Anyone here have any long haul experience? How is the money...really? Positive experiences, drawbacks? Give it to me straight! :)

-- Najia (najia274@yahoo.com), May 09, 2002

Answers

OK my cuz drove loan haul, not a family man/woman kinda job he said. (Warning me off ??? he's single I'm not) He drives local now so he can help with his mother and day to day stuff and doesn't miss LH a bit. I expect he had to back off his brain nut a touch just to bear the task. Great job if you can hack it. Just know it takes hacking.

-- Ross (amulet@istar.ca), May 09, 2002.

Well, what all do you want to know? My DH's an otr driver/trainer. First I'd say go with a top company. They are very good about maintaining the trucks. Most top cos. offer about the same benefits package-some better than others. I'd like DH to switch to CRST but he's not a job hopper. Check home time-there's alot of difference between cos. Hubby gets home almost every weekend without fail, most of the time averaging only about 40 hrs though. For alot of women not used to being alone or men not used to being away from home it's really hard. Hubby's had a lot of trainees not last the 6 weeks because of this. He's considered a regional driver which for his current co. means anywhere from SC to Maine. I dated(if you could call it that) a long haul trucker(coast to coast) and saw him 3 times in a year!

I know quite a few cos. pay their east coast drivers better than their west coast ones-even within the same co. The pays pretty good-I don't have to work and it's increased by 10,000 in the 3 years he's been driving. Just remember, part of what is made has to go back with him so he has maney to eat and food on the road can be expensive. He takes his own pop and some munchies to help cut the cost some. We also have an 800 number so it's easier for him to call home and cheaper than a calling card and some cell phones.

The up side? The money's good and DH loves driving truck.

The down side? Lack of home time(absence makes the heart grow fonder??), being really tired when he comes home, he and the kids not getting to see each other(missing milestones), not getting home to see his last child born(hopefully he'll be here for this one!), not having much time to do anything together when he is home. Then there's also the problem of him not wanting to take me out to eat because he eats out all the time and wants to stay home when he gets here. I understand that but once every 2 months wouldn't hurt. I try to tell him that people probably think I made him up because they see me keep adding kids and never see him! It's hard to plan on doing things because he never knows for sure when he's getting home. A perfect example of this is I was planning our sons first birthday party for this saturday but he's not going to get home until who knows when sat. night so we'll try again for next weekend.

Does this help? Anything else you want to know just email me and ask.

-- Terri in WV (mrs_swift_26547@yahoo.com), May 09, 2002.

My husband is a long haul trucker. Has been at it for about 10 years (only been a husband for one month!) We are both very independent people so the time away is OK. Trying to plan anything is difficult but some of that depends on your company and how interested they are in getting you home. He is running really hard right now because of some huge bills we have to deal with so he only gets home about once a week for 24 hrs. A lot of that time is spent sleeping. He is an owner operator which opens up a whole can of worms in terms of gov't regulation and accounting. He nets about $1000.00 a week. He gets no benefits but can buy insurance etc. through his co. at a reasonable rate. His son-in-law is a company driver. He just negotiated for $1100/wk, with weekends off and two roll bys a week. No benefits here either. Anyway, there are thousands of trucks out there so it must work for a lot of people. I do the books so if you have any nitty gritty questions let me know.

-- teresa (teresam@ascent.net), May 09, 2002.

Did the OTR thing and barely survived.Long hours,home one day every 2 weeks and not making enough to justify being gone so much.This was all with a top company(Schneider)hauling haz mat,which pays more,and as an owner/operator.

Then my DH got the bright idea to start our own trucking company....talk about scary!But,it's been a year and here's how it's worked out:Home every night,off weekends,no more stringent paperwork to keep,and averaging about 55% more net pay than working for the other company.

One drawback...no work in March for 3 consecutive weeks(but with more pay,we had money set back so it was a VACATION !)

-- Johna (in central TX) (marcnjohna@aol.com), May 09, 2002.

Hi Najia, We own a trucking company. My husband drove long haul for about 3 years, then we bought our first one and so on, once we had three he stopped driving altogether and did all the work from the other end. We now have 7. Now that he's home all the time, I can't imagine him being gone that long. It is not an easy job to be a truckers wife. In fact, there are very few happy and succesful marriages in that job. There are some, but I know my drivers wives are very lonely. The money can be great, the sacrifice for that money though is your time together. We get our drivers home most weekeknds, though some choose to stay out longer then have longer time all at once at home. It's different for everyone. Good luck with your search!

-- Aimee Gosse (aimeegosse@hotmail.com), May 10, 2002.

