Is this worth considering?

[Classic359]

Hey guys! This might get long so get comfortable. I'm currently deployed to Afghanistan as an Engineer in the Illinois Army National Guard (2nd deployment, 1st was in Iraq). Yesterday I was on the internet and a guy I do some business with asked me if I wanted to drive for him. 25% Line haul and 50% tarp fees was the initial offer (I didn't ask much more than that). I'm 27, have an uncle that has been an owner operator for 25+ years, have a little experience driving and hauling mostly heavy equipment (D-7's and bigger) while in the military and am pretty mechanically inclined. I've been helping with trucks as long as I was big enough to walk to the toolbox and bring wrenches back. The thing is I'm currently a Union Plumber, Pipefitter and Welder in southern Illinois and make 34.00 an hour with medical and a retirement. The work will be regional (Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky and Michigan) an I can work as hard or as slow as I want. Would this be an option any of you would consider? I've always wanted to drive for a living and love nothing more than chaining down a big dozer to haul. I just don't want to make the wrong decision and put my current career at risk if the driving thing doesn't work out. Last thing, I'm going to be getting married next May and How would starting a family be while beginning a driving career?

Thanks for reading all this guys and any advise you could give me would be greatly appreciated. Thanks:usaflag:

 

[SweetDaddy]

Hey guys! This might get long so get comfortable. I'm currently deployed to Afghanistan as an Engineer in the Illinois Army National Guard (2nd deployment, 1st was in Iraq). Yesterday I was on the internet and a guy I do some business with asked me if I wanted to drive for him. 25% Line haul and 50% tarp fees was the initial offer (I didn't ask much more than that). I'm 27, have an uncle that has been an owner operator for 25+ years, have a little experience driving and hauling mostly heavy equipment (D-7's and bigger) while in the military and am pretty mechanically inclined. I've been helping with trucks as long as I was big enough to walk to the toolbox and bring wrenches back. The thing is I'm currently a Union Plumber, Pipefitter and Welder in southern Illinois and make 34.00 an hour with medical and a retirement. The work will be regional (Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky and Michigan) an I can work as hard or as slow as I want. Would this be an option any of you would consider? I've always wanted to drive for a living and love nothing more than chaining down a big dozer to haul. I just don't want to make the wrong decision and put my current career at risk if the driving thing doesn't work out. Last thing, I'm going to be getting married next May and How would starting a family be while beginning a driving career?

Thanks for reading all this guys and any advise you could give me would be greatly appreciated. Thanks:usaflag:

Well truth bee told I don't really see you clearing 34 an hr. In the trucking business brand new

Tho with any new career their is always the question did I do the right thing

Any career change is huge all the unknowns

while I have dreams my reality gets checked alott with my wallet telling me different

Most decent driving jobs pay about 1,000 a wk. An that ain't no 40 hr. Week that's a 70

Plus with a small outfitt their is no medical an damn sure ain't no retirement

Retirement is when you die in my opinion but that is just me.

I know union teamster will pay more but their is a whole ballgame

When it comess too driving I don't believe they have OTR like long haul

They mostly as far as I know have linehaul terminal too terminal

And you usually start out on the docks or its teams with still a linehaul style operation

 

[Duck]

Hmm..

You can make good money hauling heavy equipment around, but that pipefitter job ain't something I'd recommend anyone walk away from.

I'd say stick with the current gig, especially if you've got a few years in. However, .. my neighbor is also in the plumbers union, and living only 50 miles from downtown Chicago, he hasn't been called up for any union work in a long time, so he runs his own plumbing business.

When you're not deployed, how much time you spend sitting at home with no work? If they keep you busy, I'd say keep the current $34/hr job, if it's stable and dependable.

 

[SweetDaddy]

$34.00 per hr.

Hey guys! This might get long so get comfortable. I'm currently deployed to Afghanistan as an Engineer in the Illinois Army National Guard (2nd deployment, 1st was in Iraq). Yesterday I was on the internet and a guy I do some business with asked me if I wanted to drive for him. 25% Line haul and 50% tarp fees was the initial offer (I didn't ask much more than that). I'm 27, have an uncle that has been an owner operator for 25+ years, have a little experience driving and hauling mostly heavy equipment (D-7's and bigger) while in the military and am pretty mechanically inclined. I've been helping with trucks as long as I was big enough to walk to the toolbox and bring wrenches back. The thing is I'm currently a Union Plumber, Pipefitter and Welder in southern Illinois and make 34.00 an hour with medical and a retirement. The work will be regional (Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky and Michigan) an I can work as hard or as slow as I want. Would this be an option any of you would consider? I've always wanted to drive for a living and love nothing more than chaining down a big dozer to haul. I just don't want to make the wrong decision and put my current career at risk if the driving thing doesn't work out. Last thing, I'm going to be getting married next May and How would starting a family be while beginning a driving career?

Thanks for reading all this guys and any advise you could give me would be greatly appreciated. Thanks:usaflag:

Hay a few questions from you...if you make that wage per hour

Did you gross over 90k the last full yr. You worked

 

[Classic359]

Hmm..

You can make good money hauling heavy equipment around, but that pipefitter job ain't something I'd recommend anyone walk away from.

I'd say stick with the current gig, especially if you've got a few years in. However, .. my neighbor is also in the plumbers union, and living only 50 miles from downtown Chicago, he hasn't been called up for any union work in a long time, so he runs his own plumbing business.

When you're not deployed, how much time you spend sitting at home with no work? If they keep you busy, I'd say keep the current $34/hr job, if it's stable and dependable.

