I have a few question for anyone here who is or use to drive a truck for a living. I was wondering how did you get started? Do or did you enjoy driving a truck as much as you though you would? I also want to know what you thought some of the + and - of the job? The reason I ask is because I am thinking of getting my class B cdl when I am 18. I have always wanted to drive a truck for a living but I have just now started to give it real thought. I was thinking of driving a Dump truck because there is some many dump truck drivers wanted in are area and there is going to be a need for many many more in the Future. If I am not mistaken here in about 5 years or so even more dump truck drivers are going to be need for work on I-70. i believe it is about a 30 year job on I 70. From KC to St.Louis. So i am really interested in what information you can give me. And maybe share some interseting experiences. Thanks so much -Anthony ;D

 

Anthony,<br> I have a brother who drives a dump truck in summer while off school ( he's a teacher). They do have to get going very early to start getting loads when working for state. Thats how you get paid, by amnt of weight you haul. More loads = more money. Very competive here in OH. Also, you need to be able to work on own equipment, cant afford to have it in shop broke.However, outside of that, he seems to like it. Im sure someone with firsthand experience will speak up here. Good luck and you could do worse.<br>Duane

 

WEll thanks for your information though. It is something that if I don't try then I will always wonder. If I really enjoy it then I might get my Class A cdl when 21 and maybe drive OTR. Thanks again -Anthony

 

yz, I drove for several years after I got out of the Navy in 1976. Started off running Georgia, Tennessee, Florida and Alabama hauling hazardous material. Then I pulled tankers for a couple of years running mostly Georgia and Alabama. Then I started running coast to coast. Turns out that what I really liked was running the four southeastern states. Home about every other day and making really good money. The tankers were too local so I spent a lot of time in traffic and didn't like that. Coast to Coast, I was getting home about once a month and spent a lot of time in truck stops on the west coast looking for back hauls. My pay was based on a percentage of the load (cost) so if I wasn't loaded I wasn't making any money. Dump trucks are OK but if it is paving projects you'll find that a lot of time is spent in line either to load or unload. Again, you don't get paid if the wheels aren't turning with freight on the truck. If you want some experience, check into some of the companies that offer the school. I think the law still requires you to be 21 to drive between states but you can drive in the state where you live at 18. You can do short delivery work and see if you like it or not. Plus you'll be gaining experience so when you turn 21, you can hit the big road if you like it enough. It's good work and I really liked doing it. Unfortunately, I went to college and became an electrical engineer. Now, I'm a truck driver trapped in an engineers body.