truck driving

[ahmngrn30]

Anyone ever done it? Like it? Not like? Someone told me that he knows a guy that does it for 4 months a year and makes 50k.

What's the best way to go about getting your CDL? The few classes I've checked out are very expensive (like 3k+). I would hate to take the classes then not be able to find a job or will that not be a problem?

[Cubswin]

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Someone told me that he knows a guy that does it for 4 months a year and makes 50k.


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In Iraq?

[DarkForceRising]

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Someone told me that he knows a guy that does it for 4 months a year and makes 50k.

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I would question his veracity unless he was referring to someone doing it in Iraq.

I've never driven a big truck but I have expedited freight on a smaller scale (cargo van). It gave me enough of a taste of the biz to convince me that driving semi must really, really suck.

If you don't want to shell out the 3K on private training then you will have to get trained through a company. They will pwn you for a year. You won't make jackshit and you will rarely get home. Plus, they will likely give you all the garbage runs.

Does eating, sleeping and showering at truck stops appeal to you? How about being dead tired and struggling to find a place to park? Or being wiped out and having a dispatcher pressuring you to endanger your life- and the lives of others?

And what about the 6 to 8 weeks you will have to spend in a confined space with your trainer?

If you can deal with all of this, and keep your record clean, then after a year or so you will have more options. You might make 40 or 50K if you continue with the long-haul. Less if you do local or regional.

That said, you will have almost iron-clad security in your career. But don't be fooled into thinking that "you will be paid to see the country". That sunset in the desert won't make up for all of the bs.

The Stranger is the only truck driver here that I am aware of. Perhaps he can weigh in, and confirm or dispute my thoughts.

[TiK]

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What's the best way to go about getting your CDL? The few classes I've checked out are very expensive (like 3k+). I would hate to take the classes then not be able to find a job or will that not be a problem?

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I have a couple of friends who got their CDL's while they were students at the University of Michigan by working as bus drivers for the school's campus bus system. Not only did the school cover the costs for training them, but it was paid training.

[Perplexity]

http://www.mcsweeneys.net/links/unus...s/trucker.html

[The Stranger]

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The Stranger is the only truck driver here that I am aware of. Perhaps he can weigh in, and confirm or dispute my thoughts.

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Well, there's all kinds of different driving jobs. I've only done local route driving. Currently I'm uninsurable, so my job duties have changed a little bit. I guess calling me a truck driver is a little bit of a stretch. I was driving a 26,000 GVW bobtail, which is the largest vehicle you can drive without a CDL. Most people wouldn't hire you to drive something like that, but I did as part-owner of the company. And I was driving that 40 to 60 hours a week. Its basically the size of the largest UHauls. I have hired, fired and supervised drivers (again, for local routes) so I do know a little about the industry.

My dad (the other part-owner of the company) got his class-B license just by studying the DMV handbook for commercial driving and getting a physical. But he was experienced driving all kinds of big stuff like beer trucks and tractors. A CA class-B license allows you to drive pretty much anything without a trailer. Buses, large bobtails, a semi without the trailer attached, etc. There are special endorsements for hazmat, passengers, and such. Class-B licenses are somewhat uncommon, since most people who drive for a living would rather be able to drive anything (class-A). The largest vehicles my company uses are 33,000 GWV bobtails. Of course the biggest positive of going through a truck driving school is having trucks to practice with, and to use for the road test.

I know a few people who are or were long-haul drivers. Its a lot of work, but the money can be good. Some people do it just for two or three years to make money and keep their expenses low. It would take a certain personality though. If you have a sense of adventure about it and don't mind solitude most of the time, it can be okay.

I also know of a few jobs where you drive with a partner. My friend Kevin does routes back and forth Los Angeles to Phoenix with a partner. They take turns driving and sleeping (DOT regs put a maximum of ten hours a day per person).

The people who really make money though are owner-operators. So if you want to make the commitment of studying and getting your CDL and putting some financing together, it could be good.

Of course keeping in mind stress, fatigue, loneliness, risk of breaking down and paying for major repairs out in the middle of nowhere. Commercial insurance ain't cheap either.

Hope this helps.

[imsobroke]

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Anyone ever done it? Like it? Not like? Someone told me that he knows a guy that does it for 4 months a year and makes 50k.



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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ice_Road_Truckers

They had an article in the paper here recently about retirees driving freight. The guy that they featured the article about was making close to 6 figs a year just doing a route to Montana, down to St. Louis and back, one trip each week. Gone 3 days, home 4. I think it was for fedex. He travelled with his wife.

[kdog]

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The people who really make money though are owner-operators. So if you want to make the commitment of studying and getting your CDL and putting some financing together, it could be good

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I have over 30 years of managerial experience in the transportation industry. Here's my take.

Some O/ops do very well but the majority struggle and work as many hours as legally allowed(or more)to clear $40-50k. Their expenses are so high now it is very hard to make it unless one is willing to stay out 4-6 weeks at a time, take a week off, rinse and repeat. Fuel is close to $3/gal and you need a late model rig to get over 6 mpg. A monthly payment on that is at least $2k. Add in maintenance(set of tires $3k, service and oil change $400, blow out on the road $500 or more for a steer tire, insurance $300 or so a month, etc.)Hell, if you run the Northeast tolls will cost you almost $.10/mile. And when(not if)the tractor breaks and is in the shop for a week or more...no paycheck. Any wonder that 9 out of 10 people that try this don't last 5 years? Over half never finish making the payments on their first tractor.

The best driving jobs now are company jobs. Big corporations that run their own fleets, grocery chains, things like that. Even WalMart drivers do well. You get benefits, you get home, it's just a better deal. For these jobs you can make $60-70k. Not great for many here but pretty good for those without an education. Or for immigrants who did not have the educational opportunities we have in the US. That kind of money can help support a lot of people in places like Ghana or Albania.

The good news for this industry is that after you gain some experience you will always be able to get a decent paying job. There is a shortage of drivers and the shortage is growing. So OP, if you're still interested, check into some driving schools(do your homework, the quality varies). If you have ANY talent for driving you will be recruited right out of school. The money will suck for a year or two but then you will have your pick of jobs.

[kdog]

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They had an article in the paper here recently about retirees driving freight. The guy that they featured the article about was making close to 6 figs a year just doing a route to Montana, down to St. Louis and back, one trip each week. Gone 3 days, home 4. I think it was for fedex. He travelled with his wife.




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Those people are running as a team. That means one drives while the other sleeps then they switch. The "close to 6 figs" is what they are making together. Still not a bad deal if you can take that much of the wife. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]