Truck Driving For The Ex-IT Pro

There are strategies for success that each driver will develop on his own if he has the initiative, unfortunately most don't take those initiatives. Brett used to keep a list of where empty trailers were, and when he'd be sitting around at some distribution center with fifteen other drivers from his company, all of them waiting on empty trailers, he'd study that list and then head off to look at those nearby places where he might find an empty. If somebody hollered at him on the radio, "Hey Rolling Stone, where are you going?" He'd say "Ahhh, I'm going to go get me a sandwich, I'll be back in a few minutes." Next thing you know he was getting dispatched a load because he knew how to find an empty trailer. All those other guys were willing to just sit and wait. There is no money in sitting and waiting in this business. It is the guys who know how to keep their wheels turning who make the top pay. That is why I stated earlier that it is all on your shoulders. This is important: Few people understand what I'm sharing with you. That is why there is such disparity among truck drivers pay. Just this week I was at the Knight terminal in Gulfport, Mississippi having my truck serviced. Here we are midway into the calendar year, and a driver in the lounge tells me that he is quitting Knight. His reason was: "They just don't have the miles to keep us busy." He told me that he will only have made 15,000 dollars by the end of this month (June), and that he thought that was unacceptable. Well, I didn't tell him I had made more than half that. Then he stated his "real concern" as he put it. "This company has their favorites, and if you are one of those favorites then you are going to make all kinds of money - that is just not fair!"

Sambo, I hope your getting the picture. Favoritism is alive and well in the trucking business. It has absolutely nothing to do with "brown nosing" it is all based on performance. To the victors go the spoils. The top producers have earned their positions at the top, and if they expect to stay there they have to bring their "A" game every day, and every night. I'm relentless when it comes to out performing the others, but the thing is you never know what you are up against, so you do your damndest every chance you get out here to be the best their is.

That is how you make some money at this.

I could be wrong, but I think focusing on the $$$ is the wrong way to look at it. Will you love trucking? Will you want to roll out of the sleeper everyday wanting to find new ways to be great? Do you spend your "off time" thinking of trucking? If the answer to these questions is yes, then you won't be doing a job, you'll be living your passion. When you live your passion, the $$$ takes care of it's self. I bet trucking is a passion for Old School and the other top performers. Just my thoughts.

I could be wrong, but I think focusing on the $$$ is the wrong way to look at it. Will you love trucking? Will you want to roll out of the sleeper everyday wanting to find new ways to be great? Do you spend your "off time" thinking of trucking? If the answer to these questions is yes, then you won't be doing a job, you'll be living your passion. When you live your passion, the $$$ takes care of it's self. I bet trucking is a passion for Old School and the other top performers. Just my thoughts.

I thought that way 20 years ago when I pursued my passion. Now I am deeply in debt.

The questions like "will I love trucking?" and "will I want to roll out of a sleeper everyday?" are the questions that I badly want to know, yet they cannot be answered until I would commit to trucking for multiple years (and rack up some debt in the process of starting) while having deep debt and child support obligations. One must weigh the factors. In the end, vocation is about pay as much as it is about passion. Missing one or the other makes the vocation a real problem.

I think the question of passion for trucking is not necessarily easy to answer. Otherwise, there would not be such a high turnover rate in the first 12-24 months in the industry.

Rocketman wrote:

I could be wrong, but I think focusing on the $$$ is the wrong way to look at it. Will you love trucking? Will you want to roll out of the sleeper everyday wanting to find new ways to be great? Do you spend your "off time" thinking of trucking? If the answer to these questions is yes, then you won't be doing a job, you'll be living your passion. When you live your passion, the $$$ takes care of it's self. I bet trucking is a passion for Old School and the other top performers. Just my thoughts.

I thought that way 20 years ago when I pursued my passion. Now I am deeply in debt.

The questions like "will I love trucking?" and "will I want to roll out of a sleeper everyday?" are the questions that I badly want to know, yet they cannot be answered until I would commit to trucking for multiple years (and rack up some debt in the process of starting) while having deep debt and child support obligations. One must weigh the factors. In the end, vocation is about pay as much as it is about passion. Missing one or the other makes the vocation a real problem.

I think the question of passion for trucking is not necessarily easy to answer. Otherwise, there would not be such a high turnover rate in the first 12-24 months in the industry.

Rocketman I definitely understand where you are coming from,...it's about a happy medium; striking a balance between desires, wants, adventure, and of course basic financial needs. Everyone's idea of what will work and will not work is different and highly personal. T he important pieces must be aligned. At some point, maybe the only way to determine if this is for you is possibly an educated leap of faith. You are obviously highly intelligent and have extensive life experience. Both of those characteristics combined with hard work, an open mind and a positive attitude, should enable your success.

The turnover I believe is a combination of many things, not the least of which is learning how to "tame the beast", operating a heavy combination vehicle safely, calmly, and efficiently. Some succeed, while others just cannot grasp it entirely. At the root of most turnover (IMO) are false and/or unrealistic expectations. Lots of information is available, but not all of it is consistent and accurate. Going into trucking with only half the story, is almost always a recipe for failure. This is the reason why the majority of the available tools and information exchanged on TT is all about reducing the element of surprise and turning false hope into a realistic and achievable path to success.

