How Do People Survive

Oh yea and theres no question this is not for everybody i personally think you need to be a great loner a type a personality and a lil crazy

If I understand correctly, you’re making $1,000-$1,250/week before taxes, before insurance, before setting aside for retirement? And you think trucking pay is bad?

I’ve been netting your gross earnings (if $200-$250 daily is accurate) for quite some time. Many others here are making way more than me.

Look, if you’re satisfied doing what you’re doing, stay with it. If you just wanna hit the open road, take a vacation and drive. If you wanna be a truck driver, make the commitment and give it your all.

Here’s how people survive. In one day a driver can make more than a minimum wage worker makes all week long. They are working their butts off for peanuts while we are just holding a steering wheel listing to podcasts. Some people can be drivers and some people can push shopping carts around parking lots. To each his own. If your looking for the highest paid unskilled job out there trucking might be for you.

Unskilled? You do know trucking is one of, if not the most dangerous jobs out there right?

Here’s how people survive. In one day a driver can make more than a minimum wage worker makes all week long. They are working their butts off for peanuts while we are just holding a steering wheel listing to podcasts. Some people can be drivers and some people can push shopping carts around parking lots. To each his own. If your looking for the highest paid unskilled job out there trucking might be for you.

If you just wanna hit the open road, take a vacation and drive. If you wanna be a truck driver, make the commitment and give it your all.

That is very well said.

There's a huge difference in attitude between someone like myself, who desperately wanted to become a truck driver, and someone like you who says they want to become a truck driver but obviously isn't that big on the idea. It sounds to me like you want to make good money but you want an easy life. That's fine. It's just hard to come by, and trucking is not the place you'll find it. Trucking pays really well, but you'll earn every nickel of it by putting in a ton of time.

Trucking Takes Commitment - read that conversation.

In fact I would dare say trucking is not for you. If you make your $250 before lunch you go fishing the rest of the day? That's fantastic. Unfortunately you won't have that option in trucking, and to me you don't sound ambitious enough for trucking. These trucks have to run hard all the time. Most drivers are turning 2,500 miles per week or more and putting in very, very long days.

You can legally be on duty 70 hours every 8 days in trucking. Add to that the amount of time you'll spend doing things off the clock like laundry, paperwork, and other related tasks and you're looking at the equivalent of having two full time jobs. It sounds to me like you're not even putting in 40 hours a week right now.

I say stick to what you're doing now, which sounds to me like telemarketing, and hit the road for a vacation from time to time. You may think you're longing to be on the road, but I don't think you understand how demanding trucking is. Get an RV and go enjoy yourself.

^^^^thats a true story i only work 5 days a week but i still use almost every minute of my 70 every single week i dont know if youve ever put in those kind of hours before but ive been doing it for 3 yrs now and i can guarantee you its not an easy 70 either

For those with the necessary determination, getting to a decent income in trucking is actually faster than just about anything else. We earn as much or more than most college graduates, and while many truckers are college grads, it isn't required. Where else can you be trained for free (even earn bit) in just three months or so to then begin earning 40 to 60k first year, 70 to 80k second year?

I have been talking to trucking companies for almost a year now about paid cdl training. But i honestly do not know how companies expect a grown man to be able to survive doing this i say 90% of companies want you to go to there school for 3 to 4 weeks with no pay i understand that but then once you get your cdl they want to train you living in a truck 24 hours a day making 20 to 30 cents a mile even at 3000 miles that is only 900 and they tax you on top of that so i will be away from home for 4 weeks no pay in school then living in a truck for another month or so making 900 if i have a trainer that will hustle they tax that i might make 750 if i am lucky for being away from home that is 24 hours in a day x 7 days is 168 hours 750 divided by 168 is $4.46 an hour and i have to eat when i am out there sure i am not driving all those hours but i am still babysitting there truck i just do not know how a grown man with responsibilities can get into this profession without having a big bank roll to last the first year or so

I went to a local school for 5 weeks, signed on with a local company l the week after "graduating" and trained for 4 weeks. April-december I still made 40k for the year and in my 2nd year i will hit that by the end of the month. I work 5-6 days but it is definitely long hours and work my clock pretty hard to maximize time. I also take the initiative to take on my work and set runs up differently then they have in the past to maximize earnings and get my DM to look at things differently. Because of that I get options on loads and just about anything I want.

All this comes back to 1 thing. YOU! Plenty of money to be made if you go out there and make it happen.