Free pdf download. Read it for yourself to see if you want to be robbed financially or not. People in the Law field are encouraged to study this.
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Free pdf download. Read it for yourself to see if you want to be robbed financially or not. People in the Law field are encouraged to study this.
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This is a older post, moved here from another page. Enjoy.
I've been driving a big rig since 1999. There are some good & bad things about the job. Let's start with bad things: 1. For otr (long haul) drivers, you only get 4 days off at home per month. It doesn't give you much time for a life. 2. You have to use alternative bathroom arrangements in your truck at times. 3. It is challenging to eat right while on the road. Having a refrigerator & some cooking tools helps. 4. You work very long hours. That's if you are with a good company. 5. The job can be deadly. The GOOD things. 1. You can see the lower 48 & Canada 2. You can put your stuff in storage, and live in the truck and save lots of money. You can "start over" in your life. Pay off debt, save money, etc.. 3. You can buy a lot of acreage and park your truck in your yard when you're home. 4. You can live cheap by getting a mobile home put on your lot. I call it "good cheap living". 5. You can get a nice education while driving. The truck is a rolling classroom. Learn a new language, listen to audiobooks and podcasts. Get podcasts from iTunes which is usually standard on everyone's laptop. Get to know how to use iTunes and podcasts. 6. If you are with a good company, then you get medical, dental & vision insurance. 7. Some companies let you take a pet on board with you. A dog or cat. That's it for this first post. Stay tuned for other posts by yours truly. Trucker Sue, 10-4 & over and out! Hi everyone, this is my new Journal of a Newbie Lease Owner Operator. Follow along as I experience the highs & lows of transitioning from a 15 year OTR company driver, to a first time O/O.
Right off the bat most people are against lease o/o. The consensus is that you'll go broke doing this program. I have spoken to successful o/o and discovered some keys to their success. 1. Don't get a junky, lemon truck with high miles. Get one with some warranties still on it. 2. Don't take every load they give you. There are two ways to get good loads. You may have to wait a day or two, but you'll be able to make your expenses & more if you are patient. 3. You must be good & educated about running a small business. And be up to speed on bookkeeping & accounting. I have a excellent CPA at home & he takes care of all my tax issues for me. He also gets paid well for his services. Take the time to educate yourself & you'll get off on a better foot in your new venture. Stay tuned for more. My new adventure begins this Feb. :-) Trucker Sue, over & out. Always be safe, no exceptions. Sue & Kelly k9. :-) I finished with the orientation and now got my lease purchase owner operator truck. its a 2013 freightliner Cascadia. it's in the shop getting everything checked out and getting fit for the road. my dog Kelly & I have been staying in a hotel since last Tues eve. I can't wait to get going with my new truck and business venture.
2-26-14 Well the adventure is short lived. Last Friday, Feb 21st, was my last day at the Omaha trucking company. I had a tearful goodbye to my bosses who didn't want me to go. But I was grabbing at the brass ring. The new company got me a rental car and I loaded all my stuff, and my dog Kelly into it and headed east on I 80.
I got into Cedar Rapids, Iowa 250 miles later. I checked in at their check in desk, and got my hotel voucher. I went to the Red Roof Inn and unloaded my stuff from the car to the room, #136. It took about 5 trips from car to room to get it all in. The weather was clear and very cold. In the teens. With snow on the grounds. Kelly and I got settled in, I had dinner then a shower. We had the weekend to relax before orientation early on Monday. I gave Kelly a long thorough flea bath on Saturday. This hotel has a outside pool so there was no swimming to be had. On Sunday night I laid out my clothes for early Monday. The alarm went off at 04:45am and the shuttle picks us up at 0530. I take Kelly for a walk & feed her. The housekeeping ladies fell in love with her and she didn't have to stay in the cage. They came throughout the day and took her out for walks. First thing Monday was for all truck driver applicants to get a physical and drug test. I peed in the cup and they found too much sugar in my urine. They marked 2,000 on my medical paper. They also took my blood pressure and the cuff was so tight that it hurt. I have high blood pressure, the reading was 153/86. But within passable limits. But the real problem was yet to be revealed. With my sugar so high in my urine, they immediately ordered a blood test. A1C for diabetes. I got my test results back yesterday, Tuesday. I tested positive for diabetes, most likely type 2. They said it's Adult Onset Diabetes. My level is at 11 and the company needs it to be at 10 or below to qualify to drive a truck. It has to be 10 or below tested 3 times in a row for me to be legal. The doctor said I may get some pills that will help lower my level. So the company wanted me to finish orientation and it was hard to concentrate on it. I took all their written tests and passed them, despite what was heavy on my mind. Right away on Monday I started a exercise regime and began eating and drinking more healthy food and drinks. And I will continue on this weight loss and lifestyle change. I weighed 194 lbs on Monday. So I need to lose at least 30 lbs. No more sweet tea, bread, pasta, and other junk. I finished all of orientation today and came back to the hotel. The company is getting a rental car for Kelly & I to drive back to Florida, and home. So we leave early tomorrow, Thursday, and plan to be home Friday night. I'll turn in the rental car Saturday. I'll take a cab to get back home if I have to. So that's it for now. It should take hopefully no more than a couple months to get my levels down, then I'll be back in the truck. I plan to get a job while I'm home doing whatever I can find. And I plan on doing LOTS of swimming, and snorkeling in the springs near my home. I'll get a wetsuit, and do some free diving like I did when I was a kid. I might just see a manatee or two. So, wish me luck, and I will work very hard to remedy this problem. It's just a slight setback. I'll be back on the road soon. I've invested 15 years of my life so far into this career and I'm going to keep trucking until I have my mortgage paid off. So the plan goes. I have 4 - 1/2 years left on my mortgage. I just need to get over this hurdle 1st. I took my health for granted and was lazy and eating bad food while on the road. All the long walking I do was not enough to help me. I needed to change my diet. So I am back to working out on a regular basis, like I used to do before I started trucking. I'm also 50 years old and gone through the change so that effects my metabolism and stuff. Stay tuned and I'll let you know how it goes with the doctors when I get home. Money is going to be tight even with the modest savings I have. I am hoping the medical bills don't strain me too much. But I'll deal with it. This is something that I have to overcome. Thanks for stopping by, and I'll talk to you later, Trucker Sue and my dog Kelly |
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