Truck Driving...is it worth it??

[0utsyder]

Better get in now, wont be the same in 10-15 years. This is an industry that will not survive the tech revolution.

I think locally truck driving will get swallowed by the tech industry, but that coast to coast, highway trucking is safe. As much technology that cars have we still can't drive with cruise control while it's raining. It just takes one time for someone to get killed due to a simple accident that a human could have prevented. This is the old man vs machine story.

 

[PDQ21]

Tesla coming with their semi trucks about to put all you truck driving mofos in the river

You u happy about that?

 

[Famous1]

The guys I know if there wasnt enough work on the road they would have the guys work the dock to get their hours

This... you're guaranteed 8 hrs work.

 

[papi68]

The guys I know if there wasnt enough work on the road they would have the guys work the dock to get their hours

Thanks!

 

[BDR]

You u happy about that?

I’m indifferent.. You should know this companies going to use every advantage to cut truck driver pay or get rid of them all together

 

[PDQ21]

I’m indifferent.. You should know this companies going to use every advantage to cut truck driver pay or get rid of them all together

Imma make money in life regardless

 

[blackbull1970]

You ride the jakes?

I run 53ftv Dry Van.

When I’m more than 35,000lbs and the road is dry, I will get it in the correct gear and ride that mountain all the way down without touching the brakes.

Snow or Ice, get it in low gear and SNUB break down, that is keep the speed at 30mph, when the speed rises to 35mph, step on the break and bring it back to 30mph, repeat all the way down.

Brakes will get hot, but will remain effective in a emergency stop.

 

[blackbull1970]

Are you sure that drivers are sent home with no pay and placed on standby? Which company?

Majority of truck companies that do local runs only or LTL will do that.

Depends on where you live and if it’s union or non-union.

With OTR, If freight is low, dispatch will find you a load, you might have to drive 200 miles deadhead (empty trailer) to get it and not get paid for the dead miles, but the load you get hopefully will make up for it and get you somewhere where their is more loads available. With OTR, if those wheels ain’t turning, nobody is making money.

 

[blackbull1970]

Does anyone know of any jobs where people sit around but if there is no work they get sent off without pay?

I’ve successfully sued huge corporations for situations like this.

I used to work union construction as a low voltage electrician.

There were times we were sent home if no work available. It usually happened if a area we were to work fell behind and was not ready for us to get in or some other situation happened that kept us from continuing to work.

Also there were times when we were told not to come to work tomorrow and standby your phone just in case they need you.

You did not get paid.

 

[blackbull1970]

Smart Trucking.

This cat has over 35+ years in the trucking industry and has done everything you can with trucking.

His videos are very informative.

He has information for people thinking on getting into the industry, new drivers and veteran drivers.

I highly recommend watching his videos when you get the chance.

 

[papi68]

Majority of truck companies that do local runs only or LTL will do that.

Depends on where you live and if it’s union or non-union.

With OTR, If freight is low, dispatch will find you a load, you might have to drive 200 miles deadhead (empty trailer) to get it and not get paid for the dead miles, but the load you get hopefully will make up for it and get you somewhere where their is more loads available. With OTR, if those wheels ain’t turning, nobody is making money.

Hmmmmmm, are they paid hourly?

 

[BDR]

I run 53ftv Dry Van.

When I’m more than 35,000lbs and the road is dry, I will get it in the correct gear and ride that mountain all the way down without touching the brakes.

Snow or Ice, get it in low gear and SNUB break down, that is keep the speed at 30mph, when the speed rises to 35mph, step on the break and bring it back to 30mph, repeat all the way down.

Brakes will get hot, but will remain effective in a emergency stop.

What type of rig you have? Kenworth, peterbuilt, Volvo? Shitty freight liner?

 

[blackbull1970]

Hmmmmmm, are they paid hourly?

Yes, local guys paid hourly.

Wages vary depending on location and union/non-union.

I personally would not drive less than $20/hr regardless union or non-union if you are entry level.

That CDL is like gold. It’s almost equivalent to a commercial pilots license. Your wage/benefits should reflect that.

 

[blackbull1970]

What type of rig you have? Kenworth, peterbuilt, Volvo? Shitty freight liner?

I drive a 2018 FreightLiner automatic.

It’s not the best, top of the line truck, but is popular with large fleets because of cost. It is designed as a standard work truck, Similar to International Pro Stars.

The only major issue I have had with FreightLiners are the DEF system.

The FreightLiners they sell to fleets are not the same as the ones they sell to owner operators. Better quality built with better engines/transmission

Volvos are ok, I have driven them and for me the driver seat is not comfortable and I can’t stretch out my legs while driving like in a FreightLiner.

