I’m looking for a career change. I’m barely making over minimum wage and can’t really get ahead. I’ve always been interested in driving a truck but never got my basic drivers license until recently.
Looking into average pay for my state on google has gotten my expectations kind of high but even the low end would be life changing to me. I’m just nervous to leave my secure job and end up not making enough to justify it. Hopefully some of y’all can give me some answers/advice?
Obviously a lot of these things are going to depends on who you work for but looking for some general ideas.
1. what does the average weekly take home pay look like for a newbie? My weekly pay now is around $400 and I’m just barely getting by.
2. Is it easy to get jobs where I don’t have to physically unload the trucks I’m driving? I’d rather not if I can avoid it but if the money is good enough I’d take it.
3. Are there union jobs out there? I have a union where I’m at now and the job security is such a good benefit, I would hate to go back to not having one.
4. Browsing here it seems like people work *a lot*. Is that voluntary to maximize your income? I’m a typical “lazy millennial” and want a decent work/life balance but I don’t have a family to take care of, just my dog and my roommate can take care of her if I need to be gone for a few days.
5. Are there seasonal driving jobs out there? My current job lays me off about 4 months of the year and I collect unemployment. I don’t expect the same thing but I’d enjoy having a some time off every year.
6. What sort of out of pocket expenses do you deal with in relation to the job? Does your employer usually cover repair costs unless you use your own rig?
Thanks for your time! I plan to start at my local truck driving school in June when I’m out of work for the summer.
