Should I Become A Truck Driver Or Keep Working As A Nurse ?

Hi dear truckers,

Guys, read this letter only if you are relaxed and has got a lot of free time now. This letter might sound like too personal, too weird, sometimes stupid. I don't know. All I need is help and advises. This basically is a sum up of my life.

My Name is Mathew. I'm a 27 years old guy living in Florida. This discussion is pretty much very personal to me where I need advice from experienced people. At this point of my life, I look at myself as a stupid guy who never took decisions based on what my heart told me to do. I went to nursing school and related studies listening to and obeying my parents and significant others. Most people settled in United States from my country are Doctors, nurses, pharmacists....etc..etc... So even though I didn't have a passion I ended up in nursing school.

Right now, I am a charge nurse in an outpatient dialysis unit. There are things that I love and more that I hate about this job. I am in charge, and I have technicians that works under my supervision. 3 days of work a week I easily make well up 65k annually. I love the patient care factor that most of these people visit me three times a week until they die or move to other clinics. I love the way they treat me and my team. Most of them treat you family like, and I know their life depends on me and my team. Also, as I mentioned pay is not bad and if I work 6 days a week that's above 100k I am looking at. More than anything, one simple thing you do for a patient counts a lot for them, which makes me happy.

Now, on the other side there are lots of things I hate: 1). Waking up 3am in the morning is not a very bad thing as I am used to it, and as long I sleep 5-6 hrs in a 24hr cycle..I'm good. 2). Dialysis is also a huge corporate based business. I have to control the hours of my technicians and keep patient to techs ratio inside range. I am responsible to maintain productivity. More patients and less technicians is an everyday thing, and it is stressful. 3). I hate being boss. Go to work, do your stuff, go home, sleep peacefully. That's my thing. I used to work in a departmental store where my muscles moved continuously for straight 8-9 hours, I go home and sleep for next 8 hrs peacefully, wake up next day as a new human. Where as now I sleep barely 6 hrs waking up 4 times in between. 4). Paper works, labs, and documentations - When I work, I prioritize patients and paper works gets procrastinated or even sometimes missed, and I end up in administrator's office. 5). I am a nurse with zero patient complaints against me, I literally function both as a nurse and a technician myself. After all my hard work starting 3.30 in the morning to 4.pm or even 7pm, I end up some times in admin office for the beat down. 6). POLICIES AND PROTOCOLS... I hate those unrealistic terms and lazy people who come into my floor to see if I am doing my stuff right. Inspections, audits, and inspectors - I can understand all those things are essential, but I never had a bad miss when it comes to patient care. No patient dead on my chair or anything yet has happened. These people never do any work, and their job is just to follow and monitor you. They even monitor the way you draw medications out of a vial, and make a huge deal out of it. Sometimes I tell me team "relax guys, they will screw you up either way, so don't be afraid". I mean, I literally hate them. 7). Drama, drama everywhere. Certain coworkers behave like they love you, and at the same time they talk behind and complaint about you. I literally can feel fake people on my skin when they are around. 8). Multiple things at the same time. Multitasking. I am okay, but its frustrating. That's all about nursing life.

As I was too obedient to my parents and all, by listening to my other well wishers- I recently ended up buying a house. Mortgage pay 2236 Dollars a month and rest of life expenses for me and my parents. I am stuck with this job in a way that I can't simply walk away because I need money.

now my trucking life. My experience in trucking is nothing. I passed the air brake system test on written exam, and I am studying on combination vehicle part now. I always get fascinated looking at the big rigs on I-95 to be honest. Since the day I came to United States, I love 18 wheelers. I personally am okay to be alone, I hate drama. I strongly believe that I am an introvert. My wife, well she was one thing or the only one thing that I followed my heart for. She understands my trucking love, and we can manage even if I'm over the road for couple weeks. I haven't done much driving and traveling, but I'd love to experience it. The main problem is, I don't have any real life experience with trucking, and I don't know anybody personally in the trucking industry.

Now to the main point. This is where I need advice. What do you guys think ? Is it a good idea to become a truck driver by leaving the present $30 per hr job nursing ? As a trucker, I know money is not bad, but how good it will be? Is the pay gonna be good enough to keep some money hand after mortgage payment and all ? How will be the first year? I read about car haulers making money, how tough is their life ? What about ice road trucking and oil field trucking ? Is there anything more to be concerned about ? Add any info which you might think is useful .

