Otr Truck Driving Jobs: Life Of A Trucker

Otr Truck Driving Jobs: Life Of A Trucker

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For those in today's job market, finding a balance of work life and home life can be a real challenge. Financial crises can make home life suffer at times. Those who have (over-the-road) OTR truck driving jobs are facing quandary all the time, which results in less take home pay.

When on the road, what's life like? Both fleet and independent drivers will find that their jobs share many of the same characteristics.

You will sleep in your truck on most nights. When you experience a breakdown and have to wait for a long time for repairs then trucking companies will put you in a motel. If you wish to stay in a motel at any time, somebody will place you in one, but you may have to pay for it. For haulers that own their business, each dollar spent on lodging is one dollar less that could be spent for other things such as mortgage.

Make peace with the fact that you are going to be buying all of your own food when you are out on the road. The costs can really add up if you eat at restaurants every day, even if you frequent truck stops that cater to OTR drivers. On the other hand, there are all kinds of mini-refrigerators and cooking appliances available for use in your rig. Taking some of your own food along helps cut down on your cash outlay. Either way, you should hold on to any receipt for food bought at restaurants or at the grocery store. You will need them at tax time when you can claim your meals as a deduction.

How much do you have to drive to make a living at it? A study showed that 2850 to around 3200 miles per week covers the bills with some excess. Fuel savings programs or fuel surcharges are available to all truck drivers. The amount of savings may be determined by a number of factors; such as: the type of freight being hauled, the company that you drive for, and if you are a fleet driver or owner operator. To get an accurate mileage figure, these are just some of the things that you must take into account.

It's your luck if you can manage to line up a drop and hook gig. Without any hassle or complication, and its goodbye. But if it's necessary for you to do your own loading or unloading, or to find a lumper locally to do it, this can leave you out on the road longer or take money out of your paycheck, sometimes both. This is something to check out before you accept a OTR truck driving job.

Your income might oscillate greatly from month to month. The mileage given is dependent on the amount of freight that is available. You can quickly switch from being insanely bored to being overwhelmingly busy. This makes it hard to make family plans, but this is reality.


About the Author:
James W. Arnold is the owner of OTRTruckDrivingJobs.org and has been an Owner Operator and Fleet Driver, driving semi trucks for more than a quarter of a century. http://otrtruckdrivingjobs.org



Article Originally Published On: http://www.articlesnatch.com


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