I started out as a over the road driver. Did over the road for over 8 years gone for weeks and months at a time. I enjoyed it when I started trucking. After a while I met my fiance as a over the road driver she lived in Kansas and I lived in Massachusetts. After things got serious between us I bought my own truck got married to my fiance and we moved to myrtle Beach south Carolina together and we started a life together and I started doing regional work close to home and take weekends off. My point is being over the road can bring things to your life. If I was never over the road I would have never met my wife and changed my life for something better. However after a while I did get tired of being over the road. I like doing regional better because I'm home often and enjoy my life now and actually have a life outside the truck and the road.
its all about individual situations. Trucking really aint for everyone. but for me? Best decision i've ever made. Never married, no kids, i'm an introvert and a gamer. I have a laptop and a ps4 in the truck. Whenever im stuck at a shipper for 4 hours I work on writing code, take spanish lessons, or just play games on the ps4. On my 34's I get rental cars, go to casinos, and just explore where I just happen to be. Being a nomad works well for me, and I always have money in my pocket. I'll never go back to a 9to 5 man.
OTR is not for everyone. And I haven't been home in months but I don't really have a reason to be home. And 9 to 5 jobs just didn't cut it for me. I make more money in 1 to 2 days then I made in a week or even 2 weeks with my old jobs. I really love to drive and see the country. I also meet my lots of cool people and my girlfriend out on the road. I love otr I don't want to do anything else
I used to be OTR as well starting driving for Maverick. I loved being OTR mainly because I'm a loner. It was so peaceful but it's definitely not for everybody. Took a toll on my marriage being gone 2-3 weeks at a time so I gave it up now I'm with the Teamsters Local 519 Union and home everyday. I actually make more money now. If I was single though I definitely would've stayed OTR only job I ever actually enjoyed. Stay safe out there!
@@shirrellnorton6533 I’m with you. I’m home every day…and crave the road pretty much every day…But my wife hates me being gone at night and threatens divorce. It’s a struggle for sure.
DO NOT get into this career without some major longterm goal whether that's a house, financial freedom, investing, family, or something tangible that will make all the hardtimes worth it. I've been OTR comming up on 2 years and I've been back and forth on quitting. What keeps me going is my long term goals of paying off my debt and having more control over my time money and overall freedom. Great topic
Only thing I can say is if your a new driver get your experience for a year or two and get the hell out !! And get a local driving job. Because you will be just living in a truck and hardy at home not growing with your family and otr.money isn't all that either.
@@TJray623 After 5 years. I left the industry. I got sick of the lifestyle. Now I’m home with family everyday. I’m in my best physical shape ever. I don’t make what I used to make as a trucker with 5 years experience in the industry. But I don’t care. It’s not worth it.
I am an OTR team driver. Driving 5 days a week and 2 days at home, when I am home I packed all lunch, dinner , fruits and snacks + 4 time laundry + cleaning so no time to rest or getting my nails done lol. Yes it’s difficult so we will do only 4 years. After 4 years, house will be paid off and have some cash +hopefully a rental property too. It’s very difficult for me as a women but I will and I can do it 🙏🏼 Cheers for all hard workers 💫
@@franciscoalmonte6953 I work for the FedEx contractor . We get $.95 per mile. We make $230k an year. I am not sure how long this transportation pays good but we try our best to save $$$. I think solo pays good too like $.80 per miles these days. I am a new driver ( I was a hairstylist before ) so I need my bf’s help so we need to do team drive. Team drive is very challenging bc you are not able to have quality sleeps. Feel like sleeping on a washing machine. Driving solo and have a wise woman so she doesn’t waste your money is also a winning game !!
Dude, you have a point, but let's face the harsh reality: other jobs don't pay as well as trucking. I'm an engineer, and I had to become a trucker, so that's enough to say as an example.
OTR is for newbies or people trying to find themselves. Get a local dedicated position. Double drop and hook, home every day. Pays as well or better as OTR and you know when you get home. Every day. No touch light on the trailer freight. You sleep in your own bed. You eat your healthy food at home. The only time I see a truckstop is to fuel. Most of these dedicated jobs want you with a years experience. No tickets no accidents. Take your girlfriend or wife with you. She knows she’s getting home today. Why not? Live it up a little bit. I did OTR for three years. Showers and gas station food. Sleeping in truckstops and rest areas. If that’s you, be you. It just ain’t me.
I have a wife and 3 boys been otr for almost 8years now. Im home every weekend now but i want out. Im 30, missing my kids growing up. But what else am i going to do? We live in northern Michigan not many other decent paying jobs.
@@ktanner11 Hey what part of Michigan are you in their Is a company call Melkan express llc and they have a dedicated runs I use to run one from Holland to Kansas home ever other day gross 1500 a week take home 1200
Sitting on your butt not working being broke is a waste of life! I respect anyone that is working getting their bag, supporting their family n racing goals whether it’s as a cashier, soldier, warehouse worker trucker or entrepreneur.. great video !
This is something my brother who did OTR told me. He regretted doing OTR, he missed his kids growing up, he missed family events and his wife grew apart. He regrets being away for a few extra hundred dollars a week. He doesn't know his kids, and is divorced. He advised me not to do it and do a local driving job. I stayed local, I make over 1k a week and come to my wife every night. OTR might be good money but time with family is priceless. You can comment what you want, it won't change my opinion.
I’m OTR right now and my son tells me all the time how much he misses me. I just started back driving in October of last year, I’m on indeed looking for local jobs right now just so I can be with my son more.
Im thinking of going into business for myself $800 a wk is cool (as a subcontractor) but 1k sounds alot better..got any tips for a guy looking to branch out on his own
Bj Morris Look up these guys. If you’re looking for how to properly set yourself up as an owner operator, then you need to listen to this podcast m.ua-cam.com/users/HaulinAssets
OTR is best if you drive 2 weeks in a month and other 2 weeks you stay at home completely (if you are owner operator and truck is paid off and you making 8,000 - 12000 a week) or do some other part time job for rest of the 2 weeks so you can spend time with family.
That's what my buddy does. He made his money while he was younger as an O/O and now takes every other two weeks off. Sometimes he takes an entire month off.
That's what I do, I work 2 weeks otr then I'm home 2weeks. I also go city to city seeing family friends so most times it really doesn't seem like work. 1 week I may be in Dallas at a cowboys game the next week I'm visiting family in Denver and I go to a Nuggets game, leave Denver stop on Indy visit family go to Colts game leave Indy headed south to my Georgia home for 2/3weeks. Then load myself back west home to Phoenix. It's literally what u make off it...
@@evanburnett2887 That's what I've been thinking O/O is a huge responsibility but if you're doing the right things to make the right kind of money you can afford to do what you do. Traveling making money and still having fun.
Awesome points. Generational wealth. Worked same job for 22 years . 50 years old and starting CDL school this week. I have the drive to make money and I believe that this will take me to the next level. Nice video. Very informative and motivating for people with drive.
No money in trucking bro....best you will do would be 75,000 - 80,000 and that's after you get your stripes ( 3 plus years experience ). Its possible to get to 100k working for a private carrier, but still that's no money.
Everyday you just so happen to wake up, and actually have breathing lungs, is a blessing of each amd every single day or minute or even every second... thank the good LORD man! Nothing in life is ever wasted, when you alive bro! Forreal! Believe that all day, everyday! Bro seriously! Much love tho fam! Be safe and hold it down man ! Take care! ! !
Truth is it's pretty much "working" 24/7. B/c when your not home, but instead "living" in/at your work (truck)- and not being paid for more or less half the time- I completely agree that it is what you describe as a "waste of life."
That's because you've been brainwashed and conditioned to accept a limited employee mindset. As if there is no other way to make money except by trading time in exchange.
You've got the right mindset for sure. I'm obviously not privy to your background but from the way that you talk about the poverty mindset tells me that you've had some struggle in your life that was out of your hands. You have the right attitude for sure. My dad worked 16 hour days, seven days a week, for three months at a time. Ninety mile commute one way to the nuclear plant that he worked at. It brought him from extreme poverty as a child and teen to being independently wealthy. He weathered two divorces, four kids, and untold hours of shaking his head and wondering what the hell he was doing. He pushed forward and that mindset stuck with me. The way that you're thinking of being OTR is that it's a paid internship into the shipping industry and that's a damn stellar thing to do. Ten years from now you're going to enjoy the fruits of everything that you're doing today.
Heck yes, this is what makes OTR worth it. Having a plan, investing and biding time to see your life BLOOM into something you wouldnt have thought possible. Live like no one else to live like no one else
3 years on the road 4 weeks on 4 days off. It's easy to get burned out. I went from making 20k to 90k/yr in that short time, and it served its purpose for me. I'm going to learn how to do something else, but keep my CDL as a back up
I agree. It's a sad world. I work so much I haven't had a girlfriend in 10 years. I am trying to date again eventually but it's hard when I don't have any time. I hope I can find a girl again. I really miss having a girl to be with.
I'm single, no children, & no desire to get married or have children and I still say it's a waste of life! You only get so many good years to be around the people you WANT TO BE AROUND but instead you are living in a box, eating undesirable food, & dealing with people you would never associate with if you could get avoid them. Hygiene, bathrooms, healthy living, spending time with those you care about, etc... goes out the window. You wake up one day & all you have done is get money. If you can accept that go ahead & drive.
that's why I like OTR in a sprinter van. I don't have to stay at truck stops and rest stops. I can pretty much park anywhere. I have to drive more than a trucker but I still pull in 2500 a week after gas.
