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Are There Any Freeper Truck Drivers Out There? (Vanity)
C.E. England ^

Posted on 05/31/2015 4:50:53 PM PDT by Vigilanteman

This is the situation. I am late 50s in the corporate world of supply chain management. I've done OK, though not spectacular and gone about as far as I can go. We are empty nesters now and my mother, for whom I was the primary care giver, passed away about six months ago.

The present corporate world is giving signals that my work, which they were formerly quite happy with, is all of a sudden, a topic of petty complaints. I believe it is time to look for a new career.

I see tons of ads for truck drivers promising a minimum of $60K annual income (about what I am making now) with benefits better than I am getting now. Some, such as the link, are even volunteering to train you for a CDL as long as you commit a minimum of one year to them after you graduate.

It sounds to good to be true, but since I work in logistics and deal with a lot of vendors who have trouble finding and scheduling trucks, even from locations within a 6-8 hour driving range, I think "could be."

One of the things I think I would enjoy about being on the road a lot would be being away from all of the PC, petty, unproductive office politics. I worked my way through college driving cabs and delivery vehicles, though none of the variety requiring a CDL. I can honestly say I enjoyed the work from meeting different people to the solitude of the road between fares or deliveries.


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Chit/Chat; Conspiracy
KEYWORDS: jobs; over50
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To: Zuriel; Vigilanteman
Mirrors my experience and will vouch for these statements. I pull a company live bottom. The owner is working on a new truck lease for the warranties as parts and labor are out the roof...
41 posted on 05/31/2015 8:39:02 PM PDT by Dust in the Wind (U S Troops Rock)
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To: Vigilanteman

I did it for a short while when I was between jobs. I thought it would be kinda fun for awhile— that I would get to see some nice places, stop and take a picture or two. Forget about that. There is no place interesting to stop that is going to have anyplace for you to park, not even to get a decent meal. I remember the bad food very well. If by chance you did find something interesting where you could park, your hours of service would always get in the way. If you were tired and wanted to take a break, same thing. The hours of service kept you going. By the time you did run out of hours, it was almost always somewhere desolate and boring. If the truck broke down, I was not getting paid for the day or two that it took to fix it. It paid the bills but it was not a very good job.


42 posted on 05/31/2015 9:43:09 PM PDT by Colorado Doug (Now I know how the Indians felt to be sold out for a few beads and trinkets)
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To: Vigilanteman

I did it for over 10 years.
Here’s the trick. Both you and your wife get the CDL. Start out as a company team, and learn the industry. As soon as you can, either lease (first choice for tax purposes) or buy your own rig, and find a good company to sign on with.
You are now a professional tourist. Enjoy. Truck Stops are the pits. They’re clean, not all truckers are. The trick is to stay out of them.
My wife and I would knock out the miles we wanted to do, and then go sightseeing (including hotel room) where ever we were.
You can net over $100k, but don’t try to be a homing pigeon. Set up with a fridge, microwave, and satellite dish in the truck. It is what you make of it, but if you want to travel, and not have to buy the motorhome, there’s nothing better.
If you ever have any questions, feel free to ask. If you want to talk PM me, and we’ll swap phone numbers, and I’ll answer any questions I can.
One last tidbit of advice, Stay on top of your health. I didn’t, and it’s why we’re not still out there.
Good Luck (Hammer Down!!!)


43 posted on 05/31/2015 9:46:08 PM PDT by rikkir (Anyone still believe the 8/08 Atlantic cover wasn't 100% accurate?)
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To: Vigilanteman

My cousins kid is a 18 wheeler truck driver. His hands are about twice my size and he stands about 6’5 and 230lbs
Meet those requirements and it should be easy.

petty complaints.... yep I hate those. My boss recently complained to me about not filling in updates in my tickets everyday even though the update would say no change and would continue to do so for several days. His boss wants to see a date change in the ticket even if the ticket itself has nothing in it of value.