I have driven Kenworth needle nose T600. Not a fan of the cab cuz they are tight and claustrophobic to me.

Kenworth W900 and Peterbilt 379/389, I have not driven. Those are popular and mainly used by owner operators.

Westen Stars I have not driven.

The new body style Mack’s, I love that body style. I have not driven one or seen the interior of one yet.

If I ever get off my lazy ass and go Owner Operator.

Im getting one of these luxury condos. I have seen the inside of these bad boys. It’s just like RV.

These mofos ain’t no joke. This is driving.

These things got full kitchen, bathroom and sleeping area. They got some models with a small garage that can hold a full size Harley motorcycle or a Smart car/golf cart.

These the mofos you own with your wife. She in the back cooking up some grub while you hauling.

Buying one of these brand new ain’t cheap. They cost about the same as a damn house. They can run you about $250k or more with all the bells and whistles which are a must if you get one of them.

 

[blackbull1970]

I went thru the thread last night and there is something I noticed about the replies that stood out.

A lot of you cats are more interested in driving local and I understand that. You want to be home every night. And I will assume a lot of you are scratching your head on why I drive OTR (Over The Road) and not local.

I noticed that majority of you are looking at local truck driving like a 9 to 5 job as if you working at a office building.

It doesn’t work like that.......

I can’t go into too much detail cuz I’m on my phone, I plan on being home this weekend and when on my computer I will post/give more detail.

To summarize, we who hold CDL’s (Commercial Driving Licenses) with a Class A or B. We fall under different work guidelines.

We fall under the FMCSA (Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration).

We work under the Dept of Homeland Security and Dept. of Transportation.

We do not work under what you know as a “9 to 5” work schedule. We work under HOS (Hours of Service) rules.

We work under a 14hr clock. In that 14 hour clock we can only drive 11 hours. Under that 14 hour clock we must take a 30 minute break and account for other on duty time (pre-trip, fuel, post trip, etc)

It gets complicated and there are exemptions. I can’t go into it cuz it will confuse you. I will provide links later.

To shorten this. We work under a 70 hour work week clock that breaks down to a 14 hour clock for the day. If you work Monday to Friday with weekends off. You start your clock at 6am. Your duty day ends at 8pm that night. There are exceptions, I won’t explain cuz you will get lost.

Anyway you start at 6am. If for some reason you can not make it home before 8pm cuz you ran out of hours. You will have to shutdown where you are and your company will provide you a hotel for the night. You have to do a 10hr sleep break and your clock will reset to 14hrs.

Here is the catch.....when you start the next day, you ain’t going home on Tuesday. You pick up your next load and head right back out.....and if you run out of hours again and cannot make it home.....you back in a hotel.

Now when Friday comes, you run out of hours and cannot make it home, you are back in a hotel and when you complete your 10hr break, you can then proceed to take yourself back to your terminal Saturday morning and go home for your 34hr reset to reset your clock for full hours Monday morning.

So it’s highly possible that being a local driver, depending on your route, you can be over the road.

It sounds fucked up and when you understand how HOS works, you will understand why I drive OTR.

Also, the Federal Government has mandated all commercial vehicles use electronic logbooks for HOS.

That is a whole different animal when you understand how that works and why you can’t manipulate it to get yourself home.

 

[BDR]

I drive a 2018 FreightLiner automatic.

It’s not the best, top of the line truck, but is popular with large fleets because of cost. It is designed as a standard work truck, Similar to International Pro Stars.

The only major issue I have had with FreightLiners are the DEF system.

The FreightLiners they sell to fleets are not the same as the ones they sell to owner operators. Better quality built with better engines/transmission

Volvos are ok, I have driven them and for me the driver seat is not comfortable and I can’t stretch out my legs while driving like in a FreightLiner.

I have driven Kenworth needle nose T600. Not a fan of the cab cuz they are tight and claustrophobic to me.

Kenworth W900 and Peterbilt 379/389, I have not driven. Those are popular and mainly used by owner operators.

Westen Stars I have not driven.

The new body style Mack’s, I love that body style. I have not driven one or seen the interior of one yet.

If I ever get off my lazy ass and go Owner Operator.

Im getting one of these luxury condos. I have seen the inside of these bad boys. It’s just like RV.

These mofos ain’t no joke. This is driving.

These things got full kitchen, bathroom and sleeping area. They got some models with a small garage that can hold a full size Harley motorcycle or a Smart car/golf cart.

These the mofos you own with your wife. She in the back cooking up some grub while you hauling.