Subtract the rest and quit lying to people. Tell them how many hours, miles, ect. Sick of you bullcrap expediters charging low prices then lying about how much you make.
@@geneparmesan7699 I have to drive 80 hrs a week to make that. I am a driver so that is all I subtract. All I said was I enjoy not having to live at rest stops and truck stops. Lol get mad much? I actually explain exactly how hard I work how many hrs etc on my channel. But okay mr. Judge of others. Sheesh lol
@@UtubemeNohomo I drive for a owner of a van. He just bought his second and it’s my 7th month doing it. Lots of competition and it’s a game of averages. I run 3-5k miles a week to make that money but the money is there and the lifestyle to me is a lot easier (less restrictions, headaches, etc) than a truck driver
For the past 6 year's I've been otr yeah it sucks but my bills are getting paid got a new car my wife understands my line of work my kids are getting taken care of that all that matters in life not friends or concerts don't get me wrong I like going to concerts but bills and my home comes first
There's plenty of local work paying more than OTR. Almost any LTL company is an example. Home everyday, hourly for the P&D drivers and usually mileage or paid by the run for the Linehaul drivers.
What your describing is the same as regional dedicated trucking. Your on 5 days off for two or 6 days off for one. Unfortunately, no amount of money is worth sacrificing family time or your life. Most drivers aren’t paid enough money to be miserable, lonely or sacrifice their efforts. You can’t put a price tag on your happiness. Getting paid low wages in your first year, it’s hard to build wealth, but easy to build debt. I appreciate your video and your perspective. Congratulations on becoming a dad, good luck to you!
I go to baseball, hockey and football games while on the road grab a uber or walk if youre close enough and plan the trip you can make good money while still doing things. Why sit in a truck stop alone in Atlanta when you can catch a Braves games or see the Falcons
Thats easier said then done...especially when your a company driver and there on you about getting back on the road and/or making that pick up/delivery.....I have worked for 2 companies running otr.....that wanted you running the second your break was over.......and I got one day off for every 2 weeks on the road......its an good career but sometimes it fuckin sucks
@@mindlessamusement7095 I found a position that has you out 3 weeks and home 7 days, with 2 days of travel. Looks like I'll be doing pretty well. Thanks.
It's completely subjective. OTR Trucking is a lifestyle for sure, and is not for everyone. I personally enjoy being in places I'd never choose to be. Spent a 34 hour reset in Tulsa, OK once and had such an amazing time. It's what you make it. If you spend most of your time longing to be home, turn in your OTR job for a local or regional one.
I agree. I was just watching the Boston Celtics play The Nuggets today on my 34. I had to shell out some paper for a rental car and the tickets. My other option sit in sleeper berth. I have no kids. No girl. I'll stack my paper and decide if I want to do regional or a whole other career that may also be a waste of time down the road. Meanwhile I feel I'm getting an invaluable experience.
I’ve got a love/hate relationship with trucking.. but we get to see places, sunsets, sunrises,etc that the average person do not have the privilege to see.. Full moons over the mountains in no man’s land upstate NY, PA so forth and so on.. It’s an experience for sure both good and bad… It’s a life style for sure.. It can be a waste of life if you don’t enjoy most of it.. back in the day. I’d get layed over and usually find a bar.(asking on CB where a good bar is for the weekend) meet few drivers and BS like we’ve known each other for years. Those days are long gone now… This business used to be a lot more fun before elogs,tracking, etc. Cops were nicer too.. We used to look out for each other. Anyway, safe travels to y’all
Otr is best as a single person with high financial goals or who plans to own trucking equipment. It also good for saving money in general. And let's be honest the job that you will have at home now a days will have you working 5-6 days a week with 50+hours anyway... so what are you really holding on 2? ( the weekend) --- (also otr you can do a 34 in dam near any city if you pick the right company which is basically the equivalent to a weekend) also if you make it through 2 yrs otr your set for life going home and going local.
Im a new OTR trucker, I do not plan on doing this forever. My plan is to do 1-3 years for the experience then go local with the endorsements so I can be home and also make 50k-80k a year. Im 21 so this gives me time to figure out what I want to do, save up some decent money, and travel the country and essentially see where I might want to move to and live in my own home. Im constantly looking at local jobs in different states/cities, looking at state taxes and housing costs and average income compared to what a particular trucking company would potentially pay me if I moved there and worked for them. OTR is not permanent for me its just a bridge to get to where I want to be.
That’s exactly what im thinking as well after i get out of the army. Im only 23 but im not too worried about being away from home all the time since that’s basically part of military life. Plus lack of sleep and operating on fumes is something im already used to after 2 years of service. Just want to find a new gig and leave my parents house to live on my own now 😂
@@ShitBagSPC been a fuel hauler since October, making 80K a year 10 hour shifts easy ass job, it was worth it. Home everyday, never done more than 50 hours in a week, highest NET weekly check Ive seen was 1400$ lowest was 900$ cause I took 3 days off. Its almost just a normal ass job, but I make enough to actually fucking survive comfortably
I've made an extremely good living as an otr driver. But, I'm an owner operator too. I've been in this industry over 30 year's. I usually work a month, then take a month off. Go on a lot of vacations. Ride motorcycles a lot. I have a retirement plan that I pay into every year, thankfully I don't need it yet. But, if you can see the big picture, and where you want to go with your life, this isn't that bad.
OTR is great if you need healing and getting to know yourself.Two years OTR is perfect ,after go local or regional.Doing it 6 months a year OTR and 6 months off is another way of doing it.
I’m doing OTR to get experience. Walmart and frito lay pays truck drivers good once they have years of experience. too me driving is awesome I get fresh air and I’ve been in trucking all my life since my father was a trucker I don’t get bored at all with trucking.
@@Az56818 That won't last long. OTR companies are killing the truckdriving brand for new drivers. Many new drivers quit because of the low pay and the way they're treated, never returning to the industry. It will continue to get worse. Generation Y is smaller than the millennials population-wise and they detest the industry. The industry unfortunately is getting a very bad rap because living wages aren't being paid from the beginning. It's a very profitable job long-term, but most drivers discouraged by low pay don't stick around that long.
Anybody else go through the trucking cycle over and over…Get on the road and start missing home, so you take a regular job, or a home every day job…Then you start missing the road, and get back on the road….and over and over??? Or just me. Lol.
We’re all grown now. Hanging with friends every weekend is overrated. You have a family to take care. Real friends will be there. This is very objective
After 36 years of living behind the wheel I feel the same way. Friends and family are at home for Christmas, Thanks Giving, birthdays, anniversary's, weddings. I missed so much of my daughters growing up for the simple fact I was trucking. While you are packing up your truck and heading out on a 3500 mile rounder. The sacrifices you make to be a driver are not worth the return.
Everyone has a different situation. I became an owner operator so I could be home more. I leased on to a tanker company hauling gas. Home on weekends and every night. Made a good living. Then the kids grew up, wife and I decided to divorce, so I went otr. Still see my kids, and grandbabies now. Sometimes it's about quality time, not quantity time.
It's a Lifestyle and isn't for everyone. I was in your shoes 25 years ago. I asked that question. I got off the road because I wanted more. I went local and even Line haul where I got off every weekend. I would make it home every other days as well. It still wasn't enough so I went into Law Enforcement. Yes, I am home daily but the amount of time is still like when I was trucking. Back when I did OTR, we didn't have FaceTime. We had phone cards and pay phones and it cost a lot of money to make that 10 minute phone call too. Now days, yeah, it might be easier on that note but you are still gone and TV, Internet, yeah, we didn't have that either. Good Luck and get home to see your wife & kids as often as possible. What is your short & long plan ?
Hello, I feel what you are saying. I drove OTR for around 10 years and after I got children I started to think about ways to stay at home with them. I knew trucking so I started my own company and now I have had my own trucks for almost 8 years. Good look to you.
Good paying jobs feel like a waste of life because there's so many of them that require so much time out of you. Missing important events and milestones, especially with your kids, absolutely sucks. You can't ever get that back. But at the same time, if you wanna live comfortably the USA, and you want your family living comfortably, you gotta have a decent income.
In trucking you have to balance work/life. You can't let companies dictate your life. Otherwise they'll run you into a mental disorder. You have to just take the time off. Don't worry what they think. They're about greed. You gotta be about you. 1 day for every week out is not enough
There’s other ways to be successful without sacrificing your livelihood. I don’t drink or party . But I’d rather come home to my family and love my significant other and play with my dogs and play my guitar and go have shared experiences with my fiancé and build a life. I’d much rather work a 7-3 job where I can come home to my family Life isn’t a choice between partying or sacrificing your life on the road . There are other ways to be successfu”
5:50 I’m going to be honest most times you aren’t even making money out on the road which is the crazy part. It’s very easy to have a bad week than it is a good week, your truck breaks down you are screwed, shipper or customer keeps you for hours you are screwed, that’s the worst part of OTR and why I got out. You sacrifice so much time being out for weeks or months at a time and sometimes you have nothing to show for it depending how your week went yet you are still at work. OTR is the only job where you literally live at work and have a chance of making no money. OTR is a the longest running scam
I’ve been stripping for 23 years. I started driving OTR last year. I fuckin love it. The years on the road dancing taught me how to thrive. Obviously wknds mean nothing to me plus I’m untraditional with respects to holidays. This life suits me so well. It really depends on your lifestyle. I practice polyamory as well so being away doesn’t prevent me from experiencing romantic relationships. I’ve mastered sleeping with silicone ear plugs a black out eye mask n binaural beats. Great video for people considering trucking👏
Please Don’t go OTR. Hazmat Tanker. Trust me it’s worth it. Home daily if I want to go home, and off every weekend. Work 4 days a week sometimes 5 if I want to make more $. $2000-$2500 a week (before taxes) as a company driver. Great benefits, vacation, PTO, 401K w/ match… etc. get your 2 years experience and then go hazmat tanker.
