Considering a life changing career / lifestyle move, need advice!

Windir

New Member
Hello!

I have followed these forums for quite a while, but never actually posted. Trying to pull all the information together from others posts. But, now I feel like I need the advice from the people on this forum. You guys seem to be a very helpful community.

I am 32 years old and married.
I am from North Carolina.
I am a small business owner of a game shop, in a very small town of about 4,000 people.
I have owned this shop for about 3 years now.

Before I opened up my small business, I was a retail store manger for many years. I climbed my way up the corporate ladder until it became clear I hit a dead end. I was no longer happy with my path. Later that same year, I was able to seize the chance to open my own business. I had saved up enough.

I had a business partner. Coupled with a loan to cover my bases, I jumped into it with both feet. Within the first few months of opening, some very deep legal issues came to light with my business partner. He was cut out and let go. Needless to say, no amount of years knowing someone is enough to prepare you for life's surprises.

I have come to a hard realization with my business being located in this small town. No matter what tactics I have tried, it does not seem to be taking off to a point where my wife and I can live comfortably. We are able to pay all the home / business related bills. However, there is nothing to show for it afterwards in the bank.

I do not want to wake up in 10 years with that same situation hanging over our head. Having no savings and always barely making it by the skin of our teeth. Many months all the bills are due and we have less then $100.00 in our bank accounts.

We scramble with events, advertising, whatever can be done to have a good week at the shop and make enough to stay in business. It has been working so far, but I honestly do not want to live the rest of my life this way. More importantly, I do not want my wife to, she deserves better.

I am not one to give up easily, but it is coming to a crossroads with my business. I can either ride this horse until it limps and dies in a pasture. Or I can cut the reigns and go my own way to try to mitigate the debt. This is weighing heavily on my mind.

Now that brings me to trucking. I have done a great deal of research on the subject over the last 6 months. First, my focus was on the negative side of the industry; You know, to brace myself for the inevitable kick in the balls the first few years will be. Only after did I try to take in the positive side of the coin. The thing is I have a very strong work ethic, so the stories did not chase me away.

For reference, I made $33k a year as a retail store manager. I see a lot of people posting pay scales from $20-30k in the first year. This would be something we could live on, but not long term. After the first year of trucking, I start to see a huge variety of pay. From 40-80k depending on what you are doing, LTL, Flatbed, etc.

With LTL & Flatbed careers, I am aware it is a more physically demanding job than what I am used to on a daily basis. It would be a better fit for me versus OTR. My end goal is to get some job of the the local variety to get me home on at least the weekends, to spend more time with the wife, etc.

It seems to be pretty common to need to prove yourself with OTR experience for a year or so first to make this happen. I am looking at this as not only a career but a lifestyle, which seems to be the attitude you will need to be successful in the industry.

On a darker note, I have seen so many posts about truckers complaining about wages, "I have been doing this for 5 years and make 35k a year!" Doomsayer speak basically. Can this actually happen to hard working people with a good attitude and work ethic? Or are these people that blame others and never take responsibility for anything? Is this a scary reality that could happen to even the best of drivers?

For someone like me:
a clean driving record, except for one speeding ticket currently on my record
no drug/alcohol problems
and no criminal history
Could I eventually settle into a job making 60k+ a year with a stable company within a few years?

I have read a ton of blogs and forum posts about how to survive in the first year, because that is obviously the hardest time most people will have. Given the 98% turnover rate I have been reading about, is it really all downhill after that first year? Do you see the light at the end of the tunnel?

I have decided against trucker company sponsored schooling in lieu of a private school. This is the program I have been looking at CCC&TI Truck Driver Training . I am somewhat nervous about this class, because I have seen many many posts of people stating what they paid for private or even company sponsored schooling and it always seems to be in the $3-6k range. This entire 9 week program is only approximately $1900.00.

Is there anything I should be worried about with this course? Does it seem pretty legit to you actual truckers? The next available course starts in March of this year. I am highly debating signing up for it and giving this whole new experience a run.