In short I did not fill out my TPS Report “Office Space”
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/e6/06/aa/e606aa3e27f52ae9a39abe4555545718.jpg

TPS Report
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-58UxQc1cLQg/UAXwFV1p5xI/AAAAAAAAFM4/uCqwAtw41RI/s640/TPS+Report.png


44 posted on 05/31/2015 10:52:12 PM PDT by minnesota_bound
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To: Kathy in Alaska

I used to chat with Barb every day....it’s so sad when you loose touch. They felt like family.


45 posted on 06/01/2015 12:40:35 AM PDT by Daffynition ("We Are Not Descended From Fearful Men")
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To: Daffynition

Oh my...it is sad that you lost that daily contact.


46 posted on 06/01/2015 12:49:25 AM PDT by Kathy in Alaska ((~ RIP Brian...heaven's gain...the Coast Guard lost a good one.~))
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To: Vigilanteman
I've had friends who invested in trucking services. Their greatest challenge was finding reliable drivers. If you get your name out there and establish, in short order you won't have enough time on your hands for all the demand for your services.

The biggest problems the two investors I know had were that most drivers seemed to be "self entitled drifters with no sense of accountability nor personal responsibility for timely performance." On one review of a drivers history, it was found he was making routine off route stops to visit his girlfriends in various cities. He complained when he got fired for it.

There was property damage to the truck on top of this. Truck owners have to comply with industry standards for the types of loads they haul. One incident damaged the integrity of the seal for a truck so that goods were exposed to the elements. The fool driver had backed it up and damaged the truck, then never reported it.

47 posted on 06/01/2015 4:23:59 AM PDT by Caipirabob (Communists... Socialists... Democrats...Traitors... Who can tell the difference?)
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To: bikerman
Back in the mid 80s, I hired a friend with a KW sleeper to pick up 7 boats from a boat manufacturer. I decided to go with him, so I can't believe what you see. I saw 'Monica' having sex with 'Bill' - no, not oral but....😊. My friend retire from OTR, a few years ago. He has 3 drivers, that he employed now.
48 posted on 06/01/2015 4:39:45 AM PDT by ExCTCitizen (I'm ExCTCitizen and I approve this reply. If it does offend Libs, I'm NOT sorry...)
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To: Gamecock

bttt


49 posted on 06/01/2015 4:47:01 AM PDT by Chickensoup (Leftist totalitarian fascism is on the move.)
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To: Vigilanteman

If you want to drive a truck the best paying jobs are either heavy haul or tankers. It takes a lot of experience to do heavy haul, so, you may want to look into hazardous material, tanker work.Tanker drivers are well respected as are heavy haul drivers. I drove big rigs for years but left the industry and went into construction, but I was still young and was a good choice at the time. But I’ll tell ya, driving gets old quick, driving the same roads over and over gets to be quite boring, but, it pays well if you get in with the right outfit.


50 posted on 06/01/2015 5:09:04 AM PDT by eastforker (Cruz for steam in 2016)
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To: eastforker
Had a family member that was an independent operator, and he'd drive all over the country.

I went with him on a run one summer, and we started by picking up enough lead to be about 500lbs short of max load. That was two small pallets in the middle of the trailer. Then we went a couple of hundred miles down the road to a Dixie Cup plant and filled the rest of the trailer with Styrofoam cups. He'd get paid for almost 2 full loads in one trip.

51 posted on 06/01/2015 5:24:27 AM PDT by tacticalogic ("Oh, bother!" said Pooh, as he chambered his last round.)
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To: cyclotic; All
Thanks for the tip. That includes all the rest of you as well.

Yes, Mild Sleep Apnea is a condition I share as well. If I'm on a road trip and feel even a hint of it coming on, I pull in the rest area or off at the next exit. An empty bladder, a snack or, at worst, a 10-20 minute nap and I'm good for another few hours.

52 posted on 06/01/2015 9:11:45 AM PDT by Vigilanteman (Obama: Fake black man. Fake Messiah. Fake American. How many fakes can you fit in one Zer0?)
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To: Kathy in Alaska

It was all my fault .....I was having serious health issues and was out of the loop for a long while. Stuff happens. I pray that she is OK.


53 posted on 06/01/2015 12:25:24 PM PDT by Daffynition ("We Are Not Descended From Fearful Men")
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