Very well said my brother...I drive OTR and I love it and enjoy it . I'm single and my Son and Daughter are grown and doing very for themselves so me being gone 2-3 weeks at a time isn't too hard on us not seeing each other everyday. OTR isn't something you want to do if you don't have a man or woman at home that's willing to only see you 2-4 days a month.
I think OTR is for the single person, perhaps just starting out with no family trying to get experience. But there are plenty of married folks out there that have made it work, and have done very well for themselves.
I couldn’t agree more with you, I’m on the same boat, working really hard now so I can make an impact on my family’s life, already making the dream happen of becoming owner op, already got the truck, waiting 2 months to have my 2 years CDL so I can get a decent insurance, I’ll work even harder in my truck so I can keep going to the next level, best of luck to you brother, that’s the right mindset !!
Been driving for over 30 yrs. Trucking for me has never been a waste of my life. Been otr all of it. I love driving. Made a great living while doing it. Stay safe.
Sir a a fellow truck driver, everything you said is on point!! Very well said too. You want to know what a dead end job is? Retail. Specifically working at home depot. Did that for 13 years, left there no savings. Got into trucking I'm not mega bucks but I can afford things that I couldn't before. Inherited a home with a $30k mortgage, paid it off in 18 months. That was not easy, many 4000+ miles per week. I been OTR the majority of my career, right now been doing local for almost 2 years....it sucks. Not a lot of money in it for me. My company just offered me a otr lane, Michigan to texas $ 2k per week plus a brand new truck. I have to try this. Never made that much in a week. Just not too excited about going back out. What you said about losing contact with friends is true. I have 1 very good friend I hardly see her now due to our lifestyles, just afraid of losing her totally. Were just friends but she is important to me. I'm also worried about diet. I gained a ton of weight otr. Man is it hard to lose. Getting a fridge and microwave before I go out. To the newbies just a few suggestions: do not buy a truck at least for a couple of years. Get to know your profession try to learn as much as you can. Stay away from leases that is a dead end. Try to pay off as much debit as you can and if you did try to live simple build your savings. Thanks again sir for posting this, very good info for people wondering what trucking is like. ( I love it)
I am also a OTR driver and I live in Grand Rapids and I do the Michigan to Texas route about 5 times a month. It’s a very easy route in both directions and you should absolutely give it a shot, that is some good weekly pay and you won’t see that doing regional. Do your meal prep at home before you hit the road, your truck will have a fridge and buy a small 700W microwave, and stay away from the truckstop food and fast food. I take my crockpot and hot plate with me everywhere and cook in the truck, especially on my resets…that makes a huge difference on keeping the weight down and the bank account up. I hope you give it another shot, good luck 👍🏻
Any Mid-level income blue collar job gets overtime for their time spent working over 40hrs. If you compare any blue collar trade job carpenter , plumber , painter , iron worker , police officer and have them work 70 hrs a week , that would be 30hrs multiplied by average $40 hr overtime , all of those jobs would be $1200 in overtime alone plus the $1000 for their 1st 40 hours . The average company driver is earning $1200 for 70 hrs of work in week , some more some less trucking is a very underpaid industry
Not really I make percentage so I make 25 percent gross been doing it for 2 years and making 2500 to 3000 a week it would take double the time for another trade to make that money
@@mr.nuticus7821 save your bullshit , I've been driving trucks for 14 years , if your getting 25 % of gross earnings you are getting not even close to $2500 a week as a company driver , as a company driver At 25 % of gross you'd be topping off at $1500 to $1600 25% is a low percentage guy , your a bullshitter
@@mr.nuticus7821 there is no way one driver is making 13to 15k a week to a truck impossible , if your doing drop n hooks your company is only getting $2.50 a mile haul preloaded freight , and if your doing live load unload there is not enough hours is the day to gross that much to a truck with one driver in it , I know companies who let their drivers drive illegally and their only grossing $8000 to $9000 your a bullshitter I know the trucking game inside and out , you can't even gross that money with paper logs , stop bullshittin there's no need to try to impress people on UA-cam it takes drivers 4 and 5 hrs to get loaded or unloaded youzzzz a bullshitter
OTR truck driving is a huge rip off I discourage anyone from considering it Go to a trade school and learn a job that at least qualifies for time and a half pay after 40 hours
@@lonewolftrucker3955 I'm a joker but unlike you not a moron!! I've made over $100,000.00 every year for the past 10 years as a company driver. See ya.
@@lonewolftrucker3955 I made 10800 last year all my meals are paid I stay in holiday inns 4 nights a week and I'm off weekend's u just hafta find the wright job their out their
I'm otr but 70 hrs a week for $700 a week that's 10 an hr...... maybe 15 including taxes and crap... not worth giving up your life. I need to find a better paying job
💯💯💯 get in and get out, that’s how I see trucking. Have a plan, before you get in. Invest that money that you make, instead of believing that trucking is the only route. Good video homie
I’m an OTR driver and most days are good and uneventful. Certain weather conditions can be challenging and stressful like winter weather and wind. Roads can be a nail biter sometimes. The time away from family can be depressing and really affect your attitude. Eating on the road is hard to maintain healthy diet. It’s a pain dragging your stuff to and from truck stop showers, Doing laundry, etc. Yeah it has its challenges but I’m always working and making a decent living.
I’m currently doing OTR and it has its pros and cons for sure, but it’s currently mostly pros at the moment and I’m treating my life as an adventure while I’m young. Eventually I will start a new chapter, but enjoy this one during the moment. Solid video bro!🫡
I think what you're describing goes for any career. You have to sacrifice some of your "personal" life to work towards the larger goal. You cannot party every weekend, eat out all the time and not be on a budget if you want to achieve your financial goals. At the end of the day it's all about balance
I started driving truck 1990. We always called o t r driving as paying your dues. Getting that diverse driving situation experience. Then you are more qualified for the good local jobs. My recommendation son is for you run your ass off but star looking for a good local job now. There are a lot available now. You need to be home for your wife when your child is born.she won’t ask you but she needs you to. I wasn’t there for my kids softball games etc and I can never get that time back. But I have had a dozen jobs since then. Maybe a regional job that gives you 1 or2 overnights a week and home a couple times during the week and weekends. The good jobs are out there don’t settle for the garbage jobs just because. They will hire you today. Those same companies will also fire you
Completely depends on how you approach trucking if you're under a company they control when you go and where you go. If you're independent it's a completely different lifestyle. I never saw trucking as a career to retire from. Have to go in with a exit plan. But anything worth having will always come with a sacrifice.
I'm 49 years old I can tell you I use to party on the weekends for a long time trust me young guy keep doing what your doing. Your on the right path im trying to get my CDL now trucking looks fun I have no family left this would be perfect for me now.
Trucking isn't for everyone, that's for sure. In year's past, we had a trucking family out on the road, you ran in to people you knew at every truck stop, other driver's, waitresses, etc, and you knew a lot of the shipper's & receiver's. Now day's driver's don't even speak to each other.
Trucking is definitely a waste of life. Anxiety and stress catches up with you. The risk and level of stress absolutely not worth the pay. Not to mention all the other inhumane aspects. Yeah, call me lazy or call me a complainer, but in trucking, beng a workaholic and over doing it causes accidents, death, and losing your mind. We weren't made to be driving every day all day and messing up our sleep schedule. It's supposed to be driver focused but it's most definitely company and customer focused.
How about having to deal with drivers that are on their phone all the time distracted drivers are a problem my brother drove a truck for over 40 years he said it's a problem
Truck driving is very stressfull ,and there is no way to work off the stress.To do it you have to live at work.The average trucker dies at 61 years of age.The money is just not worth the cost,in terms of health and well being.
I thank God everyday of my life" right before my feet hit the floor in my slipper of my truck,or the floor in my house. It's a beautiful thing to be able to share my life with my family members and friends. I am truly blessed with the opportunity to be my own boss and make My own business decisions, it's not for everyone but it's what makes me happy. Good video brother thanks for sharing it.
Great video and overall breakdown. I hear ya, it's very difficult having much of a life as a truck driver. I was an owner operator for several years and it completely consumed me to make money. I was either in the truck, under the truck, or doing paperwork. It's alot more than a job, it is a lifestyle. I lost alot of time with my family that I cannot get back. The thing about trucking is that it is hard to get out of if it's in your blood. I drive locally now for a company, sleep in my own bed at night, and have weekends off but as in most all trucking jobs I have to work 60 to 70 hours a week to make a decent paycheck. My weekends mainly consists of resting and preparing for the week ahead. As a company driver rather than o/o there is less responsibility such as the company has the burden and expenses of truck maintenance and all the required paperwork. It is a hard lifestyle just the same but hard to walk away from because trucking is in my blood.