Then I stop and think again, oh wait.. I own a small business that is limping around. This is one of the main hurdles I seem to face.

In all honesty if I had some regular 9-5 job, I would not even be making this post. I would put in my two week notice and go for it. But, with what I stated earlier: The business is struggling in the area that we live. I honestly do not ever see it doing any better, especially as the game shop lifespan is very questionable at best. Given the rise of digital format of gaming, card and tabletop game stores are going the way of the buffalo. I love the nature of the business, but economically speaking - it leaves a lot to be desired.

This is no slight to my customer base, I have some amazing regular customers that have helped us make it this far. We are just in a very economically challenged small town and they spend what money they can afford to. It just does not seem to be enough to provide the living I want for my wife and myself. Quite frankly, most of all, I am tired of our livelihood being determined by how much money people can spend in our shop. Times are hard enough as it is for everyone.

Being a newbie just looking into the industry, I get nervous about all the articles about these autonomous trucks that will be "flooding" the market in the next decade. On the worst end of the spectrum of opinion, they will be supposedly making drivers eventually obsolete. I am not sure about that as it sounds like drivers will still be needed to operate the trucks. I guess maybe I'm getting way too far ahead of myself.

It makes me a little wary, on that front, to make this kind of a change wondering if in 10 years I will be back to square one with no job. With my only skills in retail and driving... I am not sure where I would go from there.

I appreciate anyone taking the time to read this train of thoughts. I would greatly appreciate some comments on the situation. I am looking for some advice from the more experienced and new drivers alike. I know at the end of the day, this totally boils down to my decision and no one else can make it for me.

I would love to hear how some of you would handle my situation if you would find yourself in it.
Do you close your small business for a chance to make more money?
Or ride it out till you are literally out of business, time and money?

Thanks a lot in advance, and I hope to hear from some of you!
 
Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah...I'm going broke under my own authority.....blah blah blah blah ....companies suck...blah blah....your employer leaves you sitting in their truck unemployed. @Injun loves that sort of thing...blah blah blah...but go ahead and risk everything in a ****ed up economy because Oregon freight sucks balls, I'm not willing to go where the rates are and misery loves company.

My truck is almost paid off, I'm netting over $1,000/week, I'm home every night I want to be, I don't sit anywhere waiting on anything, my truck is in great shape and I am able to have a life outside my truck... But I'm the schmuck.
:confused-96:
 
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I know alot of company drivers that are doing well. 50-60k home on the weekend.

@Blood is still rolling (full disclosure he gets free labor for maintenance )

@Injun covered her situation

Hell even @Keendriver got a job he is only moderately qualified for.

It ain't all roses out here, but it is not dead yet.
 
My truck is almost paid off, I'm netting over $1,000/week, I'm home every night I want to be, I don't sit anywhere waiting on anything, my truck is in great shape and I am able to have a life outside my truck... But I'm the schmuck.
:confused-96:
yes I am miserable-independent of circumstance. However, I do travel the whole country in search of rates. For example, took a load at 2.20/mile from GA to PA. Most rates in GA were below 1.20, but I new somebody. then, in PA, nothing I call on is more than about 1.10. So I go EMPTY 700 miles to get 2.00/mile. That is a long ways. but, then there's a cheap back-haul that shows up just in the nick of time. oh, I know Arizona has the rates today, but that doesnt mean I happen to be there. Arizona is like Florida, most days you don't want to go there. Once in a while its gangbusters--they call that a longshot. As I said, I could pay myself more, but my goals are not to take home a lot today. Average rates today are 1.67 according to Truckstop. But, that doesn't sound right if you spend a few hours actually calling brokers. Any load going to a great rate is likely to be a poor rate itself. Not seeing a lot of great rates. Nobody says yer a schmuck. I think most people consider me the schmuck. what you describe as your work does not sound like anything I experienced at the big carriers, but if you have that--great. maybe it was the recession that explains why I had no work at swift, who knows. Lots of companies were going out of business then. Technically we can all go home whenever we want. the question is how often do you want, and what are you willing to pay. Because if you live in a place where freight is usually good, Oregon, freight to get you there is usually scarce or bad. On the other hand, If you live in North Carolina and haul a reefer, you can go home any time for 2 bucks a mile.
 
