Posted: 6 years, 4 months ago
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2 years -- There is hope for a lousy backer!
I went from near bankruptcy to paying off $39,000 of debt and putting nearly $10k into my 401k.
Rainy, as impressive as the driving skills are that you have acquired, the financial gains you have made are even more impressive. You should be proud of yourself. Having excess cash in the amount of $25k per year (debt pay down and 401k amount) is a HUGE amount of money, and your having used that excess of cash to pay down debt and invest is a very wise move on your part.
I hope you’ve considered increasing the contributions you are making to your 401k. If you increase your 401k contribution to nearly $25k per year over the course of 10 years, with reasonable investment returns, you could easily find yourself with a retirement account valued at over $400,000.
Posted: 6 years, 4 months ago
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Any tips to keep cool around crazy drivers?
That was one of my questions (dealing with aggressive drivers) a couple hours ago as I was taking the written test for my CDL permit! The correct answer; “Give the other driver the benefit of the doubt”. Wrong answer “Make hand gestures towards the offending driver”
😂😂😂
Suggestions straight from the manual (you can determine the validity);
How you feel before you even start your vehicle has a lot to do with how stress will affect you while driving.
Reduce your stress before and while you drive.
Listen to “easy listening” music.
Give the drive your full attention. Don’t allow yourself to become distracted by talking on your cell phone, eating, etc.
Be realistic about your travel time. Expect delays because of traffic, construction, or bad weather and make allowances. If you’re going to be later than you expected – deal with it.
Take a deep breath and accept the delay.
Give other drivers the benefit of the doubt. Try to imagine why he or she is driving that way. Whatever their reason, it has nothing to do with you.
Slow down and keep your following distance reasonable.
Don’t drive slowly in the left lane of traffic.
Avoid gestures. Keep your hands on the wheel. Avoid making any gestures that might anger another driver, even seemingly harmless expressions of irritation like shaking your head.
Be a cautious and courteous driver. If another driver seems eager to get in front of you, say, “Be my guest.” This response will soon become a habit and you won’t be as offended by other drivers’ actions.
Posted: 6 years, 5 months ago
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Recovering an abandoned tractor/trailer
Sometimes bizarre things happen in this job. I am still puzzled to this day how any driver would think he can just up and leave without notice, leaving all his property in the company's truck at a remote location unrelated to the company, then several months later waltz right back into the job and expect another driver to be preserving his "stuff" for him to retrieve.
I don’t know if I’m more dumbfounded at the driver’s expectation to retrieve his belongings after a couple months or that the company would hire him back after abandoning his truck.
Posted: 6 years, 6 months ago
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From another thread :
I'm twiddling my thumbs in Columbus waiting on my truck to be rid of bed bugs,
They still have you in the same truck?
Posted: 6 years, 6 months ago
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Are these Comdata cards (the employee account / debit card feature) mandatory for employees? My credit union reimburses ATM fees so I'd prefer to have my entire check deposited there instead of messing with a Comdata account.
I understand the company / fuel use of the card would be necessary.
Posted: 6 years, 6 months ago
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Thanks Kat. That gives me a much better idea (for at least one company).
Posted: 6 years, 7 months ago
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.... so I opted out of their system and install I figured out a way to wall mount a 32" TV and sound bar (no new holes drilled) .....
Any chance you could post a picture of this setup?
Posted: 6 years, 7 months ago
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My question was pretty poorly worded. Instead of "What is a day off?" I should have asked "How long is a day off?"
Despite some excellent answers, I'm still not following the timing of days off for an OTR driver. If I have 2 days of home time coming to me and get "home" at 3:00 pm on Friday, when is my two days of home time over? Sunday at 2:00 pm, Monday morning, or some other time?
Posted: 6 years, 4 months ago
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2 years -- There is hope for a lousy backer!
After the last bills are paid, upping your 401k contribution to 35% would still leave you with more spendable cash than you have had over the last 2 years and put you on a left-lane Express path to that Aruba house.
One suggestion, make sure your 401k contributions are going to a stock fund, preferably an S&P 500 index fund. You will make yourself wealthy by investing, not saving.
You really should be proud of yourself. In a relatively short time you’ve mastered a new profession, drastically improved your financial position, and taken the time to give back to those of us on this site who are looking for insight and advice.