Buying one of these brand new ain’t cheap. They cost about the same as a damn house. They can run you about $250k or more with all the bells and whistles which are a must if you get one of them.

I wouldn’t mind getting into the trucking game but it would be more of a hobby than a business to make money as I will only do it part time and take a load once a week OTR.. I like driving around the country and figure I can get some scratch for doing it. LoL... I’d buy a used truck, dnot know what I would haul but I would only take a coast to coast load and do that twice a month..

 

[geechiedan]

I wouldn’t mind getting into the trucking game but it would be more of a hobby than a business to make money as I will only do it part time and take a load once a week OTR.. I like driving around the country and figure I can get some scratch for doing it. LoL... I’d buy a used truck, dnot know what I would haul but I would only take a coast to coast load and do that twice a month..

is that even worth the upkeep of the vehicle and business of it?

 

[BDR]

is that even worth the upkeep of the vehicle and business of it?

Yes since the truck is only running twice a month.. It’s not like I would have a loan on the truck it would be paid for and issues sorted before I put it on the road.. Trucks can sit for years and start right up

 

[^SpiderMan^]

Tesla coming with their semi trucks about to put all you truck driving mofos in the river

I'm curious, why do you think this is funny? Alot of people are going to lose jobs but I doubt prices will decrease significantly from this.

 

[BDR]

I'm curious, why do you think this is funny? Alot of people are going to lose jobs but I doubt prices will decrease significantly from this.

Because people failing to see automation is the new Industrial Age

 

[blackbull1970]

I wouldn’t mind getting into the trucking game but it would be more of a hobby than a business to make money as I will only do it part time and take a load once a week OTR.. I like driving around the country and figure I can get some scratch for doing it. LoL... I’d buy a used truck, dnot know what I would haul but I would only take a coast to coast load and do that twice a month..

If you doing that, look into Hot Shot Trucking.

You can make a good amount of money with less expense of operating a semi.

 

[BDR]

If you doing that, look into Hot Shot Trucking.

You can make a good amount of money with less expense of operating a semi.

Oh ok... you need a CDL for hotshot trucking?

 

[blackbull1970]

Oh ok... you need a CDL for hotshot trucking?

No.

But you need the same permits, insurance, endorsements and other related things to perform the job.

 

[BDR]

No.

But you need the same permits, insurance, endorsements and other related things to perform the job.

Yeah I just saw some vids in regards as long as you keep your gross weight below 26,000 Gwr you can ride non CDL.. basically a single axle with a non CDL trailer.. yeah I’d do this part time like twice a month nothing crazy. Haul a couple cars and shit lol

 

[Entrepronegro]

Good info.

 

[blackbull1970]

Yeah I just saw some vids in regards as long as you keep your gross weight below 26,000 Gwr you can ride non CDL.. basically a single axle with a non CDL trailer.. yeah I’d do this part time like twice a month nothing crazy. Haul a couple cars and shit lol

The trucks I see cats with are the Dodge Ram 3500 Cummins and Ford Superduty F350 6.7 Powerstroke Duallys. Both Diesels and full size crewcabs.

I don’t recall ever seeing heavy duty GMC/Chevys being used.

 

[BDR]

The trucks I see cats with are the Dodge Ram 3500 Cummins and Ford Superduty F350 6.7 Powerstroke Duallys. Both Diesels and full size crewcabs.

I don’t recall ever seeing heavy duty GMC/Chevys being used.

No one fuck with gmc and chevys to haul or it’s very rare you see them.. I was checking some load boards and for single car hauls local runs 500 mile top out they giving $1.30 to $1.70 a mile... obviously long haul it’s below a $1 a mile.. The local run part time single haul is my lane

 

[blackbull1970]

Here is information that should give you some insight on what goes along with being a Truck driver in the USA.

Like I said, its not like working a 9 to 5 at the office.

Going thru and reading it, it is dry and boring like reading the Bible, but it is what you must follow as a Commercial Driver with a Class A/B license.

When you go to trucking school, they will go more in-depth on what you will need to know starting out. More will be taught to you when you are employed at your first company.

You are not expected to know everything, but you must have a basic understanding of what it's about. I posted links to 3 things giving info on what you need to know before going forward.

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration

Improving the safety of commercial motor vehicles.

www.fmcsa.dot.gov

Driver Physical Qualification | FMCSA

For commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers, the most important safety feature is YOU - the driver! Each time you turn the key, you are responsible for your own safety, as well as the safety of all the people who share the road with you. The physical examination you take for your medical...

www.fmcsa.dot.gov

Hours of Service (HOS) | FMCSA

Most drivers must follow the HOS Regulations if they drive a commercial motor vehicle, or CMV. In general, a CMV is a vehicle that is used as part of a business and is involved in interstate commerce and fits any of these descriptions: Weighs 10,001 pounds or more Has a gross vehicle weight...

www.fmcsa.dot.gov

 

[blackbull1970]

Bassin Semi

This cat is a trip.

