Life as a trucker is not always what one expects. Therefore you really should speak with your family before pursuing it because there is the time on the road to consider. Most companies try to get you home between runs, but that might not be a guarantee.
You might be on the road for 300 days a year. But remember whether you work in a desk a factory, or as a local driver you’re still gone all day (depending on shift). The big difference is that you will sleep in your own bed and in your house and not the truck.
A few other considerations:
- Though your time is flexible, most days start early and run long;
- You might put in 70 plus hours, but you’re not supposed to drive for more than 11 hours a day. You need to observe rest periods and such. So clock watching is important.
- Typically the driver is paid by the mile, if you’re not moving (with a contracted load) you’re not getting paid (unless you’re paid hourly). There are two ways to calculate these miles, ‘practical’ which is based on the actual miles driven and ‘paid’ basically as the crow flies (a straight line).
- It can be hard to calculate what your yearly salary will be (though 35-45,000 is a good estimate). Your pay will greatly increase after few years under your belt.
- Even though you think you will just ‘drop and hook’, be prepared to load and unload, or wait for what will feel like an eternity.
- The average driver does roughly 500 miles a day, reaching approximately 2,500 miles a week, which adds up to 125,000 miles a year!
