Some... a lot... of questions for you truckers!

Jax

Member
First off, this is my first post, and I want to say that I truly respect what you guys do for a living. I had the opportunity to drive 1,500 and 1,100 mile trips (back and forth) with a typical fully loaded 20 ft. bed moving truck with a car trailer in the back. This is my only experience driving any truck. Along the way I gained a better appreciation of what you guys do, but I still have some dumb and not so dumb questions off the top of my head, if you don't mind.

In no specific order:

1. What's your favorite brand of truck and why?
2. What's your average MPG?
3. Diesel or regular gas? And how much?
4. How many hours do you drive in a day on average?
5. How much do most truckers make per mile/year driving a company truck?
6. How much do most truckers make per mile/year driving their own truck?
7. What's your favorite part of trucking?
8. Do you ever get bored on the road?
9. Do you guys have any hobbies that you take with you on the road? - I make music on my computer and sell it online.
10. Do you recommend buying a used truck or new?
11. Any other advice you can offer a guy wanting to get into trucking?


Thanks a lot for your time. You don't have to answer all of em I just want to get a better idea of everything without making a bunch of posts.
 
First off, this is my first post, and I want to say that I truly respect what you guys do for a living. I had the opportunity to drive 1,500 and 1,100 mile trips (back and forth) with a typical fully loaded 20 ft. bed moving truck with a car trailer in the back. This is my only experience driving any truck. Along the way I gained a better appreciation of what you guys do, but I still have some dumb and not so dumb questions off the top of my head, if you don't mind.

In no specific order:

1. What's your favorite brand of truck and why?
2. What's your average MPG?
3. Diesel or regular gas? And how much?
4. How many hours do you drive in a day on average?
5. How much do most truckers make per mile/year driving a company truck?
6. How much do most truckers make per mile/year driving their own truck?
7. What's your favorite part of trucking?
8. Do you ever get bored on the road?
9. Do you guys have any hobbies that you take with you on the road? - I make music on my computer and sell it online.
10. Do you recommend buying a used truck or new?
11. Any other advice you can offer a guy wanting to get into trucking?


Thanks a lot for your time. You don't have to answer all of em I just want to get a better idea of everything without making a bunch of posts.


Many of your questions can be answered by reading posts here.. they're all there.

1. One that is dependable and comfortable.
2. 7+/-
3. Diesel , do the math
4. 11
5. varies widely from .18 to ? and more.
6. varies widely from .50 to 50.00 and more
7. backing into the dock
8. nope.
9. Truckers Forum dot net and sleeping.
10. used unless you plan on rotating new ones and have a sugar daddy/momma
11. read the posts. all of them. then holler with the unanswered questions.
 
I'm kinda of different kind of trucker I work for a private carrier (not wal-mart) and I do trips for 7-10 days making Deliveries to our stores so on top of the driving I have to physically unload the truck at our stores,I leave out with 25 to 30 stops and unlike over the road drivers my company puts us in hotels every night even though our trucks have sleepers, the pay is really good I get paid for the miles I drive plus paid for each stop and get paid for each case on the truck I unload which is usually 2000 to 2300 cases plus we get paid a daily rate so the pay is very good, the hard part is getting the truck a 48 foot trailer into strip malls and shopping malls it can be a challenge at times. The one hobby I do on the road is in the summer I bring my golf clubs and I golf every chance I get it .
 
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Here's some answers to most of life's problems. Feel free to apply in whatever order.....

1. Fish

2. Pickles and Walnut wafers

3. Schnauser

4. Green Spandex

5. Chicken Lips.

and finally.... Kitty Litter.

Now that's all taken care of...... advise about getting into trucking? Right now..... don't. Right now, it's a meatgrinder and most who shell out for driving school, etc are gone within weeks without even recovering costs. Even at best you're gonna have to make a heck of alot of sacrifice and adjustment to your life for the first couple of years, especially if you have a family.

Can it be done? Yes. But get rid of any "romantic" ideas you may have about it. It's a damn hard job with marginal pay and damn few thanks.
 
Thanks for the replies.

DoubleD, for #5 and 6, I'm assuming thats how much you make after all other expenses (gas, food, rest).

I read up a little more on mileage. Is it true the more miles your truck has, the more it consumes?
 
Even at best you're gonna have to make a heck of alot of sacrifice and adjustment to your life for the first couple of years, especially if you have a family.

Can it be done? Yes. But get rid of any "romantic" ideas you may have about it. It's a damn hard job with marginal pay and damn few thanks.

Damn, I know, but what jobs aren't suffering right now?
 
I'm kinda of different kind of trucker I work for a private carrier (not wal-mart) and I do trips for 7-10 days making Deliveries to our stores so on top of the driving I have to physically unload the truck at our stores,I leave out with 25 to 30 stops and unlike over the road drivers my company puts us in hotels every night even though our trucks have sleepers, the pay is really good I get paid for the miles I drive plus paid for each stop and get paid for each case on the truck I unload which is usually 2000 to 2300 cases plus we get paid a daily rate so the pay is very good, the hard part is getting the truck a 48 foot trailer into strip malls and shopping malls it can be a challenge at times. The one hobby I do on the road is in the summer I bring my golf clubs and I golf every chance I get it .

I wanna drive for your company!
 
Damn, I know, but what jobs aren't suffering right now?

None.

On my current run from East to West, I stopped at Yuma, Arizona last night, and a friend from high school who has relocated down here picked me up and we went out for some beers and a bite.

My buddy became a machinist right out of high school, and went to work at a small machine shop. He worked for that same outfit from the mid 1970's until a few years ago, when he decided to buy property down here, build a house and leave the Great Pacific Northwet.

He bought a 48 foot dry van, loaded all his stuff in it and hired a power only company to bring it to Yuma.

He got on at the Marine base as a civil service contractor. They rebuild the Harrier Jump Jets, on a government contract.

And now that the Fed is finally coming to their senses and working on a budget that might look more realistic there are budget cuts. So my friend is looking at unemployment for the first time in his adult life.

What is odd is the jets need total overhauls. There are about 80 of them in the fleet. They are only about 1/3rd of the way through the fleet.

So what are the Marines gonna do? Take turns flying the few that have been rebuilt while the others sit on the tarmac?
 
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Well I don't think marines fly hehe, more so the navy. :holdflag: I got the difference down to my buddy being a marine and me always confusing marines/army, and him always correcting me. It does suck for those who have military jobs or jobs related to the military like he does, now that the war is "over." Remember, WWII brought us out of a recession because we had to manufacture guns, tanks, airplanes. Peace = no jobs for these guys, for better or for worse.

I wonder if you know the answer to this question. Everyone I hear keeps recommending Peterbilt trucks. Then I read that most trucks are virtually the same when it comes to mileage and that the real difference comes down to aerodynamics. Peterbilts don't look too aerodynamic with their boxy frame. What is the reason they are so highly regarded from your experience?
 
I wonder if you know the answer to this question. Everyone I hear keeps recommending Peterbilt trucks. What is the reason they are so highly regarded from your experience?

You must always remember this one thing, and I am really surprised that no one has told you yet concerning Peterbilt. OLD TRUCKERS NEVER DIE, THEY JUST GET A NEW PETERBILT! :rolllaugh::rolllaugh::rolllaugh: I heard that old joke 40 years ago and it's still funny!
 

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