Najia: Taking up truckdriving now? What about teaching? Gonna homeschool in the cab of a truck? You better think about this. Truck stops are no place for children. I know my dad drove for 35 years. I hardly ever saw him, unless I went with him. And yes, you need to stop at truck stops, to get a new load, to shower, to eat, and to refuel. The male and female prostitutes will bang on your door. A can of ether and a lighter will help you with that. Have you ever been on the road so long that you can't stand your own hair bouncing on you face? Have you ever driven so long that you wake up and forget what state you are in? It is not a glorious as it looks. It is down right dangerous and very hard work. And I hope you are physically fit. Jumping up and down on the trailer to tighten you load will keep you moving. Blow outs are interesting. But, nothing beats driving in the fog with 40,000 pounds behind you. Good Luck.

-- julie (jbritt@ceva.net), May 10, 2002.

I drove otr for a while. The money is lousy unless you are an owner operator(have several friends that own their own rigs and they make good money). There were weeks where I didn't make enough to support myself on the road much less pay bills at home. I was a good driver, did lots of miles, and was pretty frugal. I have one word of advice for all women....a woman should not drive solo! I mean it too. When you have a drugged out lunatic trying to break into your truck to rape you it is a scarry thing(he was another trucker that stalked me across 2 states). There are other reasons a woman shouldn't drive solo and if you'd like to hear about it email me. If you decide to drive for a company get references from folks you can trust....not just other truckers looking for a referal bonus. I won't say the name on here but I can tell you one you for sure don't want to work for.....their trucks are orange(yep all the other truckers on here know who I'm talking about). That company will give you free training but they don't care about their drivers(have some freeze to death pretty often because the company is too cheap to let you run your motor at night to stay warm). On the positive side I did enjoy seeing the country and I really liked driving the trucks.

-- Amanda (mrsgunsmyth@hotmail.com), May 10, 2002.

well what everybody has said so far is true. i started driving a truck about 7 monthes ago. first thing you have to do is go to a school and they are not cheap. they usually take about a month, so there is one month with no pay. once you finish school you usually go for training with a trainer for atleast another month, while in training you will be paid about 300 to 450 dollars. then you have to go back to the company to test out before they turn you loose with an $100,000 rig and who know what worth of frieght. so for the first two monthes (minimum amount of time) you will have a total income of 1200 to 1800 dollars before taxes so save up a while first.when you finally get your truck most companies try to send you home on you first or second trip after that most big companies will try to get you home once a month for 3 or 4 days. i am home now for 4 days the first time i've been home for more than 2 days since christmas.if you have a family it will be very difficult on them,probably harder on them than you.one thing none of the commercials on tv tells is how dangerous it is out there on the road. back around the first of feb. ther was an ice storm across oklahoma, texas and new mexico,i seen 30 different trucks in volved in jackknife and rollover accidents. one time i was driving across i-80 in wyoming, the wind was very strong with dangerous gusts.i had a heavy load and the wind 25 mph was about as fast as i felt safe well a truck with a light load passed me like nothing and about 1/4 in front of me as he was crossing an overpass a wind gust picked up his trailer and threw it on it's side of course the tractor followed suit. so the weather is a much bigger factor in a big truck than a car. i thought from your name you were female and i don't mean to sound sexist but it is very dangerous for a woman out there, like in truck stops always park close to the buildings and try to do whatever you have to do there before dark and get a pee bottle or portapottie to avoid rest areas at night, trust me on that one. i have about 5 monthes until i reach that important one year of OTR behind me then i'm going to get a local or regional job. if you have any specific questions just ask.

-- Greg (wgjamesii@cs.com), May 10, 2002.

LOl@Julie...always a ray of sunshine, eh? :0) No, I am not considering it, DH is. He has always considered the possibility and I always balked at it because of the time away from home (we had two toddlers at the time) and I couldnt imagine doing it on my own. I am more comfortable with the time away now and I know it would make him happy. Thanks everyone! If its OK, I will be emailing some of you to ask more detailed questions. :)

-- Najia (najia274@yahoo.com), May 10, 2002.

i did it for 27 years coast to coast and border to border its a dogs life for marred man ilove it would not wish it on no one

-- terry (bluetck56@aol.com), May 10, 2002.

if you include the non-driving time, all the other hours you're stuck in a truck, it's not good money when you break it down to hourly pay. I have a few friends in trucking. They all did otr just long enough to get a local/regional or owner-op. The owner-op friend still does otr, usually out 3 weeks of the month, scrambling for loads all the way. He makes decent money and being a single guy it's not affecting anyone else but 90% of his life is spent with the truck. I don't think otr driving is good for people with kids or marriages for that matter. Most of the people I know went to Swift and it only took them 2 or 3 years of otr to get put on a local or regional. They're all fairly happy with the way Swift treats them. When they were otr, they had Qualcomm email in their trucks which was handy for keeping in touch with people without using the cellphone.

-- Dave (multiplierx9@hotmail.com), May 10, 2002.