After 43 years of wasting my life seeing the country through a windshield the worst thing of it all being in the truck so long by myself I can't be around people very long now happy to say I'm glad to be away from all of the headache
You know what is hilarious is that I spend so much time inside my home that being a driver would actually be a substantial increase in the amount of people I see. 43 years where did all that money go?
@@penntuckeybackwoods8201 im only a little over 3 years now and love it too. I took a about a year break to give the 9-5 thing a try and the whole time i wanted back in a truck. 2nd week back on the road and i couldnt be happier.
As a former manufacturing welder who actually did waste most of their life working a dead end line of work, I disagree that trucking is a waste of yours or anyones life. Currently, I am in CDL school now and from my point of view as someone who worked in a field where the top end pay was maybe 25 a hour if your are lucky, driving trucks is a far better “waste of time” if you want to call it that!! Over the road is simply not the only route to take in order to make a very good living with in the world of having a CDL.. As tons of people are and will say on here, OTR is a Lifestyle and that is 100% true!!! If you don’t like being out on the road simply get a trucking job that is local or regional. There plenty of those jobs that can net you a good living and have you home nightly wit weekends off or regional ones that have you overnighting once a week, but home way more frequently vs out right OTR driving.
Im a regional truck driver, I do 2 days home 2 day away. Saturday and Sunday always home. Leave Sunday evening and come back home tuesday morning, then I head out again on Thursday morning and come back home Friday night. so basically i always start my week on Thursday (Thursday & Friday on the road) (Saturday &Sunday home) (Monday on the road & return home Tuesday morning) (Tuesday & Wednesday home) get to learn my schedule & be home ever 2 days but you have to be an owner op. by doing this I'm still able to average 8k a week.
Truck drivers these days to make any of the 80 90 100 thousand a year because of the shortage of truck drivers you can work out for a few years puts a lot of money away and then decide where to go from there
Coming from a ex otr get in to the operators union I went from making under 100k a year to making 100-130k a year and I'm home everyday with my wife and kids. Time is more important then money
i really feel like this really only applies to company drivers...i mean being a owner operator allows you to really control your schedule unlike working for a company, they'd want you in that damn truck 365 days if they could...and you become easily replaceable but to each their own.
True, corporations try to skim as much as that can off driver's pay and livelihood. I'm amazed at the amount of greed in this industry. They make billions in profits and still want you to buy your equipment like kingpin pullers, tire thumpers, windshield scrapers, gloves, even oil funnels. Whenever I worked in another industry, my tools were already there. It's like asking an office worker to buy their own monitor, keyboard and mouse.
I’m thinking of becoming a trucker. I currently work for a large HVAC company and for years have been putting in 70-90 hours a week. That’s not “living” either. Lots of driving involved with that.
Stop chasing miles, hit up bowerman trucking out of Arkansas . 1 year experience, 1500$ a week salary, home every week. Currently employed with them, went from 43cents per mile at Schneider to 73k a year. Tell them Alan sent you
That’s why you have to specialize in something, usually you will get better home time. I for example specialize in hazardous waste transportation and I work 4 days on 3 days off and make over 100k a year
One thing that stood out about what you said, your'e sacrificing now for the future. Many don't understand that concept. I tell my young adult kids now that you need to bust your ass while you're young so you can enjoy the future. Honestly, fuq the friends, the hanging out, the partying and all of that social bullshit. Work. Get used to doing beneficial things that are hard because they eventually become easy with repetition. And when you're in your 40s and 50s you'll see how far you've made it compared to your friends who thought the social scene was that important. I'm 50, retired and living in a foreign country without a care in the world right now. Sure, I sacrificed a lot to get to where I am but the friends I do have wish they were me.
they really need to change the hos rules. that goin to bed at different times is really bad for fatigue. i would suggest something like you can drive from 6am to 9pm. then trucks have to shutdown at 10pm to 6am for example. or better yet how about trucks can travel from 10pm to 6am then avoid traffic. point is you need a regulated sleep schedule ie same time everyday. to reduce fatigue
I agree with you 💯 I’ve been driving for 20 years and all of it OTR and I fight with it all the time because I feel like I’ve given my life to this job
I'm an OTR driver for 6 years.... I came with the goal to learn... get experience buy a truck n own it.... I'm on year 6.. feel accomplished now I'm going local... y?... because I have missed out of family time... my house is a mess... I'm tired.. gained weight... eventually this will eat you up... n make you losse relationships... get here learn... but go home.... people need you at home....
I feel the same and I’m not a trucker. Every job/work will have their up and down. There were a study that like 80% of people don’t like their job but work beciase they need to pay the bills
Not having a schedule, working 12 -15 hours a day is NOT healthy, NOT safe.Companies don't care,all they do is say you're complainer. It absolutely is NOT worth it missing out on things in life.I regret getting my CDL,all the people saying they love it,good for you but there's a ton of people saying they aren't married etc.Truck stops are hell on earth,constant smell of piss,noise non stop.I am not sure how much longer I'm going to do this crap.
Everything in life seem like waste of life and times. But if you love what you doing. It’s not waste of life. You bring the material or thing to people make them smiles. For one, I am truck driver that dedicated to Tyson Food Inc I know I am feeding national by delivering the load for them. Not waste of life. Two thing I love is. Road and no hungry people. I did both at once.
I’m a lawyer, dude and this feels like a waste of life. Trust me, you’ll feel this way in any job.
hi...I thought being a lawyer is one of the best things ever
What case did handle ?
So true…ENTREPRENEURIAL SKILLS GO A LONG WAY!
Not
Your so right
I started out as a over the road driver. Did over the road for over 8 years gone for weeks and months at a time. I enjoyed it when I started trucking. After a while I met my fiance as a over the road driver she lived in Kansas and I lived in Massachusetts. After things got serious between us I bought my own truck got married to my fiance and we moved to myrtle Beach south Carolina together and we started a life together and I started doing regional work close to home and take weekends off. My point is being over the road can bring things to your life. If I was never over the road I would have never met my wife and changed my life for something better. However after a while I did get tired of being over the road. I like doing regional better because I'm home often and enjoy my life now and actually have a life outside the truck and the road.
Wow good story bro
This is what I am talking about ! Happy for you guys 👍🏼
Q
How much where you making per month regional?
Same thing happen to me but i was a bus driver and met my wife after everything change for a better ....
its all about individual situations. Trucking really aint for everyone. but for me? Best decision i've ever made. Never married, no kids, i'm an introvert and a gamer. I have a laptop and a ps4 in the truck. Whenever im stuck at a shipper for 4 hours I work on writing code, take spanish lessons, or just play games on the ps4. On my 34's I get rental cars, go to casinos, and just explore where I just happen to be. Being a nomad works well for me, and I always have money in my pocket. I'll never go back to a 9to 5 man.
sold
Is online multiplayer gaming possible in a truck with the new consoles like Series X or Ps5 ??
@@CensorTube84yea it’s possible, just make sure you have like a hotspot or something to get you connected online
Sounds like what I'll be doing after Winter passes, I'll be going to Prime Inc driving school.
@@TLACY606I'm thinking of going to Wilson Logistics next year
OTR is not for everyone. And I haven't been home in months but I don't really have a reason to be home. And 9 to 5 jobs just didn't cut it for me. I make more money in 1 to 2 days then I made in a week or even 2 weeks with my old jobs. I really love to drive and see the country. I also meet my lots of cool people and my girlfriend out on the road. I love otr I don't want to do anything else
🤣🤣🤣🤣
I used to be OTR as well starting driving for Maverick. I loved being OTR mainly because I'm a loner. It was so peaceful but it's definitely not for everybody. Took a toll on my marriage being gone 2-3 weeks at a time so I gave it up now I'm with the Teamsters Local 519 Union and home everyday. I actually make more money now. If I was single though I definitely would've stayed OTR only job I ever actually enjoyed. Stay safe out there!
@@shirrellnorton6533 I’m with you. I’m home every day…and crave the road pretty much every day…But my wife hates me being gone at night and threatens divorce. It’s a struggle for sure.
@@dominickjustave3558 What is that supposed to mean, exactly?
howd you meet a gf on the road? How did that come about? Just curious when that would be possible with time and all that. pretty cool
DO NOT get into this career without some major longterm goal whether that's a house, financial freedom, investing, family, or something tangible that will make all the hardtimes worth it. I've been OTR comming up on 2 years and I've been back and forth on quitting. What keeps me going is my long term goals of paying off my debt and having more control over my time money and overall freedom. Great topic
My son going to turn 5 this year my long term goal is to sell product on amazon invented my product that way I can spend more time with my kids
Basically folks have to walk into it with a plan
Only thing I can say is if your a new driver get your experience for a year or two and get the hell out !! And get a local driving job. Because you will be just living in a truck and hardy at home not growing with your family and otr.money isn't all that either.
@@TJray623 After 5 years. I left the industry. I got sick of the lifestyle. Now I’m home with family everyday. I’m in my best physical shape ever. I don’t make what I used to make as a trucker with 5 years experience in the industry. But I don’t care. It’s not worth it.
I am an OTR team driver. Driving 5 days a week and 2 days at home, when I am home I packed all lunch, dinner , fruits and snacks + 4 time laundry + cleaning so no time to rest or getting my nails done lol. Yes it’s difficult so we will do only 4 years. After 4 years, house will be paid off and have some cash +hopefully a rental property too.
