you have the ability to safely maintain a passenger vehicle, then you can probably drive a truck for a living.

I have been in the trucking industry for over 25 years now. I have been a dispatcher, a planner, but mostly a truck driver. I started off driving a dump truck on a class B CDL(commercial driver's license), I got my class A's within 6 months of that, and started pulling a dump trailer. I've pulled covered wagons, tankers, low boys, and mostly dry box trailers. I've worked on local jobs, where I was home every night, and paid by the hour, and on jobs where I'm paid by the mile and now a job where I am paid by the mile and by the hour. I average bringing home over a grand a week, that's after all the taxes, and health insurance, and 401k comes out, and that's a bunch of money there. My gross check averages over 1400 a week, and I'm usually gone from home for an average of 5 consecutive days a week.

Getting a job in the trucking industry is as easy right now, as it has ever been. Here are the major guidelines.
1. Be 21 years of age.
2. Have a clean driving record.
3. Have no DUI's.

If you can answer yes to all the above guidelines, then you can get a job as a truck driver, with the right training.

How can you get trained? It's so easy nowadays. A couple of well placed phone calls, and you can get a job driving a truck. My first suggestion is to call SWIFT, Schneider, and JB Hunt. From my understanding, they all now have programs which will pay for your training, if you sign a contract to work for them for a certain number of years. Not only that, but they might pay for your training, and pay you at the same time.

You are not going to make a thousand a week to start with. In this industry, you can't beat experience. The insurance companies insure that. Most good companies won't even look at your application unless you have at least 6 months experience, and the best companies require a year or 2. But, if you are willing to put in the time, then in 2 years, you can drive for a good company and average a grand a week, or even a few grand a week.

Some drivers buy their own trucks and bring home several thousand a week, there's a lot more work involved, And you must be willing to set aside a majority of your profits just in case you have a major malfunction.

What can you do to be more successful than others in the truck driving industry?

This is where I set myself apart from the majority of truck drivers on the road.
1. Drive safely, don't speed, and don't get tickets.
2. Keep your truck in good working order, in other words, do your pre trip inspection, and don't slack on tire pressure, and checking everything.
3.Wear decent clothing. You don't have to wear a suit, but wear pants and not shorts when at a customer.
4. Respect other truck drivers, how can you do this? Have you ever come to a traffic jam, and seen two trucks side by side, holding up one lane of traffic, while the other lane slowly moves, well, that is respect for the other truck driver. Your time is not more important than someone else's, no matter how conceited you might be.
5. Keep your cell phone out of reach, if you need it, then pull over and use it.
6. Respect 4 wheelers. They are for the most part, idiots, and will drive you crazy, but no, you can't run them over, even though you think that most of them will not make it home tonight.
7. Respect your DM's(driver manager), I bring mine fruit or donuts at least twice a month, as a thank you for their hard work in finding me loads.
8. Respect the customer.

There is a lot more to it,ut the keyword is respect.

If you have any questions, please ask. And if you have trouble finding training, then please ask. There are hundreds of training places nowadays. And a driver shortage of over 30k, with an estimated shortage of 100k in 10 years. So get your foot in the door now, because driver pay is about to go thru the roof. In 10 years I expect to be bringing home over 2 grand a week, as a company driver.

Remember, if minimum wage goes up, everything goes up, and the one true rule of trucking. 'IF YOU HAVE IT, THEN A TRUCKER PROBABLY BROUGHT IT.'

I don't ever plan on driving a truck or anything, but I have a friend of mine that is planing on switching careers from insurance salesman to truck driver. He is looking to possibly do something with me when he gets his CDL. We've only had preliminary discussions about it and I don't know anything about the truck driving business. He says all I would need to do is put up anywhere from 20 to 30k to get us started in the business if we chose to lease a truck. Does that sound plausible to you?

I really don't know.

For someone with a little experience, they can usually lease a truck for very little down, for someone with no experience, I don't know.

I do know, to make money as a truck owner, you have to keep those wheels turning, so the most important thing is to get with a company that keeps that truck moving.

Thanks. One more thing. You said you have to have a good driving record, I know my friend got into a car accident about a year ago...nothing major, just a minor fender bender. Can that effect his employment opportunities? And can that make leasing a truck more expensive if I go into business with him?

 

[UllysesS.Archer]

There is no employment forum, so the brass here can move this thread as they see fit.

Do you think you can drive a big rig? Do you want to make a decent living, with a little hard work, and time away from home, you can learn to drive a truck, if you have the ability to safely maintain a passenger vehicle, then you can probably drive a truck for a living.

I have been in the trucking industry for over 25 years now. I have been a dispatcher, a planner, but mostly a truck driver. I started off driving a dump truck on a class B CDL(commercial driver's license), I got my class A's within 6 months of that, and started pulling a dump trailer. I've pulled covered wagons, tankers, low boys, and mostly dry box trailers. I've worked on local jobs, where I was home every night, and paid by the hour, and on jobs where I'm paid by the mile and now a job where I am paid by the mile and by the hour. I average bringing home over a grand a week, that's after all the taxes, and health insurance, and 401k comes out, and that's a bunch of money there. My gross check averages over 1400 a week, and I'm usually gone from home for an average of 5 consecutive days a week.

Getting a job in the trucking industry is as easy right now, as it has ever been. Here are the major guidelines.
1. Be 21 years of age.
2. Have a clean driving record.
3. Have no DUI's.

