Profile For Victor M.

Honestly, given your situation I can't imagine you getting started in trucking as a business owner. I love the idea of Linehaul for you considering your family situation. But it's highly unlikely you're going to get anywhere as a business owner in a commodity industry requiring huge capital expenditures and managing so many complexities.

If you wanted to drive and could find a job that was an upgrade in salary over where you're at I'd say consider that and then invest anything you'd like to invest in the stock market. That is a much safer, easier route to go than plopping down a massive pile of cash and going all-in on a commodity business like trucking, especially with no experience and no advantages going for you.

Could?

I can't say I've seen or read anywhere that truckers make less than 60k a year; regional or otherwise.

Unless you meant that it's hard to find a trucking job in general.

I have some in the stock market now, but not much. Sort of expecting a bit of a drop in our economy coming and so holding back.

Thanks.

Understand a 34 hour break at home is NOT a normal persons "weekend off". it means you just put in 14 hours then need to drive home. Then you sleep, get up eat, shower see.family and then sleep again to get rested for your next week. and drive back to the terminal. Your 34 break starts from when you parked the truck and ends when you return.

just a thought.

That was helpful to know.

Thanks.

Victor you're gonna have to realize how critical productivity is in this job. It is a performance based income. Rookie drivers just have a hard time breaking into the really great money that's available to the street smart experienced drivers. I see it all the time. Many rookie drivers give up long before they get the hang of things. Some of them never "get it" and settle for making half of their potential.

Personally it took me about four years to really get my stride out here. I'm a top producer now getting plenty of special treatment and excellent wages. That takes time, and a really strong track record of over performing your dispatcher's expectations. That is not easy, nor will it happen quickly. There is a lot more to this than most people realize.

The potential for success is here for anyone to capitalize on, but the reality is that only about 4 or 5% of the people who try it truly go on to a successful career. That's how tough it is. There are literally thousands of new drivers starting this career each month, and literally that many bailing out at the same time.

Just for the sake of illustration I'm going to show you my pay stub this week. It was a typical week for me (3,300 miles), but it would be an unheard of week for most new drivers.

I work really crazy hours and love what I do. Eighty hour weeks are very common for me, and I really only go home for a couple of days each month. My point in all this is to help you realize the commitment involved in this career. You can't get to the top levels of pay without proving you are worth it. We don't have salaries, we only get paid for what we accomplish. That can be a blessing or a curse depending on your ability to make things happen out here. If you do this you'd better be prepared for a lean year and a half, and if you screw up some equipment you may be finished. It's not easy, but it is rewarding.

I can't say I'm that ambitious.

If I can make 70k a year, I'm good........I really am. Of course, that is largely because I have a family so our circumstances may differ.

If you want to jump in and make a small fortune, start with a large fortune. I am an O/O leased onto a mega with my own, paid-for truck and it can be a tough go. I would not recommend it to anyone with zero experience driving.

Got it.

It may be more realistic to just start driving for a large company and get experience first.

My recommendation would be to do some research on linehaul and see you are interested in it, basically you run from 1 company terminal to another usually at night. Generally it is some the best paying jobs in trucking but it certainly lacks the adventures of OTR.

I would then call my local LTL companies such as Old Dominion, YRC, XPO, USF Holland and see what they have available.

You may have to go to private school to avoid working on their dock to driver programs, but once your CDL you will start at least .10+ cpm more than most OTR companies. I have been with Old Dominion since September 2017 and generally gross 12-1400 a week without a problem.

Thanks!

Where are you located? If your location is good you could land a pretty lucrative line-haul type job pulling doubles. You can make 80,000 plus dollars a year and be home on weekends, maybe even home nightly.

Southern California.

I'm capped out (salary wise) in my current office job (60k being the highest I'll ever make) and I'm sure most of you are aware that 60k for a large family in Southern California is extremely difficult to make it.

It's my understanding that if I drive for a company with no CDL (Swift for example), they pay their drivers $700 a week and it takes like 3-6 months to start making more than that.

I simply can't survive on that income and would have to figure out how to survive for 6 months.

I'm sure it gets better after the 6 months but if I could make at least 1k a week (which is at least equal to what I make now), it would be something I'd jump into right now.

This topic comes up often, I'll keep it short and sweet.

Most trucking companies make 3% profit if all goes well, it will be all but impossible to hire a decent driver and have anything left for yourself.

I wanted to start my own company as well but after I did the research it wasn't worth the risk, as you can make as much or more with 0 risk as a company driver.

I would strongly suggest investing your money elsewhere.

Ok.

That might just be the route I take.

I'd prefer to be home every weekend as I have a family, so I'm sure that will limit me.

What is the average yearly income of a driver that is home on the weekends?

To keep it simple, say he hauls dry only.

Just out of curiosity how much money do you plan on "investing" and how much will you have on hand for when it is needed?

8-10K invested

15k on hand.

Victor, welcome aboard!

I'm a long time business owner, and now a truck driver. I originally had a plan much like yours when I first decided to get into this. After months of consideration, planning, and working the numbers, I came to the conclusion that it just didn't make sense for me to risk the kind of capital required. The freight market has been really hot this year, but already showing signs of trouble ahead. The business end of this industry is hot and cold based on a lot of factors outside your control.

Doing this to generate a little extra income sounds bizarre to me. It's a business which will require you to be "all in." I found that being a competent dedicated company driver is a great way to make some good solid money. That is the only way I would ever recommend someone get started in this. Having relatives in the business really means nothing - having "skin in the game" will be as damaging as it will be challenging. I just can't give you any encouragement to follow through with this.

We focus on helping new drivers make a good start at this, and for as many years as I have been involved here, we've never tried to get anyone to jump right into the deep water like you're contemplating. It's a commodities business, and it's complexity leaves little room for error while providing very modest profit levels. The national averages of the largest trucking companies are usually in the 3 to 5 percent range, and that is with billions in revenue.

I know you'll probably persist in your quest, so I hope you'll get some help from people who specialize in this sort of advice. The best place to start would be the OOIDA Website.

I Just mentioned the knowing someone in the Industry to show that this wasn't something I woke up and thought of one day. I'm fully aware this is something will mine to maintain fully.

Thank you so much for your advice.

I have considered going head first into driving as well.

BTW, I just want to make clear that I do not wish to offend anyone or minimize the amount of work and hardship doing trucking takes.

I asked this very question in another forum and wasn't met with the friendliest of responses.

I figure they thought I was joking or trying to troll them or something.......not sure.

All input will be greatly appreciated. Ask away if you have any questions.