Question:
After reading about 5 pages of posts, most people are trying to steer newbies away from big companies it seems like. What other options are there really? Most other companies seem to want experienced drivers, or am i wrong. And are there benefits of going to an independent school instead of a big companies own school. I'm not even sure how serious I am, if i become a driver it would most likely be a big dropoff in income for me for the first few years. I'm miserable in my current job, even though the pay is really good and i live comfortably, and recently started considering how much i might enjoy truck driving. Mainly, i hate construction and am somewhat confident i'd like to try being a driver, but the only thing stopping me right now would be the dropoff in pay. I'm thinking i would drop from 50K a year i'm making to maybe half of that. Perhaps i'd get tired of it also. I'm very indecisive as you can read lol. Also, if anybody could describe to me what a typical day is like as a driver.

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I feel sorry for Hank for all the whirlwind of comments that will take place soon, it's almost like the calm before the storm I don't even want to touch this one.
Answer:

Like a day in construction but for half the wage and double the hours.
There's more money in construction management
further your education. The OTR lifestyle(snicker)
is not geared to normal Family living.
Trucking involves weeks away from home.
Trucking is not covered by Fair Labor Law Standards.
The pay rate is based on "mystical" miles and 1985 pay scales.
There is no room for advancement.
The "job" is being filled by the Uneducated,Retirees,Desperate
and recent Immigrants willing to work for less.
To actually answer your question in one word, "sucks" is it.
The constant "recruitment efforts" show it.
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^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^
Could not have said it better myselfrecovering dweller..........oilfield trash division

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Get a small microwave, a small ice box, and a mattress. Now go live in your bathroom for a month Marines stay and fight, Bush makes sure of that.
Fox News, just a bowel movment away
Blind faith in a bad leader, is not patriotism

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Add a "stranger"(trainer) to the list.
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Well, I'd have to ask do you really hate construction or do you really hate swinging a hammer?
If you're smart, have a good criminal record and a good driving record, you can replicate that $50K/yr within a year or three of driving a truck, but that is about all you will make for the rest of your life, and you'll live in the truck to do it (in the vast majority of cases).
However, if you're really smart, have a good criminal record, you can get your contractor's license within a year or three and quite possibly become a multi-millionaire by the time you retire.
Rewards tend to follow risk, effort , and opportunity

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I love trucking.
I had a most wonderful start to my dat once again this morning. It did kind of start last night though.
Last night I finally found some where to park after a 14 plus a little hour day. But it wasn't the best place. A dirt lot next to a pilot and I puilled in behind another truck. Unfortunatly he was blocked in. So I stayed up a couple hours until some one moved and I snuck over and got his spot. Not what I had in mind but not much choice. So this morning I woke up kind of happy with life. grabbed my bag and some fresh clothes and headed in for a shower. Make that a wait for a shower. It only took an hour to get one. While waiting I decide to get some coffee. So I wandered over to the coffee bar and started filling a cup. Some one behind me wanted a cup also. So he reached over my arms to grab a cup. I thought how nice. Then I stepped back after filling my cup right into some fat trucker lady waiting to get a cup also. I thought how nice of her to be standing 2 inches from me but I said excuse me. She said nothing so I said excuse you also. Then had to wander around about 5 people trying to get coffee so I could get cream and sugar. Of course I had to say excuse me 5 times with not a word in return. So I grabbed the creamer. While dumping it in another person reached over me for some sugar so I of course said excuse me. The same thing went on when I finally got the sugar. Then it was off to the register to pay and get some smokes. After about 10 minutes it was my turn. She rang up my stuff and I gave her my credit card, the wrong one and it was declined as it should be. I said wait a second I have the right one here when one of the obnoxious coffee people said "F'ing hurry up. I ofcourse replied with, excuse me. He shut up when I looked at him. After paying I again had to excuse myself to get past the people waiting to pay for stuff with not a word back. So after that 25 minute getting a cup of coffee ordeal I went and hung out at the diesel desk another 35 minutes for a shower.
The moral of the story, waking up in a parking lot and getting a cup of coffee and shower is a flat out rotten pain in the butt and no one gives a sh't. It made most of the day bad because of how ticked off and rude most drivers are just trying to get a shower and coffee. Trucking isn't your dream job that you've been thinking about since you were a kid. Coffee is just the start of another completely rude day of driving around idiots who are close to brain dead. Most drivers are as rude on the road as they are in the store. I'm talking about truckers. 4-wheelers are usually more polite and have some manners on and off the road.

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.... is Stuffs, get the hell outta the way!
_______________________________
Mark; exhibiting exquisite manners

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Sheeeesh, another rude bastage.
Just get your (edited) and shutup.

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Trucking is what you make out of it.It's not people's actions it's your reactions that counts.YOU control YOUR attitude for the day regardless of the other attitudes around you.

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Stagnant said it best, beware what u ask for as you will get 95% negastive response on this kind of posting. You make it what it is. Alot of these guys hate life in general because they are in a job they dont like and can't get anything else. I have been trucking for 15 years and I still love what I am doing. I make a decent living but not going to get rich doing it. All bills paid and enough put away to go on vacation every once in a while or at least take a few days off. I work 5 1/2 days a week and home 1 1/2 days. It is a different lifestyle. Getting a job being a long haul driver is easier than getting local work. I did my schooling at a private training facility and paid for it myself, but you can get training with a company and work your training off for a year and that would give you a good idea what it really is like. Also, the time goes by rather fast as long as you get hooked up with the right trainer. I personally like OTR as local work can be classified as work and OTR is a way of life with a little work involved. Like I said, you make it what it is. I also don't consider myself as uneducated, retiree,desperate, or an imigrant willing to work for less as was stated by another responder in here. Good luck in whatever you decide to do. Also, if you are married and have children, the job gets twice as tough being away from them. They will suffer as much or more than you will.
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i dont have either a wife or kids, so nothing really to tie me down. I want both, but not sure if either will ever happen the way things are going, but thats another story. Just kind of considering it. I've been in my current job for over a decade, have several state licenses for my trade, and still go to work everyday feeling like i'm doing something i don't really want to do, but i do my job well, and i would be good at whatever i choose. I just was thinking the other day i might like giving this a try, but most likely the low starting pay for the first couple of years will keep me from doing it. But for now i'm still considering it. I'm very indecisive for my age lol.

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There are loads of people who reconsider , revaluate their employment choices and not just those who consider trucking.
Take the NEGATIVITY with a grain of salt , some is valid some is not same as some of the POSITIVE items

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Yea that's it. Take all the negatives with a grain of salt. They don't mean a thing. You control your attitude and trucking is what you make of it. Before you know it you'll actually like the smell of a TS parking lot and working for free. It's all in what you make of it.