Location Transport

Professional trucking?

I just turned 21 and yesterday and a long lost family friend has recently contacted me abiut being a trucker. He says he has his own truck, worked his way up from Swift Transportation, and after a few short years has his own truck making $4,000 a month. He recently bought a house and all seems good. I just wanna know, now whats the REAL chances of being that successful in the trucking industry? are those results typical? I have a wife and 2 small children and would like to know if these claims have any merit. Don't need a bunch of people telling to go to school or anyother unrelated topics it will go in one ear and out the other. i just would qualitty advice from people who know the trucking industry well, particularly Swift. Thanks for your help and thanks for reading Thanks I appreciate the response. Very informative and to the point. Thanks again

Public Comments

1. Your success depends on your flexibility and what you are certified to carry. A HazMat load may pay more than hauling retail goods. And if you don't hold a CDL, you'll need to train/test to get it - and that's generally a cost you bear. Drivers typically get paid "per mile". That means a driver that is willing to work "long-haul" or team AND take on regional or local contracts to fill in down time will likely see a higher average income. Conversely, if you limit yourself to only local/regional loads because you want to be home with your family every night, you may find yourself with less work. We're coming out of a recession and productivity/manufacturing is beginning to show signs of life - and that generally means that more material needs to be moved. It may take another 12-24 months to see a real change, but history tells us that as the economy grows back (and it will) that transportation/logistics (fancy words for trucking) will need more professional drivers, and will log more freight miles. Again, it's really how flexible you are to take on the work, how well you execute once you take it on, what you are willing to certify for/carry, and how much you want to be home.