The milk hauling company I was driving for last winter went out of business. Since I was a kid riding with dad to the produce terminal, I always wanted to drive a truck. Things didn't workout that way, but now that my knees and back are not cooperating (too much concrete and crawling on my knees). I would like to do some driving. Looking through the want ads, and hearing there's a shortage of drivers, there are a lot opertunitys. I'm 54 and with varied experiences and limited CDL A driving time. The ads say experience needed but how do you get experience without a job. There are some company's that will Train you out of driving school, but I'm sure pay will be low as can be expected and probably a team driving situation. I've heard bad storys about some of the drivers they hire and you know the company's I'm talking about. There are local company's that will hire with little experience paying 40-50 CPM and that is probably the way I will go. The semi crazy thing I want to ask is O/O ads say you can get $1.50-$2.00 a mile. My rough figures say it costs a $1.00 a mile for fuel and OH, so that's not much reward for the risk of owning. I'm sure it is for some of you but not at my age and situation. What are your thoughts about the current opertunitys out there?
Semi crazy
- Thread starter mike kahl
- Start date
Truck Shop
Well-known member
At this day and age it is a rough way to go owning a rig. Owner operators are getting few and far between. The trucks are not that reliable and down time will eat you up.
Find a job if you can driving a gravel hack or a 500 mile one direction type of company to work for before going long distance. Some people don't do well out on the road,
so stay in close if you can. And yes good drivers are very hard to come by these day's. At my company only one out of six are worth a darn on new hires. Good Luck to you.
Truck Shop
Find a job if you can driving a gravel hack or a 500 mile one direction type of company to work for before going long distance. Some people don't do well out on the road,
so stay in close if you can. And yes good drivers are very hard to come by these day's. At my company only one out of six are worth a darn on new hires. Good Luck to you.
Truck Shop
This^^^ Nowadays as an owner/operator the truck issues can eat you up. Back in the day I ran a GMC with a 318 Detroit doing local grain hauling and made money, cheap truck and trailer and good connections. Now... Insurance, DOT fees, and the rest, I would just drive somebody else's truck. I really don't know how you can make money on a rig that is worn out before it's paid for. JMHO.
Yea, what he said.
Any local dealers in the area see if you can find something spotting tractors or short trip stuff to get you some drive time under your belt. Might not be the best wage, but its a start. Truck dealers or parts houses are a great places to also inquire about local fleets or customers that may be looking for drivers. Ask around, you'll be surprised what comes up.