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OTR Truck Driving Jobs-Living Behind the Wheel of a Rig

By: Jim Arnold

For those in today's job market, finding a balance of work life and home life can be a real challenge. Due to the financial difficulties confronting so many people, often family life bears the brunt of budgetary troubles. People that have (over-the-road) OTR truck driving jobs face this quandary all the time, especially with currently high fuel prices putting the squeeze on take-home pay.

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

You sleeping hours will be spent inside your truck for most of the time. The only reason a trucking company would pay for a motel is if the truck breaks down and it will take awhile for repairs to be done. Some will allow you to stay in a motel, but you may have to pay for it. If you are a self-employed driver, all of the money that you spend on lodging is just less money you can put in your pocket to spend on things like buying a home of your own.

When out on the open roads, you will need to buy your own food, so you might as well get used to the idea. Frequently eating in restaurants can break the budget, even if they are inexpensive truck stops targeting OTR drivers. In contrast, there are multiple types of small refrigerators and cooking appliances offered in the market that could be use in your rig. To reduce expenditures, pack your meals. No matter what though, you should make sure to retain any receipts for food that you have bought from any source. Keep all of your food receipts for a tax write off.

How much driving is required to get by financially? An unscientific study says about 2850 to 3200 miles a week should cover the bills with some left over. Much is dependent upon the type of freight being hauled, the company being hauled for, whether you drive for a fleet, whether the OTR truck driving jobs companies offer discount fuel incentives and more. 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. No fuss, no muss and adios. On the other hand, if you have to do the loading or unloading, of if you have to find a local 'dumper' to do it for you, this can cut into your take-home pay or your home time or both. You should consider this before you start an OTR truck driving job.

Probably one of the most important things to keep in mind is that your income is going to fluctuate from week to week. The number of miles is dependent upon how much freight is being moved. You can quickly switch from being insanely bored to being overwhelmingly busy. This makes it hard to make family plans but this is reality.

Article Source: http://bytepowered.org/articles

James W. Arnold is the owner of OTRTruckDrivingJobs.org and has been driving semi's for over 25 years as an Owner Operator and Company Driver. otrtruckdrivingjobs.org

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