It’s very difficult for me as a women but I will and I can do it 🙏🏼 Cheers for all hard workers 💫
Hi, if you don’t mind me asking, what company are you doing team driving . I would like to do team too. 5 year of experience . Thank you.
@@franciscoalmonte6953 I work for the FedEx contractor . We get $.95 per mile. We make $230k an year. I am not sure how long this transportation pays good but we try our best to save $$$.
I think solo pays good too like $.80 per miles these days.
I am a new driver ( I was a hairstylist before ) so I need my bf’s help so we need to do team drive.
Team drive is very challenging bc you are not able to have quality sleeps. Feel like sleeping on a washing machine.
Driving solo and have a wise woman so she doesn’t waste your money is also a winning game !!
@@EllieTheTrucker thanks 🙏🏼 I’m in the look for a good company to do team driving for at least 2 years.
@@franciscoalmonte6953 You are welcome 🤗 you are a hard worker and you can do it 👍🏼
Ellie can I talk to you please
Dude, you have a point, but let's face the harsh reality: other jobs don't pay as well as trucking. I'm an engineer, and I had to become a trucker, so that's enough to say as an example.
What? No way
@@time2chill121 sounds like you need a different company, i haven't even started truckinga nd wouldn't take less than 1300 a week pulling 60-70
OTR is for newbies or people trying to find themselves. Get a local dedicated position. Double drop and hook, home every day. Pays as well or better as OTR and you know when you get home. Every day. No touch light on the trailer freight. You sleep in your own bed. You eat your healthy food at home. The only time I see a truckstop is to fuel. Most of these dedicated jobs want you with a years experience. No tickets no accidents. Take your girlfriend or wife with you. She knows she’s getting home today. Why not? Live it up a little bit. I did OTR for three years. Showers and gas station food. Sleeping in truckstops and rest areas. If that’s you, be you. It just ain’t me.
OTR is a waste of life if you have a wife and kids at home, but that's just my opinion
I have a wife and 3 boys been otr for almost 8years now. Im home every weekend now but i want out. Im 30, missing my kids growing up. But what else am i going to do? We live in northern Michigan not many other decent paying jobs.
@@ktanner11 I'm in Holland michigan, 1 Option is you can get your own truck and dot numbers get you a customer and set your own schedule .
@@ktanner11 Hey what part of Michigan are you in their Is a company call Melkan express llc and they have a dedicated runs I use to run one from Holland to Kansas home ever other day gross 1500 a week take home 1200
@@truckerran1974 i work for Tulgestka Transport, im in millersburg MI 45 min south of the bridge.
It’s a waste of life period, but I’m glad the suckers who do it keep doing it. Better them than me.
Sitting on your butt not working being broke is a waste of life! I respect anyone that is working getting their bag, supporting their family n racing goals whether it’s as a cashier, soldier, warehouse worker trucker or entrepreneur.. great video !
I agree! Thanks for watching!
Amen! I don’t care if they’re shoveling horse crap.. it’s a job.
Big fucking facts cc
Lol I’ll be broke wen my peace an sanity then be living to paid off old greedy Uncle Sam bills
Facts!
This is something my brother who did OTR told me.
He regretted doing OTR, he missed his kids growing up, he missed family events and his wife grew apart.
He regrets being away for a few extra hundred dollars a week. He doesn't know his kids, and is divorced.
He advised me not to do it and do a local driving job.
I stayed local, I make over 1k a week and come to my wife every night.
OTR might be good money but time with family is priceless.
You can comment what you want, it won't change my opinion.
I’m OTR right now and my son tells me all the time how much he misses me. I just started back driving in October of last year, I’m on indeed looking for local jobs right now just so I can be with my son more.
Im thinking of going into business for myself $800 a wk is cool (as a subcontractor) but 1k sounds alot better..got any tips for a guy looking to branch out on his own
I feel the same as your brother. This happened to many of us
Bj Morris Look up these guys. If you’re looking for how to properly set yourself up as an owner operator, then you need to listen to this podcast
m.ua-cam.com/users/HaulinAssets
Hey man whatever is good and works for u. No hate here. We're all sacrificing something
OTR is best if you drive 2 weeks in a month and other 2 weeks you stay at home completely (if you are owner operator and truck is paid off and you making 8,000 - 12000 a week) or do some other part time job for rest of the 2 weeks so you can spend time with family.
Facts
That's what my buddy does. He made his money while he was younger as an O/O and now takes every other two weeks off. Sometimes he takes an entire month off.
That's what I do, I work 2 weeks otr then I'm home 2weeks. I also go city to city seeing family friends so most times it really doesn't seem like work. 1 week I may be in Dallas at a cowboys game the next week I'm visiting family in Denver and I go to a Nuggets game, leave Denver stop on Indy visit family go to Colts game leave Indy headed south to my Georgia home for 2/3weeks. Then load myself back west home to Phoenix. It's literally what u make off it...
@@evanburnett2887 That's what I've been thinking O/O is a huge responsibility but if you're doing the right things to make the right kind of money you can afford to do what you do. Traveling making money and still having fun.
@@evanburnett2887do you own your truck?
Awesome points. Generational wealth. Worked same job for 22 years . 50 years old and starting CDL school this week. I have the drive to make money and I believe that this will take me to the next level. Nice video. Very informative and motivating for people with drive.
That’s awesome man good luck to you! Thanks for watching!
No money in trucking bro....best you will do would be 75,000 - 80,000 and that's after you get your stripes ( 3 plus years experience ). Its possible to get to 100k working for a private carrier, but still that's no money.
@@Gamble_On Lol ok buddy.
@@Gamble_On what do you do? And if 80k is not money, wtf is it?
@@Gamble_On if you're 3 years in and making under 90k a year, you're doing it wrong.
Everyday you just so happen to wake up, and actually have breathing lungs, is a blessing of each amd every single day or minute or even every second... thank the good LORD man! Nothing in life is ever wasted, when you alive bro! Forreal! Believe that all day, everyday! Bro seriously! Much love tho fam! Be safe and hold it down man ! Take care! ! !
Amen🙏🏾
Gold words
I Love living in my families life, it's an amazing experience that I wouldn't trade for anything.
Truth is it's pretty much "working" 24/7. B/c when your not home, but instead "living" in/at your work (truck)- and not being paid for more or less half the time- I completely agree that it is what you describe as a "waste of life."
That's because you've been brainwashed and conditioned to accept a limited employee mindset.
As if there is no other way to make money except by trading time in exchange.
I’m in trucking school right now and you’re a breath of fresh air to listen to after all the negative Nacys out there making trucking videos. Thanks
Sounds like you were depressed long before the tucking bro, go home to your family bro. You have a new born
You've got the right mindset for sure. I'm obviously not privy to your background but from the way that you talk about the poverty mindset tells me that you've had some struggle in your life that was out of your hands. You have the right attitude for sure. My dad worked 16 hour days, seven days a week, for three months at a time. Ninety mile commute one way to the nuclear plant that he worked at. It brought him from extreme poverty as a child and teen to being independently wealthy. He weathered two divorces, four kids, and untold hours of shaking his head and wondering what the hell he was doing. He pushed forward and that mindset stuck with me.
The way that you're thinking of being OTR is that it's a paid internship into the shipping industry and that's a damn stellar thing to do. Ten years from now you're going to enjoy the fruits of everything that you're doing today.
Heck yes, this is what makes OTR worth it. Having a plan, investing and biding time to see your life BLOOM into something you wouldnt have thought possible. Live like no one else to live like no one else
I watched the world go by through a windshield for over 35 years. The driving part was always fun. The rest of it is a pain in the ass.
3 years on the road 4 weeks on 4 days off. It's easy to get burned out. I went from making 20k to 90k/yr in that short time, and it served its purpose for me. I'm going to learn how to do something else, but keep my CDL as a back up
What else are you going to learn to do? I read your comment and want to do exactly the same. Keep cdl hp, but do something different
no one should have to work so much that you require to sacrifice actually having a life.
For many the trucking IS the life. Nothing wrong with that.
Depends what you personally determine as having a life.
I agree. It's a sad world. I work so much I haven't had a girlfriend in 10 years. I am trying to date again eventually but it's hard when I don't have any time. I hope I can find a girl again. I really miss having a girl to be with.
I'm single, no children, & no desire to get married or have children and I still say it's a waste of life! You only get so many good years to be around the people you WANT TO BE AROUND but instead you are living in a box, eating undesirable food, & dealing with people you would never associate with if you could get avoid them. Hygiene, bathrooms, healthy living, spending time with those you care about, etc... goes out the window. You wake up one day & all you have done is get money. If you can accept that go ahead & drive.
that's why I like OTR in a sprinter van. I don't have to stay at truck stops and rest stops. I can pretty much park anywhere. I have to drive more than a trucker but I still pull in 2500 a week after gas.
Nice
Do you work for a company? If so which one? Does it have competitors?
Subtract the rest and quit lying to people. Tell them how many hours, miles, ect. Sick of you bullcrap expediters charging low prices then lying about how much you make.