If you can answer yes to all the above guidelines, then you can get a job as a truck driver, with the right training.

How can you get trained? It's so easy nowadays. A couple of well placed phone calls, and you can get a job driving a truck. My first suggestion is to call SWIFT, Schneider, and JB Hunt. From my understanding, they all now have programs which will pay for your training, if you sign a contract to work for them for a certain number of years. Not only that, but they might pay for your training, and pay you at the same time.

You are not going to make a thousand a week to start with. In this industry, you can't beat experience. The insurance companies insure that. Most good companies won't even look at your application unless you have at least 6 months experience, and the best companies require a year or 2. But, if you are willing to put in the time, then in 2 years, you can drive for a good company and average a grand a week, or even a few grand a week.

Some drivers buy their own trucks and bring home several thousand a week, there's a lot more work involved, And you must be willing to set aside a majority of your profits just in case you have a major malfunction.

What can you do to be more successful than others in the truck driving industry?

This is where I set myself apart from the majority of truck drivers on the road.
1. Drive safely, don't speed, and don't get tickets.
2. Keep your truck in good working order, in other words, do your pre trip inspection, and don't slack on tire pressure, and checking everything.
3.Wear decent clothing. You don't have to wear a suit, but wear pants and not shorts when at a customer.
4. Respect other truck drivers, how can you do this? Have you ever come to a traffic jam, and seen two trucks side by side, holding up one lane of traffic, while the other lane slowly moves, well, that is respect for the other truck driver. Your time is not more important than someone else's, no matter how conceited you might be.
5. Keep your cell phone out of reach, if you need it, then pull over and use it.
6. Respect 4 wheelers. They are for the most part, idiots, and will drive you crazy, but no, you can't run them over, even though you think that most of them will not make it home tonight.
7. Respect your DM's(driver manager), I bring mine fruit or donuts at least twice a month, as a thank you for their hard work in finding me loads.
8. Respect the customer.

There is a lot more to it,ut the keyword is respect.

If you have any questions, please ask. And if you have trouble finding training, then please ask. There are hundreds of training places nowadays. And a driver shortage of over 30k, with an estimated shortage of 100k in 10 years. So get your foot in the door now, because driver pay is about to go thru the roof. In 10 years I expect to be bringing home over 2 grand a week, as a company driver.

Remember, if minimum wage goes up, everything goes up, and the one true rule of trucking. 'IF YOU HAVE IT, THEN A TRUCKER PROBABLY BROUGHT IT.'

I don't ever plan on driving a truck or anything, but I have a friend of mine that is planing on switching careers from insurance salesman to truck driver. He is looking to possibly do something with me when he gets his CDL. We've only had preliminary discussions about it and I don't know anything about the truck driving business. He says all I would need to do is put up anywhere from 20 to 30k to get us started in the business if we chose to lease a truck. Does that sound plausible to you?

I really don't know.

For someone with a little experience, they can usually lease a truck for very little down, for someone with no experience, I don't know.

I do know, to make money as a truck owner, you have to keep those wheels turning, so the most important thing is to get with a company that keeps that truck moving.

Thanks. One more thing. You said you have to have a good driving record, I know my friend got into a car accident about a year ago...nothing major, just a minor fender bender. Can that effect his employment opportunities? And can that make leasing a truck more expensive if I go into business with him?

It probably wont affect his employment opportunities, it usually takes more than just one accident unless there was drugs or alcohol involved, or an accident with injuries or death.

 

[Manonthestreet]

An observation , I have been driving for over 40 years ( a car not truck) and have traveled a lot of interstates and see big rig drivers getting worse in their driving , unsafe moves, riding the bumpers of cars in the right lane before swinging out to pass, not slowing down in bad weather. Can it be because of time versus money now. or even more so then before?

Most are caused by the other driver...next

 

[tigerred59]

Driving a truck is a trade that should be taught and offered to ex cons coming out of prison. Too many men with too much time on their hands would benefit ememsly if the prisons offered this training to non violent prisoners...and everyone benefits.

 

[Moonglow]

Got my class b cdl's. Can't find a damn job in the 8 years I have had it. Doesn't matter now driving record is shot to hell by now..Went to school for Class A but it was a joke...For some reason the state managed to send me to the only school that had lousy trainers and the turnover for them was horrid...couldn't learn a damn thing. Went to new school on my own dime and started out getting class A freaked out figuring I couldn't do it and switched to Class B. People wouldn't give me time of day....I keep them just in case and apply to whatever jobs come up but not expecting to be hired anywhere anytime soon.

The need drivers to move canoes and campers up the river..around here...

 

[Moonglow]

Driving a truck is a trade that should be taught and offered to ex cons coming out of prison. Too many men with too much time on their hands would benefit ememsly if the prisons offered this training to non violent prisoners...and everyone benefits.

Depends if you are a felon or not...

 

[AvgGuyIA]

When I was younger, I thought about driving a truck. Great thread! Hope you get a few drivers from it.

 

[jamesbrown123]

Nice thread about truck drivers. In fact these kind of initiatives should be welcomed since it would instill a sense of safe and secure driving of heavy vehicles. Also you can have a source for skilled drivers for vehicles like trailers and trucks which are useful for cargo and small vehicle transportation purposes.