It's a pretty dependable job. 35 min drive to the shop to pick up my company truck. work from 7:00 to 3:15, 5 days a week with a little overtime if I want it throughout the year. Only been layed off once for 3 weeks in the 3 years I've worked for them.

 

[Classic359]

Hay a few questions from you...if you make that wage per hour

Did you gross over 90k the last full yr. You worked

No, my gross was just under 70,000 the last full year I worked.

 

[SweetDaddy]

No, my gross was just under 70,000 the last full year I worked.

Yeah your gonna have too work a minimum of atleast a 80 hr. Week too clear that with any decent company

And the legal limit work period per week is 70 hr

 

[Classic359]

How much of a difference on average is the pay if I would be an owner operator?

 

[Duck]

How much of a difference on average is the pay if I would be an owner operator?

I don't really know. It varies wildly because what you make, is after you take out expenses. Tires, maintenance, repairs, fuel, insurance, plates, permits, etc. The rates for the freight you haul also varies wildly depending on what you're hauling, where it goes, where it picks up, how many miles, how many other empty trucks are sitting around in the same area willing to haul it, etc.

[MENTION=5192]bigyellowpete[/MENTION] is an O/O hauling heavy equipment. He'd be the guy to ask.

 

[eagleye1894]

I would say if the work is there, stick with it.

 

[jingo]

You could possibly see 34 hr. as a driver, But It will be to reset your hours.

 

[Racer X 69]

If you are earning $34 an hour at your age, stick with it.

To earn that kind of money as an owner operator takes many years of experience, getting to know the business, establishing relationships with customers to haul for, then working hard to maintain those relationships because there are literally thousands of hungry waiting to cut your throat to take your customers away.

And you will have to work long days with no overtime, often with no pay at all, because if you don't have something on your wagon and the wheels aren't turning, you aren't earning.

And you will have to buy your own health insurance, for you, your wife, and the crumb grabbing carpet crawlers that come alomg as your family grows.

I "retired" after 30 years in a cush union job as a mechanic at an electric utility a few years ago. I was earning about $34 an hour at the time, had seniority, was relief foreman on the day shift, had 6+ weeks of paid vacation a year, medical, dental, etc.

I left because I was tired of the politics and bull****.

I really like what I am doing now, pulling flatbeds, running all over the place, etc. But there are days when I wish I had stayed at the power company just a few more years.

So when you return from your tour of service for our country (thank you very much!), go back to the secure, well paying job, get married and raise a mess of kids. After the kids are grown, and you have a nice pension built up, "retire" and go trucking.

You won't regret a choice like that.

Trust me.

 

[Classic359]

Days like today really make me want to say F it and just buy a truck and grind out a living having fun!

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[bigyellowpete]

I'd recommend you keep the pipe fitting job as well.

If you really have the urge to haul heavy equipment, and live in Illinois, get in touch with Keen. They can hook you up with all that fun stuff, and you won't have to buy $200k worth of equipment on your own to go get some work.

 

[Injun]

Keep your plumbing job. You've been away from your lady for long enough and it has some things trucking will never have: You get home to her every night. You have steady work. You have a good benefits plan.

Wait until you both can go out on the road if you still have the truckin bug. That means when you can retire from the plumbers' union gig and the kids are grown. It's not easy to start a marriage and family on the road.

 

[Cerberus]

Do what you gotta do and only you know whats right. Because whatever desicion you make, you are the one that has to live it not anybody else. Its always easy to tell somebody else what do but when it comes to telling ourselves, its alittle more difficult. Its not good to have regrets in life and look back saying what you should have done. Hind sight is 20/20. to bad our sight in the present and future wears beer goggles. Whatever you choose, give it your best and all your effort into it and if you change your mind later you can go back. But at least you have no regrets of never trying your best.

 

[notarps4me]

Yeah, but you said you wanted to have fun......

Days like today really make me want to say F it and just buy a truck and grind out a living having fun!

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Some other loads.

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[notarps4me]

Stay where you are at. I have deployed twice and been chained to truck for more years than I care to count. Between deploying and OTR I seen very little of the kid I now have in college. Even running local it is a dark to dark job.

Hey guys! This might get long so get comfortable. I'm currently deployed to Afghanistan as an Engineer in the Illinois Army National Guard (2nd deployment, 1st was in Iraq). Yesterday I was on the internet and a guy I do some business with asked me if I wanted to drive for him. 25% Line haul and 50% tarp fees was the initial offer (I didn't ask much more than that). I'm 27, have an uncle that has been an owner operator for 25+ years, have a little experience driving and hauling mostly heavy equipment (D-7's and bigger) while in the military and am pretty mechanically inclined. I've been helping with trucks as long as I was big enough to walk to the toolbox and bring wrenches back. The thing is I'm currently a Union Plumber, Pipefitter and Welder in southern Illinois and make 34.00 an hour with medical and a retirement. The work will be regional (Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky and Michigan) an I can work as hard or as slow as I want. Would this be an option any of you would consider? I've always wanted to drive for a living and love nothing more than chaining down a big dozer to haul. I just don't want to make the wrong decision and put my current career at risk if the driving thing doesn't work out. Last thing, I'm going to be getting married next May and How would starting a family be while beginning a driving career?

Thanks for reading all this guys and any advise you could give me would be greatly appreciated. Thanks:usaflag:

 

[Classic359]

Thanks for all the advise everyone! I really appreciate everyone being honest. Like so many have said, I'm going to stick with the union job when I get back home. I may have to buy a double bunk 362 Pete to fix up to keep my "wanna be truck driver" happy. having a show truck isn't against any rules is it? lol Thanks again everyone!

 

[ctalarico07]

sounds like a great idea, your making a good choice. enjoy your family and congrats on getting married.