@@geneparmesan7699 I have to drive 80 hrs a week to make that. I am a driver so that is all I subtract. All I said was I enjoy not having to live at rest stops and truck stops. Lol get mad much? I actually explain exactly how hard I work how many hrs etc on my channel. But okay mr. Judge of others. Sheesh lol
@@UtubemeNohomo I drive for a owner of a van. He just bought his second and it’s my 7th month doing it. Lots of competition and it’s a game of averages. I run 3-5k miles a week to make that money but the money is there and the lifestyle to me is a lot easier (less restrictions, headaches, etc) than a truck driver
For the past 6 year's I've been otr yeah it sucks but my bills are getting paid got a new car my wife understands my line of work my kids are getting taken care of that all that matters in life not friends or concerts don't get me wrong I like going to concerts but bills and my home comes first
There's plenty of local work paying more than OTR. Almost any LTL company is an example. Home everyday, hourly for the P&D drivers and usually mileage or paid by the run for the Linehaul drivers.
Try to see about a regional position. Kinda between local and otr. Still make decent/good money.
Me 2 , I run out florida to Texas and back 3 days flat or less, 4 days off. So I only work 12 days a month, have money and time for my family.
@@cd4917 sounds like an amazing run ! I live In Florida love the I 10 what company do you drive for if you don't mind me asking
@@cd4917is this considered Regional?
What your describing is the same as regional dedicated trucking. Your on 5 days off for two or 6 days off for one. Unfortunately, no amount of money is worth sacrificing family time or your life. Most drivers aren’t paid enough money to be miserable, lonely or sacrifice their efforts. You can’t put a price tag on your happiness. Getting paid low wages in your first year, it’s hard to build wealth, but easy to build debt. I appreciate your video and your perspective. Congratulations on becoming a dad, good luck to you!
True.
I go to baseball, hockey and football games while on the road grab a uber or walk if youre close enough and plan the trip you can make good money while still doing things. Why sit in a truck stop alone in Atlanta when you can catch a Braves games or see the Falcons
Very true
This is one reason I want to become an OTR driver. I want to see this great country and all it has to offer.
Thats easier said then done...especially when your a company driver and there on you about getting back on the road and/or making that pick up/delivery.....I have worked for 2 companies running otr.....that wanted you running the second your break was over.......and I got one day off for every 2 weeks on the road......its an good career but sometimes it fuckin sucks
@@mindlessamusement7095 I found a position that has you out 3 weeks and home 7 days, with 2 days of travel. Looks like I'll be doing pretty well. Thanks.
It's completely subjective. OTR Trucking is a lifestyle for sure, and is not for everyone. I personally enjoy being in places I'd never choose to be. Spent a 34 hour reset in Tulsa, OK once and had such an amazing time. It's what you make it. If you spend most of your time longing to be home, turn in your OTR job for a local or regional one.
Exactly!! Trucking is more than just over the road.
I agree. I was just watching the Boston Celtics play The Nuggets today on my 34. I had to shell out some paper for a rental car and the tickets. My other option sit in sleeper berth. I have no kids. No girl. I'll stack my paper and decide if I want to do regional or a whole other career that may also be a waste of time down the road. Meanwhile I feel I'm getting an invaluable experience.
SUB. jek tyv. ... Tho
@@kaliduncanel3356* SHARP
I’ve got a love/hate relationship with trucking.. but we get to see places, sunsets, sunrises,etc that the average person do not have the privilege to see.. Full moons over the mountains in no man’s land upstate NY, PA so forth and so on.. It’s an experience for sure both good and bad… It’s a life style for sure.. It can be a waste of life if you don’t enjoy most of it.. back in the day. I’d get layed over and usually find a bar.(asking on CB where a good bar is for the weekend) meet few drivers and BS like we’ve known each other for years. Those days are long gone now… This business used to be a lot more fun before elogs,tracking, etc. Cops were nicer too.. We used to look out for each other. Anyway, safe travels to y’all
Otr is best as a single person with high financial goals or who plans to own trucking equipment. It also good for saving money in general. And let's be honest the job that you will have at home now a days will have you working 5-6 days a week with 50+hours anyway... so what are you really holding on 2? ( the weekend) --- (also otr you can do a 34 in dam near any city if you pick the right company which is basically the equivalent to a weekend) also if you make it through 2 yrs otr your set for life going home and going local.
Six months in, most lol companies pay well and they will pick this young strapper up.
Im a new OTR trucker, I do not plan on doing this forever. My plan is to do 1-3 years for the experience then go local with the endorsements so I can be home and also make 50k-80k a year. Im 21 so this gives me time to figure out what I want to do, save up some decent money, and travel the country and essentially see where I might want to move to and live in my own home. Im constantly looking at local jobs in different states/cities, looking at state taxes and housing costs and average income compared to what a particular trucking company would potentially pay me if I moved there and worked for them. OTR is not permanent for me its just a bridge to get to where I want to be.
That’s exactly what im thinking as well after i get out of the army. Im only 23 but im not too worried about being away from home all the time since that’s basically part of military life. Plus lack of sleep and operating on fumes is something im already used to after 2 years of service. Just want to find a new gig and leave my parents house to live on my own now 😂
@@ShitBagSPC been a fuel hauler since October, making 80K a year 10 hour shifts easy ass job, it was worth it. Home everyday, never done more than 50 hours in a week, highest NET weekly check Ive seen was 1400$ lowest was 900$ cause I took 3 days off.
Its almost just a normal ass job, but I make enough to actually fucking survive comfortably
@@joejinjal3476you work in tanker? I’m starting trucking, and definitely walking with a plan
I've made an extremely good living as an otr driver. But, I'm an owner operator too. I've been in this industry over 30 year's. I usually work a month, then take a month off. Go on a lot of vacations. Ride motorcycles a lot. I have a retirement plan that I pay into every year, thankfully I don't need it yet. But, if you can see the big picture, and where you want to go with your life, this isn't that bad.
REGIONAL AND OTR IS A SINGLE MAN/WOMEN LIFESTYLE !!!… PEOPLE PLEASE STOP THINKING THIS IS A JOB. IT’S A LIFESTYLE.
Absolutely true
It's a wasted life if you live through the ego and believe your life is outside of you instead of inside of you.
Hello Jeffrey I'm Jeffrey
Thats right. The kingdom of heaven is at hand, within
Well said
ayoo facts
OTR is great if you need healing and getting to know yourself.Two years OTR is perfect ,after go local or regional.Doing it 6 months a year OTR and 6 months off is another way of doing it.
I’m doing OTR to get experience. Walmart and frito lay pays truck drivers good once they have years of experience. too me driving is awesome I get fresh air and I’ve been in trucking all my life since my father was a trucker I don’t get bored at all with trucking.
Walmart is hard to get on. I used to do contract work for them making good money then they gave it all to swift 🤣
@@Az56818 That won't last long. OTR companies are killing the truckdriving brand for new drivers. Many new drivers quit because of the low pay and the way they're treated, never returning to the industry. It will continue to get worse. Generation Y is smaller than the millennials population-wise and they detest the industry. The industry unfortunately is getting a very bad rap because living wages aren't being paid from the beginning. It's a very profitable job long-term, but most drivers discouraged by low pay don't stick around that long.
Anybody else go through the trucking cycle over and over…Get on the road and start missing home, so you take a regular job, or a home every day job…Then you start missing the road, and get back on the road….and over and over??? Or just me. Lol.
I've been trapped in this cycle for too long now.
You could do LTL and get both
Try local. I run local for a produce wholesaler bring home about 75k my first year. Get to see my wife and kids every night. And I make good money
We’re all grown now. Hanging with friends every weekend is overrated. You have a family to take care. Real friends will be there. This is very objective
After 36 years of living behind the wheel I feel the same way.
Friends and family are at home for Christmas, Thanks Giving, birthdays, anniversary's, weddings. I missed so much of my daughters growing up for the simple fact I was trucking. While you are packing up your truck and heading out on a 3500 mile rounder. The sacrifices you make to be a driver are not worth the return.
I don't do 3500 Miles a week anymore ....
Agreed. If u have a family and want to go big rigging u just may pay dearly. I found out don't do it
Everyone has a different situation. I became an owner operator so I could be home more. I leased on to a tanker company hauling gas. Home on weekends and every night. Made a good living. Then the kids grew up, wife and I decided to divorce, so I went otr. Still see my kids, and grandbabies now. Sometimes it's about quality time, not quantity time.
@@grumpy4577 why did you guys divorce?
I've had hundreds of OTR Truckers tell me it destroyed their families. Broke, divorced, and depressed seems to be the norm.
It's a Lifestyle and isn't for everyone. I was in your shoes 25 years ago. I asked that question. I got off the road because I wanted more. I went local and even Line haul where I got off every weekend. I would make it home every other days as well. It still wasn't enough so I went into Law Enforcement. Yes, I am home daily but the amount of time is still like when I was trucking.
Back when I did OTR, we didn't have FaceTime. We had phone cards and pay phones and it cost a lot of money to make that 10 minute phone call too.
Now days, yeah, it might be easier on that note but you are still gone and TV, Internet, yeah, we didn't have that either.
Good Luck and get home to see your wife & kids as often as possible.
What is your short & long plan ?
Hello, I feel what you are saying. I drove OTR for around 10 years and after I got children I started to think about ways to stay at home with them. I knew trucking so I started my own company and now I have had my own trucks for almost 8 years. Good look to you.