He got a super sound system installed in his sleeper cab. He owns a small fleet which allows him to have time to build this thing.

Check out his YouTube page, he gives some info on trucking from a Owner Operator point of view.

​

 

[Helico-pterFunk]

Thanks for the info and links @blackbull1970 and everyone.

 

[blackbull1970]

The Nissan Titan has Cummins Diesel model.

But it’s not a Dually. But they phasing it out.

You could get a dual axle on it if you want thru a custom shop.

 

[blackbull1970]

20 year old entrepreneur starts trucking company leveraging credit ( U2 can do the same !!!! )

 

[blackbull1970]

Get Your CDL Before February 2022…Here’s Why

 

[blackbull1970]

Entry-Level Driver Training (ELDT)

Entry-Level Driver Training (ELDT) | FMCSA

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) proposed a set of comprehensive national prerequisite training standards for entry-level commercial truck and bus drivers seeking to obtain a commercial driver’s license (CDL).

www.fmcsa.dot.gov

About the ELDT Regulations

FMCSA’s Entry Level Driver Training (ELDT) regulations set the baseline for training requirements for entry-level drivers. This includes those applying to:

• Obtain a Class A or Class B CDL for the first time;
• Upgrade an existing Class B CDL to a Class A CDL; or
• Obtain a school bus (S), passenger (P), or hazardous materials (H) endorsement for the first time.

The ELDT regulations are not retroactive; the entry-level driver training requirements do not apply to individuals holding a valid CDL or an S, P, or H endorsement issued prior to February 7, 2022.

If an applicant who obtains a CLP prior to February 7, 2022, obtains a CDL before the CLP or renewed CLP expires, the applicant is not subject to the ELDT requirements.

Any individual who meets one of the exceptions for taking a skills test in 49 CFR Part 383 is also exempt from the ELDT requirements.

About the Training Provider Registry
Once operational, the FMCSA Training Provider Registry will retain a record of which CDL applicants have completed the new training and certification process outlined in the Entry-Level Driver Training (ELDT) regulations.

For more information about the ELDT regulations and the Training Provider registry, visit https://tpr.fmcsa.dot.gov.

The ELDT regulations and the Training Provider Registry were mandated under the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21). The ELDT final rule was based, in part, on consensus recommendations from the Agency’s Entry-Level Driver Training Advisory Committee (ELDTAC), a negotiated rulemaking committee that held a series of meetings in 2015.

 

[PDQ21]

Entry-Level Driver Training (ELDT)

Entry-Level Driver Training (ELDT) | FMCSA

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) proposed a set of comprehensive national prerequisite training standards for entry-level commercial truck and bus drivers seeking to obtain a commercial driver’s license (CDL).

www.fmcsa.dot.gov

About the ELDT Regulations

FMCSA’s Entry Level Driver Training (ELDT) regulations set the baseline for training requirements for entry-level drivers. This includes those applying to:

• Obtain a Class A or Class B CDL for the first time;
• Upgrade an existing Class B CDL to a Class A CDL; or
• Obtain a school bus (S), passenger (P), or hazardous materials (H) endorsement for the first time.

The ELDT regulations are not retroactive; the entry-level driver training requirements do not apply to individuals holding a valid CDL or an S, P, or H endorsement issued prior to February 7, 2022.

If an applicant who obtains a CLP prior to February 7, 2022, obtains a CDL before the CLP or renewed CLP expires, the applicant is not subject to the ELDT requirements.

Any individual who meets one of the exceptions for taking a skills test in 49 CFR Part 383 is also exempt from the ELDT requirements.

About the Training Provider Registry
Once operational, the FMCSA Training Provider Registry will retain a record of which CDL applicants have completed the new training and certification process outlined in the Entry-Level Driver Training (ELDT) regulations.

For more information about the ELDT regulations and the Training Provider registry, visit https://tpr.fmcsa.dot.gov.

The ELDT regulations and the Training Provider Registry were mandated under the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21). The ELDT final rule was based, in part, on consensus recommendations from the Agency’s Entry-Level Driver Training Advisory Committee (ELDTAC), a negotiated rulemaking committee that held a series of meetings in 2015.

Government and state always need theirs

They figure out more & more ways to get a pay day