The loads I haul get me past the house almost every night. There are times I choose to stop and other times, for various reasons, I choose to not stop. Last week, I could have been home every night if I'd wanted to be. I chose to go to the yard a few times instead.

While I was a company driver, I sat very rarely. I did way more sitting for Prime while dispatched on a load, waiting on customers to kill animals. Came back to Swift as L/O, OTR and stopped sitting and waiting. I sat exactly once: by Sacramento right after Christmas.

I'm on a dedicated account and can run as much or as little as I choose. I ran hard this time, now I'm taking two days off. Then, if the spirit is with me, I'll run another week like this one...or I'll stop a day early and get in only 2,500 miles.

That's one advantage to being with a big company: Dedicated accounts with large retailers. I might not get $2.00/mile, but I'm working steady, predictable loads and getting a decent check at the end of the week.
 
The average rates just continue to drop, not sure when that trend is going to reverse itself. If k had to guess, I would say December or January, if the election goes as I expect.

The worrisome part is that the rates have dropped at a faster rate than fuel surcharge numbers, so it is a true hit to profitability.

My rate per mile was .50 lower this January, as opposed to January 2014. I don't recall, off hand, how it compares to 2015.

All that said, I am doing ok so far. Profit is down, but not much. I could make up for it by spending more time on the road, but I don't have intentions on doing that right now.

On that note, oil prices increased today, that could be a good sign!
Its funny, about a year ago, I was at a receiver and i was chatting with a canadian about declining fuel prices. His take at the time was that brokers and shippers would use it to suppress rates beyond the fuel surcharge and companies who were used to the higher rates were going to have a hard time. At the time I thought it was plausible, but not necessarily the future. Well now its history. And its probably the increase in truck purchases in 2014 that amplified the down wave of prices in 2015. If that's true, I would expect there will be a lag between increasing fuel prices and increasing freight rates. Prices won't keep pace with fuel for a while until the ranks clear out a bit. I'll be here ready to cash in.
 
Yes, I saw that. You got the response you did because you tried to use me as an example without complete information. Why you would choose to tear your hair out losing your ass and spend all that time away from home when you can get a home-every-day, good paying LTL job is beyond me. I don't get that. I would be getting out from under the hassle if it was me.

But, I have no idea what your goals are. I'm not you and I'm not going to measure your apparent situation based on my own priorities. I would be happier if you would offer me the same courtesy.
 
The loads I haul get me past the house almost every night. There are times I choose to stop and other times, for various reasons, I choose to not stop. Last week, I could have been home every night if I'd wanted to be. I chose to go to the yard a few times instead.

While I was a company driver, I sat very rarely. I did way more sitting for Prime while dispatched on a load, waiting on customers to kill animals. Came back to Swift as L/O, OTR and stopped sitting and waiting. I sat exactly once: by Sacramento right after Christmas.

I'm on a dedicated account and can run as much or as little as I choose. I ran hard this time, now I'm taking two days off. Then, if the spirit is with me, I'll run another week like this one...or I'll stop a day early and get in only 2,500 miles.

That's one advantage to being with a big company: Dedicated accounts with large retailers. I might not get $2.00/mile, but I'm working steady, predictable loads and getting a decent check at the end of the week.
That doesn't sound like a bad deal. Could you pay a driver a competitive wage to run your truck and still take home a profit, or does this deal put you closer to that step? If not, you've bought yourself a job--could be a very good one. But its not my goal. The key with swift is dedicated. Being from the northwest where the economy is smaller, there weren't a lot of dedicated positions for company drivers that I could realistically commute to from where I live in the sticks. It seems people's experience with Swift and Gordon vary wildly depending on whether they can get a dedicated deal. I will say, I have seen the trailer uniforms change at big drop yards. they tend to go round and round. The time I was making good money for 3 years was in a dedicated situation. I had very consistent work at a growing grocery chain. The chain is still growing and a good store. I would buy their stuff. By the time I left I was one of their most productive drivers and home 3 nights a week. It was a good gig, and if they were still doing the same stuff I would still be there. But they were pushed out by Penske Logistics and I wanted to try a different side of the industry. There are a few LTL's in my area I could go to--maybe even Walmart, but I have not been playing freight wars long enough to prove to myself its time to give up. I do expect in the long run I have a good chance of making a fortune. Given the numbers lease operators live under, you can imagine my wages do not reflect my revenue. ;)
 
