Profile For zomer89

I'll try to keep this as succinct as possible. I'm considering going to CDL school for a host of reasons but mainly to pay off debt. I watch a lot of trucker channels on youtube and lurk in other forums where truckers chat about their lifestyle and earnings. Some have mentioned that although they haven't started out making 6 figures, they were still able to pay off debt and accumulate nice savings. They didn't have to pay living expenses because they essentially lived in their truck. How feasible is this?

I do understand that if you are an owner/operator or lease then it would be likely that you would have your own tractor. But what about if you are a regular W2 company driver doing OTR? And if you are assigned your own tractor, but you do not have a residence to park it at, how likely is it that they would allow you to park at the terminal on your off days? Or perhaps you could park at a truck stop nearby.

The ideal situation that I would be looking to achieve temporarily would be to get assigned my own tractor without having to be an owner/op or lease (sounds too expensive from what I've heard). Forgo having to pay for rent because I would live in a tractor similar to an RV or vanlife. Ditch paying for a car also. I still would need to pay for food, cell service, gym membership, etc. But having a car payment with insurance and rent out of the equation, I could pay off my student loans within a year or two years at the most, and put some funds aside for savings and down payment on a home when I am ready to settle.

I'm just unsure how likely it is to achieve this with most companies as a rookie. I'd imagine most carriers need their trucks available for other drivers so they would not allow it to be used as a full-time residence.

My lease is up in June and I am considering starting the CDL training with Roehl in late April or May. So I need to have a good grasp on what type of living arrangements I have the options for.

Looking forward to hearing your replies and any insights!

It's very feasible. Lots of drivers do it. There are some who have posted on this forum who do it. The question is, how much are you willing to go without? Need a shower every single night? Might not be the best option. OTR, you have to be willing to "rough it" at times, especially if choosing to live out of your truck. Need home cooked meals every day? Might not be the best option. We meal prep and set ourselves up to eat healthy, but the fridge only fits so much food and it can be a couple of weeks or more between opportunities to hit a grocery store.

For someone who doesn't mind the solitude and is willing to live like you are camping, it's a great way to save money.

I think the lack of exercise equipment would be my first concern. I've been on a weight loss journey for the past year and joined planet fitness. I've lost around 20 pounds but have 50 pounds to go. I know there's creative ways you can get some exercise in and can probably bring a kettlebell and workout bands with you, but cardio has been my go to for getting my metabolism going.

Showers? Meh. I live in a rooming house where we have one bathroom to share among 5 or more people. I don't always get the chance to shower everyday or even use the bathroom exactly when I need to. Meal prepping works great for me. I've been trying to incorporate more fasting to assist with blood sugar and weight loss. So going a day or two with no meal would be what I was planning on.

Im pretty much a loner and enjoy solitude as I drove into subjects that interest me. Only thing is I think I would for sure need a pet. Preferably a cat. Most the companies I've researched allow for pets but some don't. That would be a factor I'd consider and is non negotiable.

Thanks man I 100% agree get on with a company and just stick it out with them. They have told me that they can keep me out all the time I am hoping to throw all my stuff in a storage locker just live in my truck saving money and making more because being out all the time. Tomorrow is the state test day my driving and inspection is really good my range stuff is only fair!

That's what I am hoping to do as well. I don't see how else I'd be able to pay off student loans and debt AND save for a house any other way. Paying rent and living expenses will only leave most people with a few extra hundred a month, and there's no way you can make any real progress out of that situation unless you can live somewhere for free. May I ask what school you go to and did you got help with the tuition or is the company paying for your training?

I'm curious about what you are allowed to take with you while you are driving, especially if OTR in terms of self-protection. I'm sure you are allowed to carry pepper spray, but if you have a CCW, will most companies allow you to carry it?

Personally, I do some solo travel as a female and though I know most rest areas and truck stops are safe, there were still a few I went to that were shady and were an obvious hot spot for junkies and who knows what else.

Sorry i didnt read the responses yet.

Yes Rookies can do it. The company won't even notice. As OTR you are the only one assigned to the truck. Many lease ops stay out for 3 to 4 months without going home at all. No one is tracking your home time and no ome will "force" you to take hometime. You taje off when and where you want.

You keep asking about what we call "slip seating". That is done for local and some regionals so the truck is moving when you are home. That requires a schedule also. OTR has no real home time schedule. No one will force you to take home time. Whether you are "living on the truck" or not... you park at a truck stop during home time. If you are staying in hotels, then find one with truck parking. Most likely you will drop your trailer before home time. Meaning, you can park bobtail in the car parking lot... just park in the back. Hampton Inn and La Quintas are good for this.

More importantly, you need a physical Residential" addtess for your CDL. It cannot be a PO Box or UPS store. "Residence" means place to live. People will tell you that you can use these types of stores. But you can lose your CDL if caught.

Use a friend or relatives address.

Thank you this is really helpful. Are most OTR jobs W2? It's a little confusing when I read forums and watch trucker videos breaking sown their pay. Most will include what they paid in their fuel card, which makes me think they are 1099 and will need to do their own taxes end of the year. But I am more interested in W2, where you can get benefits. At least for the first year, to get my experience and pay off my student loans. Afterwards, I would like to find an arrangement where I can work half the year and take the other half off to travel. Im not sure how most companies operate in those kinds of arrangements.

You're not going to be able to travel around in the company's tractor. The way to handle situations like you mentioned is to plan it with your driver manager. You tell your manager you want to take "home time" from May 15th to May 19th, or whatever your specifics are. You also tell them where you want to take it. Let's say you want to go to Las Vegas. You remind them as you get closer to the time and they will work on routing you to the area you want to be.

