Trucking for a living has many benefits. One is that it can provide an immediate and free home with heat, air conditioning and power all without costing you a dime – and in fact instead of it costing you anything an employer will actually pay you to take it. Is trucking for everyone – in a word, NO. Then again neither is anything else either. Everyone has to find what works best for him or herself. But for those it will work for there are few things that can provide the benefits trucking can when you live in the truck.
Obviously this is best for people who are either single or a couple without kids that will need to go with them. Pets can be accommodated – sometimes – and with some companies but not all. In general you are better off without a pet at least in the beginning when you are adjusting and learning, and especially when getting your first job. Having to find a company that will let you take a dog or cat will be much harder with one than without, but having said that it is not an impossible thing to do if you look hard enough.
Lets say you have decided to simplify your life and get rid of most or all of your crap and the debt that goes with it. Now you are looking for somewhere to live that you can get into without having to make mortgage payments or pay rent. Maybe you have been checking out the tiny house movement and maybe even considered buying a boat to live on. All good options to consider.
But if you want to have a free home to live in mortgage and rent free for as long as you need it and one that provides a paycheck, trucking is hard to beat. Another benefit is that you can travel all over the country and learn how things work in different areas. That will help you choose a place that can work best for you later when and if you choose to buy some land and build a little paid for home of your own.
If you are over 21, have a decent driving record, can pass a DOT physical and drug test, and have no criminal record then chances are good that you can become a professional truck driver if you want to. Of course there is a great deal more to it – and if you really want the details of what it takes continue your research on trucking. You might even want to check out my book Introduction to Professional Truck Driving Careers, which you can get at amazon if you are interested.
In general the interior of a commercial tractor is in some respects similar to a very small camper. Most these days are more than high enough to sand up in, and they usually have drawers, cabinets and lockers to store belongings in. Most have a place for a small refrigerator or cooler and they have dc connections to plug chargers and maybe a fan into. With an inverter it is possible to run other things such as a TV and DVD player, or a small microwave, coffee maker etc. Of course there are also dc TV’s available too.
While it isn’t exactly luxurious it will more than adequately serve the purpose of debt free housing at least long enough for you to square away your personal finances and then save up enough to buy some land of your own – with cash. This is not normal. It is abnormal – extreme even, but this is one way you can change your life massively and quickly – if you do it right that is.
Normal means broke. Normal means indentured servitude for life. Normal means two steps ahead of financial disaster if you are lucky. Normal sucks. So if you don’t like being normal then maybe you need to seriously think about doing something different – maybe even extreme for a change so you can actually change your life before you grow old and die.
Many people who go into trucking do not do it right – they hose it all up and then whine and cry and blame everyone and everything else except themselves when trucking doesn’t work out for them. That is why you really need to do some serious homework and investigate for yourself the good the bad and everything in between before you go to truck driving school.
Think about this though. You could sell everything you own right now if you like and reduce your stuff to what you can carry in a couple of tote bags. Sell the house, or get rid of the rented home, sell the car, the boat, the bikes, the canoe, the dishes, furniture and all the other crap you don’t need anyway and get out of debt. All you need is basic minimal supplies, clothes and a decent cell phone (though you can survive without one – in trucking today it’s a very useful tool).
I’m not telling you to go sell all your crap and go trucking – I’m telling you that you can if you decide that you want to after you research it and decide it is in fact what you want to do. You decide – nobody can do it for you.
Trucking pay starts low while you are training (after school and with your first employer) and then it goes up over time as you gain experience. If you are trying to pay all the crazy bills and debts most people have then it is very hard to do when you are first starting out. But think about this – if you have no debts, and no real bills other than for a cell phone (preferably a month to month plan or even prepaid if necessary) and all you have to pay for is your food and toiletries in general, then how much do you have to make? Damn little – and even a trainee paycheck will be more than enough. As you earn more you can save almost all of it too once you are debt free, and until then you can use it all to eliminate what ever debts you have left.
Then how long would it take you to save up enough to buy some land for cash? I can tell you not long at all – once you have some experience that is. It can be life changing for you and allow you to live a much better life than otherwise might be possible. Having said so, it is still but one way and other ways do exist – so do your research, weigh the pros and the cons and make a decision.
Just keep in mind that nothing will ever change for you until and unless you change and do something different.