Comments By Texas Tim

7) NO rookie should do it. You will hit things, get stuck in the mud or snow and could even roll the truck. As a lease op that is all on you. sure you have insurance and pay a couple thousand for deductibles, but IF they claim negligence, the entire bill is your responsibility. Last year a lease op rolles the truck on Mayfair on his first load. he will never drive again, plus owes the payment and insirance for the truck as well as the PSD loan and food advance. At best that is about $10,000.

Dang Kearsey you make a lot of good points and you're scaring me to death... I just signed a lease with Wilson/Prime because after all the training and work I put in, I only made about $700 a week the first couple of weeks on my own. My first week as a LO was decent, second week I didn't make a dime but it was a learning experience I guess, and third week I'm gonna bring home around $5000 if I did the math right.

Is that good money? Yes. Is it worth it in the long run? I don't know yet...

I've been trying to cook on the truck more. Truck stop food is expensive and unhealthy so I brought an air fryer, a George Foreman grill and bought a microwave. I've been cooking chicken thighs in the air fryer but it's getting to where it faults the circuit breaker on the inverter so I'll have to start cooking them on the grill to get them brown and finish them in the microwave.

It's been a while since I've updated! Mountain Matt ended up with my trainer (thanks to yours truly!) and I'm officially on my own! Normally we have a "solo week" where we drive for a local account and get a lot of practice backing docks but they were closed for the holidays so they had me run loads within a few hundred miles of Springfield for a week, minus the 4 days I took off for Christmas. Now I'm officially a company driver paying my dues and getting paid!

I've had a couple loads to and from Denver but only just now have seen any snow. I deliver here in Pennsylvania tonight. I plan on staying out until me and my wife's anniversary at the end of February.

The training I've received at Wilson has been top notch. If you're toying with the idea of becoming a trucker I highly suggest contacting them.

So passed my 30,000 miles and then some on our way to Cali then routed back to Springfield. Passed my road and backing test with flying colors! I'm finally in my OWN TRUCK yall! About to have embark on my first solo load later today!

Thanks again for dinner the other night, Matt! Good luck and be safe!

(I totally forgot to snap a picture of me and Matt🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️ but here's a picture of the truck!)

Ok quick update:

Almost at 30,000 miles. Was hoping to be back this week. Will go over my miles in order to get them all in. Just left Reed City MI yesterday en route to Carson CA then will head back to Springfield to test. Almost there!!

I'm driving the night shift so headed to bed. Should see our very own Matt McKellar this week!

Being a C/O was similar .. right ?!?!? Fun & frazzling, all at once! Hahaha! I only know from the 'jump seat' of a truck, mostly...tbh! Our cousin that lives behind us is a C/O at MANCI . . . (i HEAR stuff... i'd rather not.. tbh!)

Pharmacy tech's get robbed more'n C/O's this day & age, LoL !! My guy was IT thru & thru.. and got rif'd in 2000'ish. . . never looked back since he got his 'real' CDL in 2003. Tried STNA'ing in between, and owned a dump truck/refuse route all during. Fell under the radar, haha!

Oh yeah!!! Dang me.......Just checking BACK.. SINCE YOU HAVEN'T, haha!

And???

I wait patiently ... for a week, most'ish, haha!!

Hope all is WELL!!

~ Anne ~

I never get notifications when I get new comments... its weird but yes things are going great! We are in south Texas for the week where my trainer lives. If I stayed with him I can still get paid for the week (so I'm not on hometime technically). I found out once we hit the road next week I'll only have 9400 miles to go! We may run into some pockets of snow though so PRAYERS APPRECIATED!!

Yes Anne being a CO could be a little touch-and-go at times but overall we were in charge and kept order. It was a lot of barking orders and making sure nobody was screwing around when I ran the kitchen. They would rob us blind if I didn't!

I'll try to post some pictures from the road so far if I can figure out how to post em...

- Tim

Where were you a C/O? I have seen the insides of some units.

I was a cook in high security at one unit. Worked in the kitchen commissary at the same unit.

I was security in the kitchen at Meadows Unit, Eyman Complex, Florence AZ

Hey Tim, I'm considering going for the lifestyle, and your pictures are an inspiration. Congratulations on your success so far. I'm sure I'm not the only would-be new driver encouraged by your story.

Thank you! It's good to know it could help somebody! I really enjoy trucking as a job so far and think it'll make a long and fulfilling career.

Being a C/O was similar .. right ?!?!? Fun & frazzling, all at once! Hahaha! I only know from the 'jump seat' of a truck, mostly...tbh! Our cousin that lives behind us is a C/O at MANCI . . . (i HEAR stuff... i'd rather not.. tbh!)

Pharmacy tech's get robbed more'n C/O's this day & age, LoL !! My guy was IT thru & thru.. and got rif'd in 2000'ish. . . never looked back since he got his 'real' CDL in 2003. Tried STNA'ing in between, and owned a dump truck/refuse route all during. Fell under the radar, haha!

Oh yeah!!! Dang me.......Just checking BACK.. SINCE YOU HAVEN'T, haha!

And???

I wait patiently ... for a week, most'ish, haha!!

Hope all is WELL!!

~ Anne ~

I never get notifications when I get new comments... its weird but yes things are going great! We are in south Texas for the week where my trainer lives. If I stayed with him I can still get paid for the week (so I'm not on hometime technically). I found out once we hit the road next week I'll only have 9400 miles to go! We may run into some pockets of snow though so PRAYERS APPRECIATED!!

Yes Anne being a CO could be a little touch-and-go at times but overall we were in charge and kept order. It was a lot of barking orders and making sure nobody was screwing around when I ran the kitchen. They would rob us blind if I didn't!

I'll try to post some pictures from the road so far if I can figure out how to post em...

- Tim

Being a C/O was similar .. right ?!?!? Fun & frazzling, all at once! Hahaha! I only know from the 'jump seat' of a truck, mostly...tbh! Our cousin that lives behind us is a C/O at MANCI . . . (i HEAR stuff... i'd rather not.. tbh!)

Pharmacy tech's get robbed more'n C/O's this day & age, LoL !! My guy was IT thru & thru.. and got rif'd in 2000'ish. . . never looked back since he got his 'real' CDL in 2003. Tried STNA'ing in between, and owned a dump truck/refuse route all during. Fell under the radar, haha!

Oh yeah!!! Dang me.......Just checking BACK.. SINCE YOU HAVEN'T, haha!

And???

I wait patiently ... for a week, most'ish, haha!!

Hope all is WELL!!

~ Anne ~

I never get notifications when I get new comments... its weird but yes things are going great! We are in south Texas for the week where my trainer lives. If I stayed with him I can still get paid for the week (so I'm not on hometime technically). I found out once we hit the road next week I'll only have 9400 miles to go! We may run into some pockets of snow though so PRAYERS APPRECIATED!!

Yes Anne being a CO could be a little touch-and-go at times but overall we were in charge and kept order. It was a lot of barking orders and making sure nobody was screwing around when I ran the kitchen. They would rob us blind if I didn't!

I'll try to post some pictures from the road so far if I can figure out how to post em...

- Tim