Yes, I saw that. You got the response you did because you tried to use me as an example without complete information. Why you would choose to tear your hair out losing your ass and spend all that time away from home when you can get a home-every-day, good paying LTL job is beyond me. I don't get that. I would be getting out from under the hassle if it was me.

But, I have no idea what your goals are. I'm not you and I'm not going to measure your apparent situation based on my own priorities. I would be happier if you would offer me the same courtesy.
I am sorry, point taken.
My goal, is to be a fleet owner. I don't want to drive long days local or long haul. I want to hire some decent people who enjoy the lifestyle to drive so I can make a living keeping them well payed and moving. I want to pay what I wish we all were getting payed now. Good drivers deserve to be payed extremely well. That is why my wages are so low, I am building something bigger than myself and a few years of sacrifice, I hope, will bring about a solid base of connections that will allow me to do that. On this forum I have posted a lot of text discouraging people from getting into driving. That is because most, 92% don't really want this lifestyle. Even among those who stay, a large portion do so because they don't see a way out. They are like the OP at his managing position: experienced at the top of their game with no options, and not interested in where its taking them. So I am doing what he did, I am trying to start a business of my own that reflects my experience and might take me further. If he doesn't love working in this industry, I hope he finds a better way. There has got to be a better way! Could a guy like that make money hand over fist as a driver, YES HE COULD!!!!!! If he has survived a few years selling games, he could really build a business in trucking with a years driving experience--For SURE!!! but, odds are slim it would be worth it to him. My fear is that I will be stuck paying what everybody else is currently paying which is mean. I don't want to do that.
 
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I am sorry, point taken.
My goal, is to be a fleet owner. I don't want to drive long days local or long haul. I want to hire some decent people who enjoy the lifestyle to drive so I can make a living keeping them well payed and moving. I want to pay what I wish we all were getting payed now. Good drivers deserve to be payed extremely well. That is why my wages are so low, I am building something bigger than myself and a few years of sacrifice, I hope, will bring about a solid base of connections that will allow me to do that. On this forum I have posted a lot of text discouraging people from getting into driving. That is because most, 92% don't really want this lifestyle. Even among those who stay, a large portion do so because they don't see a way out. They are like the OP at his managing position: experienced at the top of their game with no options, and not interested in where its taking them. So I am doing what he did, I am trying to start a business of my own that reflects my experience and might take me further. If he doesn't love working in this industry, I hope he finds a better way. There has got to be a better way! Could a guy like that make money hand over fist as a driver, YES HE COULD!!!!!! If he has survived a few years selling games, he could really build a business in trucking with a years driving experience--For SURE!!! but, odds are slim it would be worth it to him. My fear is that I will be stuck paying what everybody else is currently paying which is mean. I don't want to do that.
Besides I remembered you said on a previous post you were happy with your deal so I figured you'd set the record straight on the big carrier option.
 
I have no ambitions of owning a fleet or running drivers. I just want to drive a paid-off truck on my own terms, make an acceptable living and be home when I want to be. Right now, I am only missing the paid-off part. That will resolve itself shortly.

WalMart is currently hiring in the Hermiston DC. They have high hiring standards and lots of rules to follow, but their drivers earn anything from 72K to over 100K per year, so I guess it's worth it.

I might go that direction myself. Been considering it, but I want to make some money off Girly first.
 

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