Thoughts on a career in trucking?

[HawkeyeScott]

Any truckers, past or present, have thoughts to share on the business as a career? It's something I'm considering, albeit a longshot, as a potential career. Heard different opinions over the years, but know it's an industry that continues to need workers. Purely in research mode, but something I've considered for a long time. Married with two fairly young kids. I'm in my 30s, FWIW. Curious about pay, benefits, on/off schedules and anything else a guy should know. Thanks a lot.

 

[anonobomber]

BLS is a good place to start: http://www.bls.gov/ooh/transportation-an...uck-drivers.htm

 

[Ramblejam]

Specifically, what sort of "trucking" do you have in mind?

Do you currently have your CDL/Endorsements?
Do you have any experience?
Do you have any industry/insider connections?

 

[simple_gifts]

https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/topics/3141820/1

A post from a few years ago; See the comments by Drew99GT;

A brief discussion with him via PM indicates that there is a manufactured shortage of drivers so truck driving schools can cash in on a stream of newby underpaid drivers and wash them out of the business by making the livelihood almost intolerable.

I'd love to hear otherwise from a professional driver; i have thought about it; my friend's son who attended a school, but did not finish, indicted that the instructors didn't paint a pretty picture of the first few years on the job.

 

[HawkeyeScott]

Nope, I'd be starting from scratch.

 

[clinebarger]

Not the life for a married man with young kids....

 

[HawkeyeScott]

Wow, thanks. Eye opening. That last paragraph on the long post Drew shared...as good as Nything I've seen here.

Very helpful. Exactly the kind of stuff I need to hear.

 

[BigD1]

Over a million miles on the hard top before I gave it up.

After you get a year or two experience, the best paying jobs are the line haul routes for carriers like YRC Trucking and UPS. Also, look for companies that have their own private fleets because they pay good, and the turn over is low. These type of companies usually haul what ever they are producing.

I wish I had done this myself. Go train with a company that does flatbed hauling. It's hard work, and you will get dirty, but in the end the pay off can be sweet. With some long haul flatbed experience, you can find some really good jobs with good pay locally that require flatbed experience. Some of these companies that make pipe etc. have their own small fleets too.

Just use the big or small over the road companies like JB Hunt, Schneider, and etc. as a stepping stone to get where you need to be. It's a rolling sweat shop that's for sure, and the pay can be bad at times, but once you get that experience under your belt, then a lot of doors will open. Pick a company to work for, and just stay there until you get the experience needed for the next step. And whatever you do, never abandon a truck!

 

[joel95ex]

it all depends on who you work for....driving a fleet truck, your own truck, routes/region or OTR. you gotta do whatever it takes to pay bills, but being gone overnight with a wife and kids at home is asking for more trouble than it's worth IMO

 

[Nitronoise]

If you can obtain a CDL work for a local or small carrier , or a co-op if your handle is Iowa based , to learn the ropes and see if it's a fitfor you , I made the mistake of OTR as a married man and well the marriage was toast ,,, I have now worked every job in the transportation industry , I sell for a carrier now and I still have my CDL and work part time week ends as I have 2 kids in college and it's a great part time gig for me for covering incidentals for just my 3 cents worth

 

[Drew99GT]

I'm probably a bit too pessimistic on the industry, but everyone I've talked to who is or was a drivers told me to RUN away from the idea. It's literally a 24/7/365 job when you start out doing OTR driving. You'll be out for weeks on end. However, if you enjoy it, your family will put up with it, and you can keep your driving record clean, once you get a year or 2 under your belt, you can get LTL jobs with YRC, Fed Ex Freight, Old Dominion, UPS etc. that have very good earnings, great benefits, and much much better schedules. It's just how much B S do you want to put up with starting out with the hopes of landing one of those gravy jobs.

 

[Charlie1935]

I quit last July after over 40 years and around 4,000,000 miles.
I agree fully with Drew.

 

[Dave Hess]

Just learn a trade a make good money and not be away from home as a trucker. Tuff industry and you'll get treated like trash no matter how good of a job you try to do.

What are you currently doing for employment ?

 

[Pop_Rivit]

Like any other field, you'll start at the bottom and work your way up. If you enjoy the work, and in some cases the erratic hours or days/weeks away from home, then there are quality companies that treat their employees well.

A friend of ours was a city driver for a quality LTL carrier for years. He enjoyed the work, liked getting out and seeing people every day, was home nights/weekends, and the pay/benefits apparently were pretty good.

One of my first post-college jobs was with an LTL company rolling out their first computer system (the old LTL 400). The linehaul drivers with a regular route seemed to like what they were doing. One driver ran the Des Moines-Kansas City route each night, and apparently it was nothing more than drop and hook at each end. That being said, to get there required a number of years of work doing some of the grunt jobs. But most industries are like that-you won't step into the good jobs until you've paid your dues by working the more mundane jobs.

As far as over-the-road trucking, it's a different world and not well suited for families. I'm sure it works for some, and there are some carriers that are sensitive to families, but especially starting out it's going to be a lot of long, monotonous hours. And given the number of hours worked, the pay may or may not be all that great.

 

[LoneRanger]

Saw a documentary on over the road long haul truck driving industry a few yrs ago. Remember that it was said that a new driver basically "says to his wife, 'I'm going to go live out of a truck so we can pay the mortgage'..." and that the applicants were so in demand and the supply so short that a new driver might expect to be partnered with a convicted felon of possible dubious character as their co-driver in the rig.

That may all have changed since. I think it was around 2012 or 13 that I saw it on some cable channel.

Here is an example of an apparent need for better training:

 

[Jarlaxle]

Local work tends to pay pretty well...OTR, not so much.

 

[Dave Hess]

I always thought it would be cool to take a year off work and drive an 18 wheeler seeing different parts of the country. Our economy revolves around trucking and its drivers.

 

[HawkeyeScott]

Thanks everybody. Really appreciate you taking the time to weigh in. Been a year dealing with an unusual amount of junk at my job and just trying to figure out what's what. Father in law is a guy who spent 30 years at the same job, made good money but hated every single day of it. He was slave to the salary and what it meant for his family. I know the feeling, but I know a lot of other guys do, too.

The goal right now is to better handle it, adjust, find better escapes, and hope things improve.