Thinking about leaving behind the domestic life to become a Trucker

there's a trucker general on /o/

>>1209065
thanks didnt know.

>>1209044

Don't do CR England

Will write more when I am home in an hour

>>1209044
I've been hitchiking with few truckers in Europe.

They always complained about back problems, stressing environment and lack of free time. They mostly do the same route all the time as well.
Not sure if the job is as cool as you're imagining.

>>1209090
>>1209044

Why do you want to be a trucker?

If you're in the United States, you need to be at least 21 years old to qualify for most interstate driving positions. You'll also have to figure out a way to fund CDL-A training. Obtaining your commercial drivers license from a private school or community college is possible, but it will likely to be time-consuming and costly. Most courses run upwards of $2,000 or $3,000; upon completion, you'll still have to test at the Secretary of State.

Another option is to go through a business-run school. CR England, Schneider, Prime, Roehl, and Swift all have reputable programs. However, there's a pretty big catch - in order to not have to pay out-of-pocket, you'll be obligated to work with that company for between one and two years. For your first two to three weeks of training, you will not receive any pay whatsoever (Roehl is the exception, as they pay $500/week in training). After that, you'll be assigned a trainer for 7 to 14 days and take solo loads at a rate of probably $.14 cents per mile (CPM).

Once you get your CDL, you'll probably be doing team loads for two consecutive months. That is two months stuck inside a cab for twenty hours per day with a person you may or may not get along with. Probably the only times you'll go outside are to eat, use the bathroom, shower, and fuel up. The rest will be completely over-the-road.

As a solo driver, expect to work 70 hours per week to earn maybe $1,000 (if you're lucky). You'll come home once or twice every few months until your contract is over.

>>1209113

Some programs are better than others. Prime has above-average beginner pay ($.43cpm for flatbed and around $.46cpm for reefer and dry van) and a contract period of one year. CR England has slightly below-average pay and will outright punish you if you choose not to lease a truck after finishing training (leasing means you pay for all the fuel, repairs, and insurance by yourself - break down after two weeks and get stuck with a $1500 fix-it bill? Good luck!).

Trucking is a good way to earn decent money if you don't have a degree and are willing to constantly be pushed, disrespected, and treated like shit around the clock. If you think all you'll do is drive, think again - you'll also be responsible for performing 30-minute pre- and post-trip inspections before and after driving every day. You will not be compensated for that and will pay your own tickets if State Police ever cite you for a preventable equipment violation or overweight load. The latter case is true even if you just picked up and weren't able to find a scale.

Source: worked as a logistics operations manager for a couple years. I hired drivers, fired drivers, and interviewed drivers. Also a long-time /trv/fag and have been to about 30 countries since 2013.

Not saying don't become a trucker, but don't expect a whole lot of glamour or excitement. I thought about driving as a way to take a break from school and earn some extra money, which is why I know about a few different programs.

>>1209044
>super chill traveling
you seem to have a misconception on the meaning of a job.

Enjoy being displaced by self-driving trucks in a few years, OP.