Thank you very much for your time.

Welcome to Trucking Truth. I dont have much time at the moment so I'll keep this short. Most rookies will earn 35 to 40k their first year. As you get better at managing your time you'll top out somewhere near $80k as an over the road truck driver. Over the road (OTR) is the best way to get this career started but will require you to be out weeks at a time and only go home typically 1 day for every week you're out. Put in a solid year doing that and you will have many more options to get a job where you're home more frequently. There are different types of trucking jobs that pay what many people perceive as top dollar. Linehaul drivers drive with a set of double trailers terminal to terminal mainly overnight and can make upwards of $120k a year. I deliver to grocery stores and will make $85-$90k this year. We have a few members here that are former nurses that made the leap and haven't regretted it once. Take a look at our welcome kit to get a better idea of what you'd be getting into. Definitely read Brett's book!

• Truck Driver's Career Guide
• Brett's Book: The Raw Truth About Trucking (free online version)
• High Road CDL Training Program
• CDL Practice Tests

Getting started in this industry the pay will be low in the beginning so if you do jump in make sure you have some money set aside to help lessen the blow. Gotta run, others should chime in soon.

Try trucking and see if you like it. If not you can always go back to being a nurse making 65k 3 days a week.

Thank you . I'm not worried bad about big figures especially at the beginning. First year as a new trucker, I wanna make at least 3000 a month or little more.

Try trucking and see if you like it. If not you can always go back to being a nurse making 65k 3 days a week.

Thank you very much. Its good to know there are nurses who went for trucking and are successful. As long as I am able to come up with 3000 dollars a month at least in the first year. I guess, I'll love trucking.

Welcome to Trucking Truth. I dont have much time at the moment so I'll keep this short. Most rookies will earn 35 to 40k their first year. As you get better at managing your time you'll top out somewhere near $80k as an over the road truck driver. Over the road (OTR) is the best way to get this career started but will require you to be out weeks at a time and only go home typically 1 day for every week you're out. Put in a solid year doing that and you will have many more options to get a job where you're home more frequently. There are different types of trucking jobs that pay what many people perceive as top dollar. Linehaul drivers drive with a set of double trailers terminal to terminal mainly overnight and can make upwards of $120k a year. I deliver to grocery stores and will make $85-$90k this year. We have a few members here that are former nurses that made the leap and haven't regretted it once. Take a look at our welcome kit to get a better idea of what you'd be getting into. Definitely read Brett's book!

• Truck Driver's Career Guide
• Brett's Book: The Raw Truth About Trucking (free online version)
• High Road CDL Training Program
• CDL Practice Tests

Getting started in this industry the pay will be low in the beginning so if you do jump in make sure you have some money set aside to help lessen the blow. Gotta run, others should chime in soon.

We had this post on here many months ago under a different name.

I located the same post as well that was posted 11 months 3 weeks ago and at that time Packrat indicated that same post was posted 4 months prior to that. In just over a year we have the same person posting the same question 3 times. Not sure what the intentions are of Aby M.???????

We had this post on here many months ago under a different name.

Aby M.

I was a pediatric/neonatal Flight respiratory therapist for 20 yrs and gave it up to jump in a truck. As a rookie, the pay difference was drastic and had to learn to more with less. Six years later, I’m making more now than I was in the hospital.

I have met lawyers, doctors and bank managers, who gave up the white collar word, to become a Knight is the Highway.

Thank you sir. That was inspiring.

Aby M.

I was a pediatric/neonatal Flight respiratory therapist for 20 yrs and gave it up to jump in a truck. As a rookie, the pay difference was drastic and had to learn to more with less. Six years later, I’m making more now than I was in the hospital.

I have met lawyers, doctors and bank managers, who gave up the white collar word, to become a Knight is the Highway.

I feel ya! I've been thinking of it for a while. I'm enjoying what I'm doing now, but Tuesday, someone offered to buy our business! The price was right, but then yesterday, the competition right down the street closed out. Decisions, decisions! ... I hope you enjoy the ride, dude!