new to ExpOnline, weighing options, keeping myself informed/educated

[Tim Xpedites]

howD folk's, nice to meet the whole lot of ya. Just registered today & thought I would take a moment to browse around & take it all in so to speak. I'm sure in the next few lines here I'm gonna say or ask things you've prolly heard or answered a million times, so in advance I apologize for not asking something new, lol. I been around the industry (Trucking) my entire life (39yrs), ole man was in a truck straight out of the military & straight out owner operator, never worked a day in his life for someone else, EVER! Still truckin to this day doing over sized/wides.

Hes the type to have stayed out weeks and occasionally a month or more at a time, sometimes 2. Its in his blood and all he has ever done or known, it doesnt phase him. I on the other hand have never felt this urge as he did or does, ive never the urge to stay away from my wife & daughter for that period of time. I have my cdl class A, tanker, doubles trips etc etc. And have worked for a honey wagon company for the best part of 3 1/2 yrs. I have worked miscellaneous jobs my whole adult life, everything from factorys to steel mills to foundrys etc. & finally landed on this umm, stinky job, lol.

It pays $60,000 a year, but im oncall thruout the week, im stretching hundreds of feet of hose on a single job in a foot or more of snow, water, sludge sometimes and even feces itself, very dirty unhealthy job. No benefits, no nothing, just my yearly & i pull 45-60hrs a week. but all in all im home every night w/ the family. As I stated earlier tho its a very hazardous job, not for the faint of heart or stomach if you will. I even clean drains for this company as well when im not driving the 9 ton tri axle. So now you know a tid bit about me, overall thinking is, I'm tossin the idea of finally getting out there in a truck, van, straight truck or something & hittin the open road, weighing my options. I'm tired of the hopeless future I have w/ the company I now work for.

Is it worth it, are you folks happy, comfortable, content w/ your careers? I mean sure, some will see this & automatically say yea, I ALWAYS wanted to be a filthy trucker, I know all the jokes and pun that go along w/ you drivers, I've seen how yall been treated for years & the stuff aint rite, we, you all provide a valuable service to the entire world. So I ask your opinions, what ya think?

 

[layoutshooter]

Welcome. IF you are planning on running solo 60k is unlikely, you will still not have benefits and you will have to be gone for weeks, or longer, on end. Most of our work IS cleaner what you are doing. My self, if I had a family, was knocking down 60K and was home every night, I could put up with a lot of >>>>! (sorry}

 

[zorry]

You could have a brighter future in Expediting.
You may also come home and find someone has taken your place.
Realistically, the pay cut, lack of home time, without gaining benefits, I think I'd look at feces as a road to riches.
I'd find a way to be happy in that job, use my money well to get debt free, while keeping my eyes open for better opportunities
If you were making $350 a week, I'd have different advice.
If you had to ride for weeks, or months at a time, I'd have different advice.
I don't see enough upside to make this change.

 

[LDB]

Get hold of The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey. Follow it 100% Within a couple of years or less you can be debt free. Within a couple more years you can build up enough savings to follow any career you choose. Before you consider a career in expediting you need to get your college degree in expediting. You do that by reading back several years here online in the General, Newbies and Recruiter forums. You don't have to read every word but you do have to read the title of every single thread in each one for the last several years. Any title that sounds like it could educate you about expediting and what to do and expect you read every word in the entire thread. After those scores and scores of hours in the "expedite university" you'll know enough to ask additional relevant questions and make an educated and informed decision. You'll take a pay cut from what you are doing now and you won't be home much at all. It's not a good career for anyone with children at home. They need both parents full time. Good luck.

 

[paullud]

I wouldn't waste my time in expedite if I had the job you do as it would be a step down in money/family time. You may want to look at some class A companies that run regional because the pay will be similar, you gain benefits, family time every week, and no poo.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using EO Forums mobile app

 

[zorry]

LDB, is 100% right. ( I've never said That before.)

The Dave Ramsey advice is good. Have wife and any kids over 13 read it.

When you are debt free, you can make decisions you only wish you could make when saddled with debt.

Sadly, I know two couples in bad marriages that are staying together because they can't separate because of financial reasons.

Even if you are debt free, it's a good read about how to be, and stay, in control of your life.

Good Luck to you.

 

[RoadTime]

Yup, if I had what you have now, there would be no question of a change. Stick with it.

 

[layoutshooter]

I see a trend here.

 

[Ragman]

I see a trend here.

Yeah, a bunch of guys complaining about what they do for a living, to the newbie.

 

[layoutshooter]

Yeah, a bunch of guys complaining about what they do for a living, to the newbie.

No, it's more like experienced business people passing on wise advice. This business is not a one size fits all business and when people ask real questions it is always best to pass on real, honest, answers. That is what I saw in here tonight.

 

[Ragman]

No, it's more like experienced business people passing on wise advice. This business is not a one size fits all business and when people ask real questions it is always best to pass on real, honest, answers. That is what I saw in here tonight.

I think the OP knows all that. He was asking if people are happy with their career choice.

I'm tired of the hopeless future I have w/ the company I now work for.

Is it worth it, are you folks happy, comfortable, content w/ your careers? I mean sure, some will see this & automatically say yea, I ALWAYS wanted to be a filthy trucker, I know all the jokes and pun that go along w/ you drivers, I've seen how yall been treated for years & the stuff aint rite, we, you all provide a valuable service to the entire world. So I ask your opinions, what ya think?

 

[zorry]

So I ask your opinion. What do you think ?