:>0) Najia !! You made me laugh out loud for the first time all day! For that I thank you! Hey seriously, I can remember my hair bouncing against my cheek in the truck and it driving me nuts! I remember all the weirdo's and I rember wanting a shower so bad...The worst is the prostitutes that even knock on your windows a rest stops. Gay ones at that. But, I would love to travel, just no deadlines. I love my hubby too much to be away from him all week long, that is one of the reasons we homestead, he used to work swing shifts 7 days a week. One weekend off a month. $50,000 + a year, but it was killing us. Tell him to try driving dump truck locally. Sometimes my hubby comes home looking like he was scratching his nails on a chalk board all day~~~~ ...But, maybe you dh will love it. Who knows.

-- julie (jbritt@ceva.net), May 10, 2002.

IF he decided to do, it would only be a stepping stone into a regional or local position. Neither of us can imagine him being absent forever like that. Hats off to all the folks who can do it and the families that support them but I am with Julie, I love DH too much and would miss him horribly BUT I can tolerate it if its an means to an end. :) What I am thinking is by the time you add in the costs of the showers, meals away from home, laundry, etc. its no longer such good money. How much (for those of you involved with trucking one way or another) goes towards on the road expense?

-- Najia (najia274@yahoo.com), May 10, 2002.

Drivers in our trucks who are willing to work (more of a rarity than you'd believe) make low six figure incomes after expenses. Our guys aren't long haul at all. With one company they're home every night unless they choose not to be. They rarely if ever fingerprint freight (do loading or unloading themselves). It's almost exclusively drop and hook with no waiting to be loaded or unloaded. Right now trucking is a tough business here because of the economy in our area (Indiana leads the nation in unemployment right now). Still, our guys will probably average very high five figures this year. The other thing to keep in mind is they're building equity in their equipment.

I'd recommend buying used rather than new because of the disparity in prices in the market today. There is an awful lot of good used equipment out there if you know what to look for. Fortunately for me, my partner is probably one of the best used truck buyers around. ;o)

If you think we can help you with anything further, please don't hesitate to email me. Trucking isn't for everyone. There are a lot of "bubbas" out there who won't be around long. Don't get caught up listening to them at the truck stops. Remember, your next load is always your best load. Don't get into the habit of passing a load waiting for a better one. You don't make a dime sitting and waiting. Good luck to you in whatever you decide. I hope this helps.

-- Gary in Indiana (gk6854@aol.com), May 10, 2002.

Hey Dave, Where are you at? AT DH terminal they average getting on regional runs after 6 months-when they prove that they can deliver their loads on time and can handle the truck. Swift treats their drivers okay but they've lost a few benefits over the last year and trying to get reimbursed is a whole other can of worms for me.

Najia-terminals have showers and most places offer them free with a fuel up. As far as washing clothes hubby just takes a few changes with him and brings them home to wash.

-- Terri in WV (mrs_swift_26547@yahoo.com), May 10, 2002.

Terri, I'm in California but the Swift drivers I was referring to are up in Montana and Idaho. Regional/local stuff is pretty thin up there compared to other areas.

One thing that can make a big difference is eating. I know some guys who go to the truckstop for breakfast, lunch and dinner. That adds up to alot of money at the end of the month. The frugal ones get a plug-in cooler or fridge, bring food and/or buy it cheap along the way.

-- Dave (multiplierx9@hotmail.com), May 10, 2002.

I have a question about trucking? You all seem so imformitive. My dad is retiering from construcktion becuase of miner health problems. He realy does not want to retier. He has a licens to hall heavy aquitment and a licienc to be a hot shot driver. I thought about him driving a truck. He loves to drive, but the only way it would work would be for him to have a truck that you can live in and for my mother to go with him. They are going to sell there house. And maybe live in a nice camper. So I thought about the trucking job for him for a year or to. I thought that if he saved all of his trucking money, he could buy a small house after a couble of years. If you have any advise for me I sure would like to pass it on to him. Or if you think NO WAY, I will pass that on as well. What I realy wanted to know is how can he drive a truck that you can livr in with out buying it. ( I have delexia cant spell,) Lisa in TX.

-- Lisa in TX. (hopplehomestead@juno.com), May 11, 2002.

He could sign on with a company that provides the truck or he could lease one himself if he's not looking to buy a truck. I'd just inquire with some local trucking companies and load brokers.

I have friend that's an owner/operator doing Hotshot loads. He financed a used truck and flatbed to get started. It didn't cost him much to get started. He gets most of his loads from a broker at his homebase or can get on the internet and find loads. He mostly hauls vehicles for a moving company and goes all over the US. I don't know the details of it but he has alot of freedom in picking his runs and time on the road. He's only been in it for a couple years too. He's on the road at least 3 weeks out of the month and makes a pretty decent net at the end of the year.

-- Dave (multiplierx9@hotmail.com), May 11, 2002.

Lisa, As was said he could sign on with a co. A lot of cos. have rider programs that will let you take someone with you and they sometimes also offer spousal training as well so that they could drive teams. They'll want to go with a co. that has conventional trucks as they have alot more room in them than cab overs.

-- Terri in WV (mrs_swift_26547@yahoo.com), May 11, 2002.