Can A Single/no Kids/minimal Bills OTR Company Driver Avoid Renting An Apartment?
Topic 34415 | Page 1
You absolutely can work that plan. In fact, this job is ideal for that.
You don't want to burn yourself out, so take a little time off now and then. You'll figure out what works for you. We have several people here who live in their company truck.
Home time doesn't have to be taken at any specific location. I've taken it in Florida, Nevada, California, Ohio, South Carolina, and at my home in Texas. As long as your company runs freight in a particular area, you can most likely take home time there.
I lived on the truck for 6 years, banked my money. Took hometime anywhere in the country and grabbed hotels anytime i felt the need to get off the truck. I paid $70,000 of debt off in my first 2 years
I too did that myself, pretty much spent most free time in the truck, if not near "home".... I had a 29 ft 5th wheel in my buds back corner of his 2 acre yard and a shed for all my tools and stuff. Had sold off my VW beetle, and 69 VW bus, my silverado, and my cycle. Was down to a 1994 Honda civic sport I usually parked at our terminal , with my 1st company doing teams 22 months.
So I gave my buddy $600 a month for my spot, and was off grid so no use of his utilities lol. I sold the 5th wheel to get that gone, left my shed with my stuff there....After a 5 month break, I took a job driving solo for the last 4 months til my early retirement in 3/22.....With the 2nd company I was able to save over $20+k for my start here in the Philippines....So yes living in your truck as much as possible can save you a LOT of cash for other things.
When I was passing thru, or had a few days off, I'd just park outside my buds yard, and sleep in the nice cozy truck.....YOU CAN DEW IT lol
Terminal:
A facility where trucking companies operate out of, or their "home base" if you will. A lot of major companies have multiple terminals around the country which usually consist of the main office building, a drop lot for trailers, and sometimes a repair shop and wash facilities.
Awesome, thanks all!
Looking forward to getting the ball rolling on all of this.
I know many truckers without homes. My trainer doesn't have a house. My good friend doesn't.
It's actually rather common to just live out of your truck. Just got to be somewhat creative but it's completely feasible.
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I'm about a week away from doing my 2nd sleep apnea sleep study (october 9th) and will be getting my CPAP machine shortly after. Also just got my Class-A permit card in the mail and no longer need my temporary printout I got at the DMV
My Wilson Logistics recruiter is all set paperwork-wise to get me rolling with training, etc once I'm using my CPAP.
I know I talked about both the "lease purchase operator" and "company driver" options I have with Wilson but I will most likely go with being a company driver now.
That being said, since my plan is to only be in the trucking trade 2 years, 3 years tops, (and if I use my brain, stay with the same company the whole time haha) and then get out and immigrate to another country, I obviously will be using the trucking trade to build up as much savings as possible, while at the same time minimizing personal expenses as much as possible.
I'm not married, don't have kids, don't have a lot of bills and recently paid off all my debts. So I'm going to be doing OTR and I hope to be home as little as possible. However, I don't exactly have a "home" to go to on my off days as the 2020 pandemic turned my life upside down as well as several other members of my family. Due to the pandemic, we went from being scattered across a few states to all living under one roof where I rent a room.
I'm still in the beginning stages of learning how OTR trucking even works, lol so I was wondering:
As an OTR company driver who will be driving a truck that has a camper in it that I already know has a bed, a microwave and even a small fridge, what would happen if I just put all my stuff in storage (like "Self Storage Plus" that's a few blocks from where I live) and just attempt to live in the company truck?
Like, let's say I'm out for a couple weeks and instead of using whatever days I have off to drive back to rent a room with my family, I just sleep in my truck and just shower at whatever truckstop I can find that has showers, instead of wasting money on hotel rooms.
I don't plan on really obtaining "my own home" to go to until after I immigrate and then buy a house in the country I want to move to. So why waste money on an apartment, house or hotel/motel rooms until then?
Can an OTR company driver do that? Can I really just sleep in my company truck on my days off, or am I completely misunderstanding how an OTR company driver career works?
OTR:
Over The Road
OTR driving normally means you'll be hauling freight to various customers throughout your company's hauling region. It often entails being gone from home for two to three weeks at a time.
Sleep Apnea:
A physical disorder in which you have pauses in your breathing, or take shallow breaths, during sleep. These pauses can last anywhere from a few seconds to a few minutes. Normal breathing will usually resume, sometimes with a loud choking sound or snort.
In obstructive sleep apnea, your airways become blocked or collapse during sleep, causing the pauses and shallow breathing.
It is a chronic condition that will require ongoing management. It affects about 18 million people in the U.S.
CPAP:
Constant Positive Airway Pressure
CPAP is a breathing assist device which is worn over the mouth or nose. It provides nighttime relief for individuals who suffer from Sleep Apnea.
Dm:
Dispatcher, Fleet Manager, Driver Manager
The primary person a driver communicates with at his/her company. A dispatcher can play many roles, depending on the company's structure. Dispatchers may assign freight, file requests for home time, relay messages between the driver and management, inform customer service of any delays, change appointment times, and report information to the load planners.DMV:
Department of Motor Vehicles, Bureau of Motor Vehicles
The state agency that handles everything related to your driver's licences, including testing, issuance, transfers, and revocation.