The new Freightliner?

[Petetrucker07]

Everything pays different. Like I haul rock and sand, every load, every customer is different. Over the road drivers typically get paid by the mile. Some companies pay mileage different, city center to city center, zip code to zip code, loaded miles and empty miles, actual miles, point to point. Liquid pays different, sometimes mileage, hourly, load of weight. Same for dry bulk. As far as certs, it would be a good idea to get doubles/triples, tanker and probably HazMat. Most OTR companies will require that, most liquid haulers and even some dump truck companies. Some dump trucks, transfers, super 10s, end dumps and so on, will haul dirty dirt, hazmat contaminated dirt.

You can go to a school on your own, you would have recruiters from different companies come talk to you and then you can decide from there which. I'm not sure what it costs to do that, couple grand I would imagine. I went through a company because the schooling didn't cost me anything out of pocket, just 2 weeks of staying in a hotel they paid for and half the food for that duration. For extra expenses, there are some. It is possible to eat in the truck. Most trucks now, have refrigerators in the truck, you can stock it up with some food. The truck stop sell small cooking appliances that are powered like a cell phone charger. But you will have the cost of eating out because you just don't want to make anything. There are lumped to unload freight in warehouses that can get spendy, but the company usually reimburses that. If everything is normal, no issues and your just taking your required 10 hours off, and you have a sleeper, a hotel would usually be out of your pocket. Now if your broke down or in a day cab, like Iam, the hotel is paid for by the company, mostly again, reimbursed. There are some little stuff you'll need to pay for while on the road, from pens, laundry, chrome and stuff you see and you want. The nice thing about driving, you don't have a boss looking over your shoulder, even though he's only a phone call away. You get to see things that you could quite possibly be the only 1 to see it. Go places you would've never gone on your own. Meet some really cool people along the way, and meet some really odd people too.

[Aaronw]

It is probably worth talking to drivers who do different kinds of driving to see what interests you. While from the outside it may seem like driving is driving, there are differences. My brother has been driving a truck for probably close to 10 years now, mostly hauling gravel in bottom dumps. He recently got some work driving a dump truck which he actually finds more enjoyable.

Edited April 9, 2015 by Aaronw

[Petetrucker07]

I've done bottom dump work, and hated it. I've done pneumatics with powder limestone and cement, that was ok. Nice equipment, I drove a working show truck. I've never done reefer. I did dry van and didn't like it very much. But it's really up to each persons preference. I work with a guy who doesn't care for dump truck work and wants to go back to flatbed.

[youngtiger1]

Clayton, Aaron, thank you for the information guys. It gives me plenty to think about. I checked locally for a school and it's about $1000 to $3200 depends on which school I chose. I guess the more money might be better training equipment? I hope you guys won't mind if I call on you again? Thanks.

Btw, Clayton is that your truck in the avatar? If so, it's pretty cool looking