We’re at home in Vegas right now. Last post I mentioned some big changes. Mainly, because trucking isn’t going so well right now. We have decided after some serious discussion that Cindy is going to stay home and go back to school to finish her degree. She will be working full or part time, whatever works best to fit around her school schedule at University of Phoenix. It will take about two years to finish, while me and Willie try and keep the truck moving enough to make the payments.
The last couple of years we were doing great. We bought a new truck and a new trailer and a new “house”. This year, not so great. Not horrible, but between a boat load of money being spent on my dental visits and trucking not doing so hot. This will be best for us in the long run. We need a couple more years and everything will be paid for, truck, trailer, house. But we need a little more cushion right now.
I’m taking Willie because it would be cruel to leave him alone for 8 hours or more while Cindy was working, plus school. Maybe I can work on his anxiety attacks. We’ve tried a bunch of things and I’m kind of at a loss at what else to try, because it’s not getting any better.
I spent all day today (Sunday) getting loaded at a show here in Vegas. My trailer is at our warehouse and will be unloaded and reloaded with the stuff I picked up along with some other LTL’s to make a decent trip out of it. Not great, but should be pretty good.
Oh wow. Big changes! I only just started reading your blog as I’ve just started taking lessons to learn how to drive truck, and I’m about to transition INTO the career instead of out of it. Reading stories like yours kind of scares me! Is it that hard to make a living at it? You are an owner-operator, though… have you thought of working locally or being a day-driver on someone elses’ dime and in someone elses’ truck?
Trucking is cyclical. No matter what the recruiters tell you. Now is not the worst time, but it’s not the best either. You can still make a living, but we wanted a little more right now and not waiting till trucking goes back up.
We were doing a lot better, but this year has been too much sitting and waiting for loads that were not as good as last year. We drove the same number of miles during the same period last year, but made a lot more.
Local jobs are even more cut-throat around here. And becoming a company driver, I’d have to sell the truck and trailer and probably lose money on that, then really be under someone else’s thumb, let me think….. uh, no.
If you have any other questions feel free to email me.
Oh I know all about the fact that trucking isn’t doing very good right now. I finally had enough and turned the keys in on the truck I was leasing. I learned a valuable lesson for my final time out as a long haul trucker. Never lease a truck where you are bound to one company to haul freight. between the poor utilization and the maint. problems on the truck, they starved me out. I’m done with the OTR stuff now and at home looking for a job driving locally. without much luck so far I might add. I guess I may have to change the name of my blog to “life outside the windshield of an 18 wheeler”. Good luck! keep pushin on!
Yeah, that’s a tough lesson on leasing. No matter how good the PR, leasing programs from companies only benefit companies. Good luck on your end too.
Drive safely Wayne and Willie be good for Daddy!!