Driving a Truck vs Mowing Grass.....

LawnGuyHouston · Jul 5, 2021

Chinatown said: ↑

Did you decide not to pursue Yellow trucking, in your other thread?
Click to expand...

So, I'm back to update the thread and now I need some more feedback. LOL

While searching looking at trucking job ads, I ran across a position for an arborist and managing their 40 trucks. I had the experience managing crews from my lawn business, they were offering salary, a VERY NICE salary, of $85k a year, pto, and health benefits that I've been long thinking about I didn't have with my lawn business.

I jumped on the opportunity and now I have full health benefits and 401k.

The problem is, I still have a lot of money tied up in equipment. And I like to hustle and make more money.

So now I have to make the decision of, trying to manage a lawn business on the side. Or finding a nice truck, and paying a driver.

Choices, Choices.

Buying a truck, finding a driver, would be more up front cost, over the lawn business. But I think it would be far more lucrative and less headaches. Opinions.

Would it make sense to find a driver and pay them a % of the load after all my expenses and my take out % for owning the truck?

LawnGuyHouston · Jul 5, 2021

inandoutoftrouble said: ↑

@TripleSix
1) SADLY & UNFORTUNATELY, I actually do know of an older lady, age 75+ & retired, who is supporting her 30+ year old son. He has NEVER held a job in his life. She is one of the nicest people on the face of this earth. Her husband, her son's father, passed away many years ago. The 30+ year old son is the only child the couple ever had.
2) Her son is actually a nice man, does not talk back to anyone, always does what his mother tells him to do, and works quite hard at both maintaining the yard & house that he and his mother live in. He also cooks very well. The 30+ year old son is a high school graduate.
3) Both the mother's relatives & father's relatives have urged the mother to make her son go out & get a job, along with getting some exposure to the world around him. The mother is NOT in the best of health. Eventually the 30+ year old son will have to learn how to fend for himself.

Question:
Could this 30+ year old man get with a trucking company training program to learn how to be a truck driver, either as an OTR or local driver?

God bless every American and their families! God bless the U.S.A.!

The absolute sheer driving force of our national economy - without truck drivers, our entire national economy would come to an absolute standstill - if not outright be dead.

Over the mountains, through the woods, into the valleys, coast to coast, from sea to shining sea - truck drivers can and do go anywhere and everywhere, every day, every night, all year round.
Click to expand...

Having no experience in the field as I am the creator of this post, I can still answer your question.

No, I don't think anyone will hire him, or send him to school.

Reason being, when I started looking into it. All companies, before investing into you want, no recent felonies, and verifiable work history. Is there ways around this, yes I'm sure. But without working around the requirements, no, they will want to see work history. And I can't blame them. Before hiring someone I'd want to know they will be reliable, show up when they say they will, and do what they say they will do.

Chinatown · Jul 5, 2021

I'd keep the lawn care business vs. buying a truck.
Work the new job and use the lawncare business as extra income.

tallguy66 · Jul 5, 2021

Made 62k my first year @ a mega (2000 trks) that put me through school for free but I had a mileage contract that takes about a year to do.

Chinatown · Jul 5, 2021

inandoutoftrouble said: ↑

@TripleSix
1) SADLY & UNFORTUNATELY, I actually do know of an older lady, age 75+ & retired, who is supporting her 30+ year old son. He has NEVER held a job in his life. She is one of the nicest people on the face of this earth. Her husband, her son's father, passed away many years ago. The 30+ year old son is the only child the couple ever had.
2) Her son is actually a nice man, does not talk back to anyone, always does what his mother tells him to do, and works quite hard at both maintaining the yard & house that he and his mother live in. He also cooks very well. The 30+ year old son is a high school graduate.
3) Both the mother's relatives & father's relatives have urged the mother to make her son go out & get a job, along with getting some exposure to the world around him. The mother is NOT in the best of health. Eventually the 30+ year old son will have to learn how to fend for himself.

Question:
Could this 30+ year old man get with a trucking company training program to learn how to be a truck driver, either as an OTR or local driver?

God bless every American and their families! God bless the U.S.A.!

The absolute sheer driving force of our national economy - without truck drivers, our entire national economy would come to an absolute standstill - if not outright be dead.

Over the mountains, through the woods, into the valleys, coast to coast, from sea to shining sea - truck drivers can and do go anywhere and everywhere, every day, every night, all year round.
Click to expand...

The 30 yr. old guy has some type of mental problem.
He should attend a private cdl school and if he graduates, go from there.
I doubt he'll even finish the school because he doesn't know how to interact with anyone except his mother.
I know a guy like that in Las Vegas; early 30's and never had a job in his life.
A few months ago he was dumb enough to apply for unemployment benefits and of course was rejected because he's never had a job.
He sells stuff on Ebay and does ok, but doesn't file taxes on that.
He thought his mother was going to inherit a lot of money, but the guy that had her in his will, changed that just before he died. Now she's 73 years old and has to keep working.