You don't have to go to a terminal or operations center. You can park at a truck stop, or some other form of secure parking. Then you can ride share or rent a car for travels or exploration.

Oh I see. So, on the last trip, they assign you, they will ensure the destination is in the city you want to take your days off. I would also want to park at a gym like Planet Fitness if they allow truckers to park there. One fear I have with truck driving is the toll it will take on health and fitness. I've worked hard to lose 20 pounds and still have about 50 pounds to go. I know there are creative ways people can still work out in their truck but it most likely wouldn't include cardio of any kind. But if you can park the tractor at planet fitness and then be able to walk into the gym every day, shower, and work out, then not have to pay for lodging because you can sleep in the tractor; that's a good deal.

Companies all have established freight lanes they run. They will establish terminals or drop lots in high traffic areas for them. Running OTR they can send you anywhere. This is where alot of folks hinder themselves.

Planners are only concerned with moving freight. They don’t really care who does it, just that it gets done. When drivers want to be home on a certain date, planners use that to create the routes for that truck. If you leave it open, they can literally send you anywhere because they know you don’t need to be at a specific place on a specific date.

A friend of mine worked at Roehl in the curtainside division. He lived in NC but stayed out 2-3 months at a time. The planners sent him all over, mainly west coast right after he came off home time. He loved it and made good money. When he gave them time frames he needed to be back east they worked him back.

Drivers he worked with didn’t do nearly as well because they wanted to be home much more frequently. They kept them running in much smaller circles from home.

Your division also plays a part of the equation. Different freight goes different places.

Flatbeds tend to not work weekends as far as pickup/deliveries and not usually weird hours for deliveries. We’re more mon-fri during normal business hours. Based on the type of customers.

Van frieght has alot of customers that run 24/7.

Generally big companies will let you take time off wherever you want. Your travel will be on you though. Using the tractor won’t be allowed. They will probably want you to show it is parked in a safe legal place during time off.

Communication with your driver manager will be your key to success.

I see, this makes sense. So most companies will let you stay out however long you want? I've been liking the idea of working on a consistent schedule for longer blocks of time in exchange for more time off. Most of the job postings though don't specify the schedule you have, just the cents per mile. I'd assume if you get benefits then you would need to put in so many hours or days on the road to stay eligible. I like the idea of working 3 months on and 6 weeks or something similar. I know a few independent adjusters in the insurance industry who work 8 months out of the year and take the rest of the year off. They travel overseas or go on long hiking trips. I don't know how feasible that is with the trucking industry. From what I've heard the PTO time they give most truckers is meager compared to any other industries when comparing the amount of time you spend away from home.

What is the likelihood that they approve personal leave? That is if they even offer it. Most of the companies I've worked for in a remote setting for call centers have medical leaves that need documentation or personal leave. Personal leaves usually don't require documentation, it's just requested to the manager and you may or may not get approved. But it can be up to three months. Do they offer those kinds of arrangements in trucking? On Reddit, one trucker said they were approved for 6 months off for personal leave, no questions asked. And the job was waiting for them when they came back. I find it hard to believe.

Zomer asks:

Is this something companies let you do as a rookie or do you need to prove yourself first for a few months? And is this only possible if they assign you your own truck? If you don't have private property to park the tractor at, where would you stay on off days?

Yes, indeedy. Once you get your CDL and some company hires you, the first several weeks or more you will be riding with an experienced trainer. That will polish you a bit better to drive your own truck (that you're company issues you). Your trainer gives your company a thumbs and you're good to go.

Then you pretty much live in the truck. If you plan to really go home, just find a truck stop nearby. You didn't need your own property to park at.

You might be interested in:

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

Thanks a bunch for the insight! I'm also curious about traveling. Say your company has terminals or OC (is that what they're called?) all over the country. Say after working three months you wanna take a week off. You were hired based out of the state of IN. Can you travel around on your own time with your tractor on your week off? And when it comes time to start your OTR trips, can you go to any terminal the company works in to pick up a load? Say you wanna travel to CO where the company has another terminal, can you do that or do you always have to return to the terminal you were hired at?

I’ve known several drivers do exactly what your thinking and a few were at Rohel. It’s very doable.

Is this something companies let you do as a rookie or do you need to prove yourself first for a few months? And is this only possible if they assign you your own truck? If you don't have private property to park the tractor at, where would you stay on off days?

I liv3d in my truck for over 6 years. Paid off a ton of debt. Not a problem.

Is this something companies let you do as a rookie or do you need to prove yourself first for a few months? And is this only possible if they assign you your own truck? If you don't have private property to park the tractor at, where would you stay on off days?

I was terminated from Schneider 1 month before I made a year for safety violation. Schneider claim I did not secure the container to the chassis. That the front of the container was sitting on the pins. They said I took the container from the rail yard but could not tell me what rail yard. When I asked to see the container, they showed me pictures of the container but never let me see where the container was located. 1) there is no was I took a container from a railway with the container being on the front pin. That is something you can see just walking up to the container. 2) The rail yard would not have cleared inspection for me to leave. 3) They would not send me pictures of the the container. 4) I never received termination paperwork.

No, I do not have a spotless record. I do have providable incidents on my record. But those where in my first few months of working and they were for going to fast around curves, breaking a light with my mallet. The worst one was at the Samsung yard in San Diego and that according to personnel working there, happens on the regular because of the way the yard is made.

Schneider has made it very hard for me to get another truck driving and my unemployment was denied because of them. I want to fight the termination but have no money for a lawyer. Can someone tell me what I should do? Thanks.

Have you looked into legal aide? It's for people who can't afford an attorney. I was in the same situation but in another industry. Unfortunately, they do get overbooked and sometimes have to refuse cases.