We told him.
Probably 75% on here would work 45-60 hours per week, home every night, instead of expediting.
For $60,000.

I love expediting.
A) As a rookie, he's not going to do what I do as a "fully credentialed" T-Val O/O.
B) Running with his wife doesn't seem to be an option.
Running with my wife makes this enjoyable.
C) As my career winds down, I don't need to chase that golden ring. Kind of on cruise control, putting in my time, waiting for retirement.

The above reasons makes it enjoyable to me.
As I like to say Expediting beats working for a living.

I worked for 32 years. Now I expedite.

 

[Lawrence]

Two event's you want to attend is:

Expediter Workshops and the Expedite Expo 2014.

 

[crich]

Honestly the best advise will come from your dad. who could be better to talk to than him? I am sure by now he knows you well enough to want to guide you down the correct path and will be able to tell you if it was worth it.

Also you have the insight of what it was like to be a truckers son and when the two of you talk you will be able to have a complete picture.By the end of one confersation you should know if thats what you want for your family. Never stop talking to yor dad

 

[davekc]

A lot of good advice that I wouldn't dismiss.
Also,

ive never the urge to stay away from my wife & daughter for that period of time.

You really have to consider those two as this isn't just a job but a true lifestyle change. Some adjust and some don't. Having a child at home if under college age, will present some other challenges that may not be to each others liking.

 

[Tim Xpedites]

Honestly the best advise will come from your dad. who could be better to talk to than him? I am sure by now he knows you well enough to want to guide you down the correct path and will be able to tell you if it was worth it.

Also you have the insight of what it was like to be a truckers son and when the two of you talk you will be able to have a complete picture.By the end of one confersation you should know if thats what you want for your family. Never stop talking to yor dad

Thank you (ALL) for chiming in, its been awhile since I posted this as I been working on my current situation/future, buying a house etc. I'm still w/ the honey wagon at this point, been checking my options, weighing pros/cons as well as talkin w/ the ole man as I always have. I can tell you all I LOVE driving for a living, its all I know & I love seeing people, places, different aspects of the road etc. That doesnt bother me at all. My wife & I are both understanding & content w/ the idea of me being gone, weve communicated & understand to the fullest the effects it COULD have.

I'm now pursuing my options of the best starting scenario, a van, flat, 18 wheeler & so on, my brother currently does expediting but all he is capable of is Van, he has no cdl or anything, hes been doin it a couple years now & says he loves it, he doesnt sugar coat it, tells me he sits sometimes 1-3 or 4 days w/out a run but hes ok w/ that, he doesnt mind (he says). Tells me hes pullin close to what I bring home now & thats after all his overhead. Hes out for weeks tho, no stretchin the truth there, he also has a girlfriend that has a (problem?) if you will so his money isnt what it could be, she doesnt manage it nor does she have any book smarts. So all in all he makes it and she blows it w/ no help on her end aside from being a great shopper!

So my brother tells me the moneys there, its a matter of personal preference, is the truck stop life for you, do you mind layin over, you know, the normal stuff ive already heard and known. I left out on my original post i'm VERY unhappy w/ my current employer, he belittles his employees, calls them names, cusses them up and down & trashes on us w/out thought. And he does this because of how well he pays his guys, well, least here in Ohio its considered good pay, our guys make 19-25 an hour doin what we do & he has the mentality that noone else pays that so I can treat them however cruel as I like cuz they will not leave. There you have it guys, plain n simple im MISERABLE here, i bring home my miseries to the wife everyday, stomachs in knots, stressed, ****ed & this is no exaggeration when I say its on a daily basis, it never changes. I need positive, happy energy back in my life, yea I get it, truckin isnt exactly positive but if im my own boss then I make the calls, i only have myself to blame.

Soooo what yall think?

 

[Tim Xpedites]

Yeah, a bunch of guys complaining about what they do for a living, to the newbie.

I can appreciate you keepin it on track friend, seems your the few here, lol. I understand alot of you dont want/need another guy like me comin in and feedin off what your doin & it takes from your families in YOUR eyes but the work is out there for everyone. I'm here for the long haul guys, I wanna contribute, inform & understand as much as yall do here. I dont wanna step on any other folks toes here, just tryin to make a positive livin here is all & I thank yall for your words thus far. I feel as tho theres more folks out to scare ya off than there is that truly wanna help a guy find his way in THIS industry.

 

[RoadTime]

If you can and will drive Semi, the opportunity's for what you seek are pretty endless. Whether it be in expediting or more standard trucking. If I was in job and dealing with what you are, it would not take me long to devise a plan of escape.

 

[Moot]

If you can and will drive Semi, the opportunity's for what you seek are pretty endless. Whether it be in expediting or more standard trucking. If I was in job and dealing with what you are, it would not take me long to devise a plan of escape.

I agree with RoadTime. Get on with an LTL company. You should be able to gross $60K with full bennies and be home every day.

 

[Tim Xpedites]

There in itself moot lyes another issue, since leaving trucking school 5+yrs ago I have never worked for a company driving an 18 wheeler, only class B dumps and tankers, tri axles and such. Yall heard it a zillion frickin times but noone wants a driver w/ no experience behind 18 wheels, even tho I driven em' the better part of my life here n there doin miscellaneous for the ole man. I been drivin tri axle tanker for almost 5yrs now but thats still no 18 in the companys eyes that i would be applying to. My record is spotless, its just a matter of findin that gem that will give a guy a chance. As stated before I have all endorsements minus hazmat.