Good paying jobs feel like a waste of life because there's so many of them that require so much time out of you. Missing important events and milestones, especially with your kids, absolutely sucks. You can't ever get that back. But at the same time, if you wanna live comfortably the USA, and you want your family living comfortably, you gotta have a decent income.
In trucking you have to balance work/life. You can't let companies dictate your life. Otherwise they'll run you into a mental disorder. You have to just take the time off. Don't worry what they think. They're about greed. You gotta be about you. 1 day for every week out is not enough
There’s other ways to be successful without sacrificing your livelihood.
I don’t drink or party . But I’d rather come home to my family and love my significant other and play with my dogs and play my guitar and go have shared experiences with my fiancé and build a life.
I’d much rather work a 7-3 job where I can come home to my family
Life isn’t a choice between partying or sacrificing your life on the road . There are other ways to be successfu”
5:50 I’m going to be honest most times you aren’t even making money out on the road which is the crazy part. It’s very easy to have a bad week than it is a good week, your truck breaks down you are screwed, shipper or customer keeps you for hours you are screwed, that’s the worst part of OTR and why I got out. You sacrifice so much time being out for weeks or months at a time and sometimes you have nothing to show for it depending how your week went yet you are still at work. OTR is the only job where you literally live at work and have a chance of making no money. OTR is a the longest running scam
I’ve been stripping for 23 years. I started driving OTR last year. I fuckin love it. The years on the road dancing taught me how to thrive. Obviously wknds mean nothing to me plus I’m untraditional with respects to holidays. This life suits me so well. It really depends on your lifestyle. I practice polyamory as well so being away doesn’t prevent me from experiencing romantic relationships. I’ve mastered sleeping with silicone ear plugs a black out eye mask n binaural beats. Great video for people considering trucking👏
How do you stay awake driving down long stretches of road?
Please Don’t go OTR. Hazmat Tanker. Trust me it’s worth it. Home daily if I want to go home, and off every weekend. Work 4 days a week sometimes 5 if I want to make more $. $2000-$2500 a week (before taxes) as a company driver. Great benefits, vacation, PTO, 401K w/ match… etc. get your 2 years experience and then go hazmat tanker.
Very well said my brother...I drive OTR and I love it and enjoy it . I'm single and my Son and Daughter are grown and doing very for themselves so me being gone 2-3 weeks at a time isn't too hard on us not seeing each other everyday. OTR isn't something you want to do if you don't have a man or woman at home that's willing to only see you 2-4 days a month.
I think OTR is for the single person, perhaps just starting out with no family trying to get experience. But there are plenty of married folks out there that have made it work, and have done very well for themselves.
I turned 25 last week. Been driving for 2.5 years. Just bought a truck. It can be done. Now I make the decisions.
I couldn’t agree more with you, I’m on the same boat, working really hard now so I can make an impact on my family’s life, already making the dream happen of becoming owner op, already got the truck, waiting 2 months to have my 2 years CDL so I can get a decent insurance, I’ll work even harder in my truck so I can keep going to the next level, best of luck to you brother, that’s the right mindset !!
That’s awesome man! Thanks for watching!
Been driving for over 30 yrs. Trucking for me has never been a waste of my life. Been otr all of it. I love driving. Made a great living while doing it. Stay safe.
Steve ===like the saying goes if you love what you do it's not a job
Sir a a fellow truck driver, everything you said is on point!! Very well said too. You want to know what a dead end job is? Retail. Specifically working at home depot. Did that for 13 years, left there no savings. Got into trucking I'm not mega bucks but I can afford things that I couldn't before. Inherited a home with a $30k mortgage, paid it off in 18 months. That was not easy, many 4000+ miles per week. I been OTR the majority of my career, right now been doing local for almost 2 years....it sucks. Not a lot of money in it for me. My company just offered me a otr lane, Michigan to texas $ 2k per week plus a brand new truck. I have to try this. Never made that much in a week. Just not too excited about going back out. What you said about losing contact with friends is true. I have 1 very good friend I hardly see her now due to our lifestyles, just afraid of losing her totally. Were just friends but she is important to me. I'm also worried about diet. I gained a ton of weight otr. Man is it hard to lose. Getting a fridge and microwave before I go out.
To the newbies just a few suggestions: do not buy a truck at least for a couple of years. Get to know your profession try to learn as much as you can. Stay away from leases that is a dead end. Try to pay off as much debit as you can and if you did try to live simple build your savings. Thanks again sir for posting this, very good info for people wondering what trucking is like. ( I love it)
I am also a OTR driver and I live in Grand Rapids and I do the Michigan to Texas route about 5 times a month. It’s a very easy route in both directions and you should absolutely give it a shot, that is some good weekly pay and you won’t see that doing regional. Do your meal prep at home before you hit the road, your truck will have a fridge and buy a small 700W microwave, and stay away from the truckstop food and fast food. I take my crockpot and hot plate with me everywhere and cook in the truck, especially on my resets…that makes a huge difference on keeping the weight down and the bank account up. I hope you give it another shot, good luck 👍🏻
Any Mid-level income blue collar job gets overtime for their time spent working over 40hrs. If you compare any blue collar trade job carpenter , plumber , painter , iron worker , police officer and have them work 70 hrs a week , that would be 30hrs multiplied by average $40 hr overtime , all of those jobs would be $1200 in overtime alone plus the $1000 for their 1st 40 hours . The average company driver is earning $1200 for 70 hrs of work in week , some more some less trucking is a very underpaid industry
Not really I make percentage so I make 25 percent gross been doing it for 2 years and making 2500 to 3000 a week it would take double the time for another trade to make that money
@@mr.nuticus7821 save your bullshit , I've been driving trucks for 14 years , if your getting 25 % of gross earnings you are getting not even close to $2500 a week as a company driver , as a company driver At 25 % of gross you'd be topping off at $1500 to $1600 25% is a low percentage guy , your a bullshitter
@@mr.nuticus7821 you might make $2500 or $3000 for 2 weeks.
@@seanburdelik5216 nope every week a truck gross is 13 to 15k a week trucking is profitable when you get a percentage before fuel
@@mr.nuticus7821 there is no way one driver is making 13to 15k a week to a truck impossible , if your doing drop n hooks your company is only getting $2.50 a mile haul preloaded freight , and if your doing live load unload there is not enough hours is the day to gross that much to a truck with one driver in it , I know companies who let their drivers drive illegally and their only grossing $8000 to $9000 your a bullshitter I know the trucking game inside and out , you can't even gross that money with paper logs , stop bullshittin there's no need to try to impress people on UA-cam it takes drivers 4 and 5 hrs to get loaded or unloaded youzzzz a bullshitter
OTR truck driving is a huge rip off I discourage anyone from considering it
Go to a trade school and learn a job that at least qualifies for time and a half pay after 40 hours
@@lonewolftrucker3955 That's because you are clueless!!! Laughable.
@@lonewolftrucker3955 I'm a joker but unlike you not a moron!! I've made over $100,000.00 every year for the past 10 years as a company driver. See ya.
@@lonewolftrucker3955 I made 10800 last year all my meals are paid I stay in holiday inns 4 nights a week and I'm off weekend's u just hafta find the wright job their out their
@@penntuckeybackwoods8201B.S.
Hanging out with friends at a bar is not important.
YEAH THAT IS A WASTE OF LIFE
I'm otr but 70 hrs a week for $700 a week that's 10 an hr...... maybe 15 including taxes and crap... not worth giving up your life. I need to find a better paying job
💯💯💯 get in and get out, that’s how I see trucking. Have a plan, before you get in. Invest that money that you make, instead of believing that trucking is the only route. Good video homie
I’m an OTR driver and most days are good and uneventful. Certain weather conditions can be challenging and stressful like winter weather and wind. Roads can be a nail biter sometimes. The time away from family can be depressing and really affect your attitude. Eating on the road is hard to maintain healthy diet. It’s a pain dragging your stuff to and from truck stop showers, Doing laundry, etc. Yeah it has its challenges but I’m always working and making a decent living.
I’m currently doing OTR and it has its pros and cons for sure, but it’s currently mostly pros at the moment and I’m treating my life as an adventure while I’m young. Eventually I will start a new chapter, but enjoy this one during the moment. Solid video bro!🫡
I think what you're describing goes for any career. You have to sacrifice some of your "personal" life to work towards the larger goal. You cannot party every weekend, eat out all the time and not be on a budget if you want to achieve your financial goals. At the end of the day it's all about balance
I started driving truck 1990. We always called o t r driving as paying your dues. Getting that diverse driving situation experience. Then you are more qualified for the good local jobs. My recommendation son is for you run your ass off but star looking for a good local job now. There are a lot available now. You need to be home for your wife when your child is born.she won’t ask you but she needs you to. I wasn’t there for my kids softball games etc and I can never get that time back. But I have had a dozen jobs since then. Maybe a regional job that gives you 1 or2 overnights a week and home a couple times during the week and weekends. The good jobs are out there don’t settle for the garbage jobs just because. They will hire you today. Those same companies will also fire you
It's amazing how many family photos you are not in because your on the road.
Completely depends on how you approach trucking if you're under a company they control when you go and where you go. If you're independent it's a completely different lifestyle. I never saw trucking as a career to retire from. Have to go in with a exit plan. But anything worth having will always come with a sacrifice.
Be honest if it's a waste of you life you should just quit and do something else to gain life experiences
That's why it called driving your life away.i did 20 years otr and 15 years local.pretty much.