D.Tibbitt · Jul 5, 2021

LawnGuyHouston said: ↑

So, I'm back to update the thread and now I need some more feedback. LOL

While searching looking at trucking job ads, I ran across a position for an arborist and managing their 40 trucks. I had the experience managing crews from my lawn business, they were offering salary, a VERY NICE salary, of $85k a year, pto, and health benefits that I've been long thinking about I didn't have with my lawn business.

I jumped on the opportunity and now I have full health benefits and 401k.

The problem is, I still have a lot of money tied up in equipment. And I like to hustle and make more money.

So now I have to make the decision of, trying to manage a lawn business on the side. Or finding a nice truck, and paying a driver.

Choices, Choices.

Buying a truck, finding a driver, would be more up front cost, over the lawn business. But I think it would be far more lucrative and less headaches. Opinions.

Would it make sense to find a driver and pay them a % of the load after all my expenses and my take out % for owning the truck?
Click to expand...

DO NOT BUY A TRUCK UNLESS YOU WANT TO LOSE IT ALL.

Your ignorance to the pitfalls of the trucking business is going to be the death of all your money. That is great you want to find a driver and pay him percentage . Ok... First things first . how the hell are you gonna make money in trucking ? You now have a full time job paying 85k a year . managing even 1 driver for your own trucking company is a full time job... How are you going to make money and keep that driver moving and call on load after load because ur running off the load boards out of texas trying to make money. This game is alot harder than it looks. You dont just buy a truck hire a driver and make money. You have never mentioned what trailer u wanna run which will determine how much money u can make , what u can specialize in, and what area of the country is going to br most profitable.

Trucking in your life as a business and as a career is going to be a pipe dream. Go play american truck sim if you want the trucking fix you are looking for . you are going to fail in this business just like all the others that have the same mentality as you.

Dockbumper · Jul 5, 2021

LawnGuyHouston said: ↑

So, I'm back to update the thread and now I need some more feedback. LOL

While searching looking at trucking job ads, I ran across a position for an arborist and managing their 40 trucks. I had the experience managing crews from my lawn business, they were offering salary, a VERY NICE salary, of $85k a year, pto, and health benefits that I've been long thinking about I didn't have with my lawn business.

I jumped on the opportunity and now I have full health benefits and 401k.

The problem is, I still have a lot of money tied up in equipment. And I like to hustle and make more money.

So now I have to make the decision of, trying to manage a lawn business on the side. Or finding a nice truck, and paying a driver.

Choices, Choices.

Buying a truck, finding a driver, would be more up front cost, over the lawn business. But I think it would be far more lucrative and less headaches. Opinions.

Would it make sense to find a driver and pay them a % of the load after all my expenses and my take out % for owning the truck?
Click to expand...

You will lose your ### with that plan. Sell your lawn business/equipment, take the new cushy job. You have no trucking experience whatsoever. The profit margin in trucking is razor thin. You apparently have no idea how trucking works.

LawnGuyHouston · Jul 5, 2021

D.Tibbitt said: ↑

DO NOT BUY A TRUCK UNLESS YOU WANT TO LOSE IT ALL
Click to expand...

That's an interesting, yet bold statement.

While I can't argue with it. But I do know that statement is validated with truth.

It could be a HUGE GAMBLE.

And managing a large lawn business with my new salary management position would be very difficult and mind numbing. So the only other route I can think of that would be low stress is some kind of rental business.

Possibly renting out my landscape trailers, dump trailer, and zero turns, and maybe adding some kind of tools or other equipment.

With the lawn business, and my new salary job, I wouldn't be able to babysit crews and make sure their not tearing up equipment and trucks.

Possibly I could some trading.

Buy several vans, and put them all in a van with a push mower, weedeater, and blower.

Dockbumper · Jul 5, 2021

LawnGuyHouston said: ↑

Long Story short, last year my solo route, netted me $37,000 after taxes, and expenses
Click to expand...

So.......landing a new job with a salary 2 1/2 times what you are making now is not good enough? Holy mother of god!!!! Get rid of your lawn equipment and enjoy the good life!!! Let's not get greedy.

D.Tibbitt · Jul 5, 2021

LawnGuyHouston said: ↑

That's an interesting, yet bold statement.

While I can't argue with it. But I do know that statement is validated with truth.

It could be a HUGE GAMBLE.

And managing a large lawn business with my new salary management position would be very difficult and mind numbing. So the only other route I can think of that would be low stress is some kind of rental business.

Possibly renting out my landscape trailers, dump trailer, and zero turns, and maybe adding some kind of tools or other equipment.

With the lawn business, and my new salary job, I wouldn't be able to babysit crews and make sure their not tearing up equipment and trucks.

Possibly I could some trading.

Buy several vans, and put them all in a van with a push mower, weedeater, and blower.
Click to expand...

Do what you want. Theres not many guys that last 30+ years in this business. When the rates take a #### and the only loads u have access to is #### out of texas paying 1.20 a mile. And your operating costs are approaching 2 dollars a mile. Then ur driver calls u on sunday at 2am saying hes tired of making #### money and cleans out his truck and abandons it at the back of a truckstop in west memphis . what are y a gonna do now? You are not seeing the complete picture .

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