any truck drivers out there for some advice

D

Dr sharp

Joined
Oct 20, 2003
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299
My girlfriends son is 22 and was thinking of getting a cdl to become a tractor trailer truck driver. Is it a good idea and can you make a good living at it? what are the downsides? Hes interested in it cause he thinks it would be fun but im worried that the fun part might wear off in a few weeks after doing it. So any advice might be helpful. Thanks.
 
My brother has been driving trucks for approx. eight years now. He is the sole breadwinner for his family (wife and three children). His wife stays home with the children and works small side jobs here and there. My nieces and nephew are well provided for and don't lack for anything. I know he made more money when he went over the road, but this would take him away from his family for five or six days at a time. He recently changed over to a more localized route which allows him to go home to his family every night. He's a lot happier now. I know that when he was over the road his routes brought him through a lot of dangerous areas. Weapon carry was always an issue with him. I'm sure you've noticed that the truck stops have greatly improved in recent years which makes trucking much better. He tells me that there are some truck stops that even have showers and beds. I know his company, Estes, provides bunks for drivers over-the-road, and if they didn't have such bunking arrangements in certain areas they would pay for a hotel. My brother seemed to prefer the latter option. It is also very difficult to stick with a workout regimen if you are over-the-road. I'm not sure how gas is handled. I remember my brother telling me that he sometimes has to pay for it himself. I imagine that he gets reimbursed, but I don't remember him telling me as much. Seniority is important in his company. When the economy was really bad and inventories were up many truckers lost routes. I remember my brother telling me that he was lucky that he had so many years in with the company. He talked about changing over to Wal-Mart because it had routes in a state where he wanted to relocate, (apparently it's a great company for truckers) but the economic climate was too precarious at the time so he stayed with Estes. Generally speaking, I think my brother is quite happy in his job.

BTW, I hope your friend doesn't smoke because truck driving provides the perfect situation for chain smoking. :mad:

There was a discussion in the political forum about some recent legislative changes relative to permissible trucking hours. It can be found here: http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=282501&highlight=trucking Obviously, Hankreardin2000 would be a great person to contact with questions. :) Good luck to your friend.
 
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