An idea- if you are looking for work you may want to consider getting into the truck-driving industry! This is a sweet deal in alot of ways! The starting salary for a driver is around $144,000/year and it does not require a college degree, all you have to do is drive! You can be your own boss, see the country, pull over for breakfast, lunch, and dinner whenever you feel like it, and you can do anything you want as long as you deliver your payload on-time! There is a huge shortage of drivers in the country right now so this means if you apply they will probably take you, they will give you a shot. Driving is boring and monotonous but for that kind of money it is worth it!
I have noticed that even during times of recession, in the U.S., truck driving, and logistics in general, especially related to the movement of food and energy sources, seems to be relatively steady work.
I don’t think truck driving is for me, though. I don’t do third shift well for long time periods. I’m sure some people have noticed that trucks tend to move more efficiently in the middle of the night, or well before sunrise.
Apparently there are alot of people with mental illness that have jobs in the trucking industry, it is an easy job and low-stress, you also work alone, I have met several people with SZ that are truck drivers. You are right about 3rd shift, some drivers prefer to sleep during the day and drive at night as there is less traffic.
I can’t back up my Rv to save my life. So I couldn’t back up a big rig either. But you have to pass a medical to get a cdl also.
I have a friend who is a complete idiot and he does hotshot. Not trying to be mean or disrespectful but he just isn’t that bright. That just a trailer with a big pickup truck and he makes killer money.
I have one Corvette. He has three of them. He tried to get me into it but I told him I couldn’t pass the medical and I don’t want to buy a $70,000 pickup truck.
That’s for an experienced driver. The problem is that insurance companies don’t want to insure drivers without three years of recent and relevant experience. That means if you have been hauling fluids for the oil industry (e.g. oil, produced water, and condensate), you cannot just jump to hauling logs instead. Both roles may require commercial licenses, but they require different skill sets over and above just driving.
Drivers with new licenses and those with incorrect experience are refused coverage by the regular insurance market. There are "pooled’ markets in both the U.S. and Canada that will take all comers, but they are at least 5x more expensive than the regular market. They can charge whatever they want as trucking companies have no other alternatives. That means that drivers who are insured through these pooled markets for the necessary three years to build a clean insurance record with the correct type of experience are very expensive for trucking companies. They are not going to pay them $144K/year. They can’t afford to.
It is so expensive to train and start new drivers that it is more economical for trucking companies to steal staff from other trucking companies. That’s why they’re offering them $144K. If you’re new to the industry, you’re going to start between $40-55K. This is in USD.
I’m a commercial auto insurance expert (senior insurance broker for one of Canada’s largest insurance brokerages) and I also have my own commercial license where I live in Canada, but I no longer drive a bus because of my heart condition. That’s how I know this.
Haha yeah for that kind of money it is enticing but I would probably wreck the truck, they say it is not hard but I probably wouldn’t make it anyway.
It’s extremely hard, actually. You need to have excellent situational and spatial awareness. These are not common traits. @Phrogflyer is a former military pilot who can attest to this.