Greetings all,

This is a great starting thread for me. The thread is 6 years old, so we’ll see if it gets any comments. I am turning 50 soon. I have been a software engineer and engineering manager for 25 years. In the early days, I enjoyed it. Writing code was fun, and consistent pay increases and new challenges were rewarding. But, 25 years in and I am burnt out. Burt out on the constant retooling and the need to learn new technologies that never seems to end. Burt out on looking at this screen 10, 12, 14+ hours a day. And with AI about to revolutionize software (and everything else), I just don’t know if I have another revolution in me. And so, I am left to look at the next 15 years of employment. Do I pivot now, or double-down where I’m at?

Why trucking? Both of my grandfathers were commercial drivers. One with Foster Farms and the other a Bus Driver in California. My Dad drove for many local companies, owned a couple dump truck trailers, and was in dispatch. My first job at 15 was in a trucking yard bouncing tires and lubing trailers and doing whatever else, so in a way, trucking feels familiar.

My worry is, can I make a living? Both of my kids are starting college and I am not done (modestly) helping them. I have a mortgage and bills and an expensive fishing habit. I don’t need to be home too often as kids no longer need me within arm’s reach and my girlfriend is OK with me being on the road. I’m not very conventional, and I think I might like the idea of being on the road and seeing some of this big country. I don’t expect to make the same money that I do in software and even if I stay in software, I’ve peeked at earning potential and expect to earn less as I age. I’ve read about some good money in trucking, as well as dismal money. And it is hard to know if the higher end pay is all smoke. For example, I saw an ad for Western Express in my area claiming an entry level driver can make 100k the first year, and then 130k eventually, depending on performance. Does that seem legit? Seems too good to be true?

I think I can handle the rigor of trucking. I think I’d adjust to a new work-life, and a change feels exciting. But when I read average starting pay I get a little shook. I know I need to change careers. I don’t need the same money I make in software, but tell me, what is realistic money these days? Some posts I read about money are either years old and low or seem too good to be true. I have other concerns about trucking – mostly about the grind, the hours, and safety. But I’ll get to those later. If you’ve read this far, thank you. I appreciate any feedback.

Hi Frank,

I am sort of in the same boat as you and thinking of leaving the IT field after 25 years and going into trucking, but want to hear from others. I am wondering if starting a whole new post will bring in more comments/opinions?

Greetings all,

This is a great starting thread for me. The thread is 6 years old, so we’ll see if it gets any comments. I am turning 50 soon. I have been a software engineer and engineering manager for 25 years. In the early days, I enjoyed it. Writing code was fun, and consistent pay increases and new challenges were rewarding. But, 25 years in and I am burnt out. Burt out on the constant retooling and the need to learn new technologies that never seems to end. Burt out on looking at this screen 10, 12, 14+ hours a day. And with AI about to revolutionize software (and everything else), I just don’t know if I have another revolution in me. And so, I am left to look at the next 15 years of employment. Do I pivot now, or double-down where I’m at?

Why trucking? Both of my grandfathers were commercial drivers. One with Foster Farms and the other a Bus Driver in California. My Dad drove for many local companies, owned a couple dump truck trailers, and was in dispatch. My first job at 15 was in a trucking yard bouncing tires and lubing trailers and doing whatever else, so in a way, trucking feels familiar.

My worry is, can I make a living? Both of my kids are starting college and I am not done (modestly) helping them. I have a mortgage and bills and an expensive fishing habit. I don’t need to be home too often as kids no longer need me within arm’s reach and my girlfriend is OK with me being on the road. I’m not very conventional, and I think I might like the idea of being on the road and seeing some of this big country. I don’t expect to make the same money that I do in software and even if I stay in software, I’ve peeked at earning potential and expect to earn less as I age. I’ve read about some good money in trucking, as well as dismal money. And it is hard to know if the higher end pay is all smoke. For example, I saw an ad for Western Express in my area claiming an entry level driver can make 100k the first year, and then 130k eventually, depending on performance. Does that seem legit? Seems too good to be true?

I think I can handle the rigor of trucking. I think I’d adjust to a new work-life, and a change feels exciting. But when I read average starting pay I get a little shook. I know I need to change careers. I don’t need the same money I make in software, but tell me, what is realistic money these days? Some posts I read about money are either years old and low or seem too good to be true. I have other concerns about trucking – mostly about the grind, the hours, and safety. But I’ll get to those later. If you’ve read this far, thank you. I appreciate any feedback.

Hi there Frank and Jerry.

If you want to get into trucking, apply for company sponsored training so you will be paid something while learning.

Paid CDL Training Programs

Apply For Truck Driving Jobs

For Frank, Indiana is a great location for you getting started. Lots of companies and perhaps the freight crossroad of the industry.

When I trained, I was paid 800 per week during 5 weeks of training. Then I was bringing home about 1000 per week for the first 8 months. Now I’m in my 3rd year and my gross pay this year will be about 70,000, which is about middle of the pack driver pay. This is a lot of money for me because my expenses are so low as I’m very frugal and I live in my truck. I’m putting my grandson through college and that is where most of my money goes. But I still am able to save money every month and have a healthy 401K.

No one here is going to tell you that beginning a trucking career is easy. It’s not, especially at first. It’s almost like going to a 4 year college on a paid internship. And it really does take about 4 years to master the profession, in my opinion. Then it’s a matter of continuing education for the entire career. But it can be a cure for an unsatisfactory IT career AND it’s a great career choice for people who are not so young anymore. Many of us here on TT came to the profession later in life and have been successful.