Profile For Brian W.

Brian, I think you get our ideas on being an owner operator from the previous responses, so I'll just say that I agree with them.

But, I did want to congratulate you on quitting the meth. I know that is a major accomplishment. I've talked to several meth heads who absolutely couldn't give it up. The only time that they ever go without it is when they are in jail, which often times is fairly frequent. I know one person who after three years of prison time started right back as soon as he got out. Now he's down for a ten year stint.

I, for one, am very proud of you. Keep clean, and enjoy your new career!

Thank you very much old school and brett. I talked to the owner operator recruiter today and she said that I would be chancing it but theae two people on the same account I am on are making out alright and still more than what I make now but I still have a lot of thinking to do. I drive for Swift and I am on the Family Dollar account which is very well paying especially being a new driver

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention. When someone waves there hand violently with their middle finger. Just smile and laugh, because we all know we are number one

As of July 1 has been a major milestone in my life. This year marks 8 years that I lived in NY and put down the drug that almost ruined my life (meth). And it has been one year since my career in trucking has started. Now I am considering taking my career to the next level and becoming an owner operator. The dedicated run that I do does require me to go into very tight quarters and sometimes where trucks really shouldn't be if you ask me, but as a new driver I surprise alot of people that have been doing this for years with what I have done. But my concern is, what kind of truck to get. I was looking either a Volvo 780 or the kw t680 I was interested in the t700 but I can't see over the dash.

My only suggestion is going to be is Swift. They gave me a chance I took it and the benefits of taking it have paid off. 3 week solo driver and was offered a dedicated run for one of the highest paying accounts they have to offer with 2 days off a week home every weekend. You will not make very much money OTR starting off and that is the cold hard truth with any company. You will be sucked on by the training pay with any company. But it all starts when you are a solo driver. I wish you the best of luck in your endeavour and may God bless you on your journey to a safe career and long safe trips

Hi, i hope you are being safe out on these roads here in New York. I live an hour away from Rochester, it is a nice city and yes there are a lot of low bridges since this city was built before trucks in the 1800s. In the state of NY all bridges are 1 foot higher than posted unless it says actuall. You did a very wise decision on that 11 foot 2 inch bridge

Welcome aboard! Glad to have ya!

Hey, what did your dad think when you told him you wanted to get into trucking? The reason I ask is because all I ever heard drivers say on the CB throughout the years was "If my kid ever wants to get into trucking I'll kill him!"

I loved my years on the road and I have a nephew who is 22 and he's considering getting into trucking. I think it's a great idea. He needs a career and he'd do well at it. But I think I'm the only person I know that would recommend a family member get into trucking.

He was finally relieved that I finally decided to do it because he has been doing it for 16 years and I recommend it to anyone who likes to travel. I like to travel myself and to top it off I get paid to do what I like to do, travel. An average driver will actually make less than 40,000 their first year to tell everyone the truth unless you get into dedicated routes where you are guaranteed to be moving all the time. I'm looking at 50,000+ my first year all because of my father having pull in the company I drive for and I am very appreciative of him. Brett I have been part of this forum for about a year now when I was looking into going to school in April last year. I would suggest Swift to anyone since it was the only company to give me a chance considering my discharge from the military with an alcohol rehabilitation treatment failure over 8 years ago. They looked at it like a dui and said its been more than five years get your butt here in school and drive for us. Swift is an A+++ company to drive for!

I am a rookie driver with less than a year experience, I started driving July 1, 2012 and had a great mentor with Swift Transportation and learned a great deal about this industry not just from him but also my father who has been driving for more than half my life. That is almost fourty years of experience combined from what I have learned from. I have become pretty successful within two months of driving, got offered my companies highest paying dedicated routes and have succeeded further than all the students I went to school with in this company I drive for and I am also proud of my friends that I have made from the school that I went to, because they themselves followed my footsteps. As a rookie driver I felt that I was a leader of my peers and I help mentor my fellow rookie drivers and they all look up to me and call me to see how I am doing even though I have not seen them since we graduated from school in June. I enjoy to hear from them and answer any questions they have. And the weird thing is they get the same answer from me as they do from their managers. I am always happy to help them and I as well look up to them because not only did they learn from me, I learned from them.