I'm 49 years old I can tell you I use to party on the weekends for a long time trust me young guy keep doing what your doing. Your on the right path im trying to get my CDL now trucking looks fun I have no family left this would be perfect for me now.
Thats the new generation B.S. you can make a great living in trucking ! Definitely not OTR but you can do great things being local home everyday
It's all in people's mind; meaning, it's mind over matter, if u don't mind, it doesn't matter!!!.
I agree
facts! I got off that road first chance I got. Sucks to drive otr man
Trucking isn't for everyone, that's for sure. In year's past, we had a trucking family out on the road, you ran in to people you knew at every truck stop, other driver's, waitresses, etc, and you knew a lot of the shipper's & receiver's. Now day's driver's don't even speak to each other.
Trucking is definitely a waste of life. Anxiety and stress catches up with you. The risk and level of stress absolutely not worth the pay. Not to mention all the other inhumane aspects. Yeah, call me lazy or call me a complainer, but in trucking, beng a workaholic and over doing it causes accidents, death, and losing your mind. We weren't made to be driving every day all day and messing up our sleep schedule. It's supposed to be driver focused but it's most definitely company and customer focused.
How about having to deal with drivers that are on their phone all the time distracted drivers are a problem my brother drove a truck for over 40 years he said it's a problem
Trucking change my life and enabled me to live out my goals plus more. This is definitely not for everyone.
Every job is a waste of a life.
Truck driving is very stressfull ,and there is no way to work off the stress.To do it you have to live at work.The average trucker dies at 61 years of age.The money is just not worth the cost,in terms of health and well being.
I thank God everyday of my life" right before my feet hit the floor in my slipper of my truck,or the floor in my house. It's a beautiful thing to be able to share my life with my family members and friends. I am truly blessed with the opportunity to be my own boss and make My own business decisions, it's not for everyone but it's what makes me happy. Good video brother thanks for sharing it.
Thank you!
I just started and I'm ready to get out of it already lol this is good for single people. If you try to juggle a family with this it ain't gonna work.
I make 2800 a week n I'm company driver but doesn't matter I have no life is it really worth it
Great video and overall breakdown. I hear ya, it's very difficult having much of a life as a truck driver. I was an owner operator for several years and it completely consumed me to make money. I was either in the truck, under the truck, or doing paperwork. It's alot more than a job, it is a lifestyle. I lost alot of time with my family that I cannot get back. The thing about trucking is that it is hard to get out of if it's in your blood. I drive locally now for a company, sleep in my own bed at night, and have weekends off but as in most all trucking jobs I have to work 60 to 70 hours a week to make a decent paycheck. My weekends mainly consists of resting and preparing for the week ahead. As a company driver rather than o/o there is less responsibility such as the company has the burden and expenses of truck maintenance and all the required paperwork. It is a hard lifestyle just the same but hard to walk away from because trucking is in my blood.
@@mortalchap3457 I haven't seen any company paying over $2,000 dollars a week with weekends off, as a company driver; meaning, what company is that?
@Juan Torres Don't believe half the shit you read on here. Especially from driver's.
@@deltoro5346 this week made 3300
@@DNG1966 Yea put it on the glass
Get over it dude! I’m 27 with 2 boys and a wife back home and yeah I miss them but boy if this trucking ain’t good money.
After 43 years of wasting my life seeing the country through a windshield the worst thing of it all being in the truck so long by myself I can't be around people very long now happy to say I'm glad to be away from all of the headache
You know what is hilarious is that I spend so much time inside my home that being a driver would actually be a substantial increase in the amount of people I see. 43 years where did all that money go?
OTR isnt just a "job". Few are meant for it most are not. You have to love it.
I agree 38 years I love it
@@penntuckeybackwoods8201 im only a little over 3 years now and love it too. I took a about a year break to give the 9-5 thing a try and the whole time i wanted back in a truck. 2nd week back on the road and i couldnt be happier.
Be single, own nothing, eat cheap, bank the bucks...no alimony no losing the house to the ex wife, no child support...go otr
YEP
As a former manufacturing welder who actually did waste most of their life working a dead end line of work, I disagree that trucking is a waste of yours or anyones life. Currently, I am in CDL school now and from my point of view as someone who worked in a field where the top end pay was maybe 25 a hour if your are lucky, driving trucks is a far better “waste of time” if you want to call it that!! Over the road is simply not the only route to take in order to make a very good living with in the world of having a CDL.. As tons of people are and will say on here, OTR is a Lifestyle and that is 100% true!!! If you don’t like being out on the road simply get a trucking job that is local or regional. There plenty of those jobs that can net you a good living and have you home nightly wit weekends off or regional ones that have you overnighting once a week, but home way more frequently vs out right OTR driving.
Im a regional truck driver, I do 2 days home 2 day away. Saturday and Sunday always home. Leave Sunday evening and come back home tuesday morning, then I head out again on Thursday morning and come back home Friday night. so basically i always start my week on Thursday (Thursday & Friday on the road) (Saturday &Sunday home) (Monday on the road & return home Tuesday morning) (Tuesday & Wednesday home) get to learn my schedule & be home ever 2 days but you have to be an owner op. by doing this I'm still able to average 8k a week.
OTR. Truck driving is sweat shop on wheels..😳😳
Basically.
Absolutely,
Truck drivers these days to make any of the 80 90 100 thousand a year because of the shortage of truck drivers you can work out for a few years puts a lot of money away and then decide where to go from there
I agree 100%. What has become normal is very sad. Now trucking has its challenges but if you can find a way to make it work for you, you are golden.
Coming from a ex otr get in to the operators union I went from making under 100k a year to making 100-130k a year and I'm home everyday with my wife and kids. Time is more important then money
Operators union? As I’m running heavy equipment? I want to do that bad. Actually been thinking about going to mobile crane school.
i really feel like this really only applies to company drivers...i mean being a owner operator allows you to really control your schedule unlike working for a company, they'd want you in that damn truck 365 days if they could...and you become easily replaceable but to each their own.
True, corporations try to skim as much as that can off driver's pay and livelihood. I'm amazed at the amount of greed in this industry. They make billions in profits and still want you to buy your equipment like kingpin pullers, tire thumpers, windshield scrapers, gloves, even oil funnels. Whenever I worked in another industry, my tools were already there. It's like asking an office worker to buy their own monitor, keyboard and mouse.
I’m thinking of becoming a trucker. I currently work for a large HVAC company and for years have been putting in 70-90 hours a week. That’s not “living” either. Lots of driving involved with that.
Stop chasing miles, hit up bowerman trucking out of Arkansas . 1 year experience, 1500$ a week salary, home every week. Currently employed with them, went from 43cents per mile at Schneider to 73k a year. Tell them Alan sent you
That’s why you have to specialize in something, usually you will get better home time. I for example specialize in hazardous waste transportation and I work 4 days on 3 days off and make over 100k a year
Yes so true . I hear what you saying. And I think the same way. That ls my plan as well. You will have many blessings in life. Great job.
All the things you've been saying I feel the same way ,keep trucking 💛
One thing that stood out about what you said, your'e sacrificing now for the future. Many don't understand that concept. I tell my young adult kids now that you need to bust your ass while you're young so you can enjoy the future. Honestly, fuq the friends, the hanging out, the partying and all of that social bullshit. Work. Get used to doing beneficial things that are hard because they eventually become easy with repetition. And when you're in your 40s and 50s you'll see how far you've made it compared to your friends who thought the social scene was that important. I'm 50, retired and living in a foreign country without a care in the world right now. Sure, I sacrificed a lot to get to where I am but the friends I do have wish they were me.
they really need to change the hos rules. that goin to bed at different times is really bad for fatigue. i would suggest something like you can drive from 6am to 9pm. then trucks have to shutdown at 10pm to 6am for example. or better yet how about trucks can travel from 10pm to 6am then avoid traffic. point is you need a regulated sleep schedule ie same time everyday. to reduce fatigue
I agree with you 💯 I’ve been driving for 20 years and all of it OTR and I fight with it all the time because I feel like I’ve given my life to this job
I'm an OTR driver for 6 years.... I came with the goal to learn... get experience buy a truck n own it.... I'm on year 6.. feel accomplished now I'm going local... y?... because I have missed out of family time... my house is a mess... I'm tired.. gained weight... eventually this will eat you up... n make you losse relationships... get here learn... but go home.... people need you at home....
I feel the same and I’m not a trucker. Every job/work will have their up and down.
There were a study that like 80% of people don’t like their job but work beciase they need to pay the bills
Not having a schedule, working 12 -15 hours a day is NOT healthy, NOT safe.Companies don't care,all they do is say you're complainer. It absolutely is NOT worth it missing out on things in life.I regret getting my CDL,all the people saying they love it,good for you but there's a ton of people saying they aren't married etc.Truck stops are hell on earth,constant smell of piss,noise non stop.I am not sure how much longer I'm going to do this crap.
Damn I hear u dawg , u got any advice for someone like me studying for the CDL advice in the long term thank you
Everything in life seem like waste of life and times. But if you love what you doing. It’s not waste of life. You bring the material or thing to people make them smiles. For one, I am truck driver that dedicated to Tyson Food Inc I know I am feeding national by delivering the load for them. Not waste of life. Two thing I love is. Road and no hungry people. I did both at once.