Current Events > The lowest effort job that pays the most IMO is being a semi truck driver

(+) Yeah! (+)

The hardest thing to do is learning how to drive a big ass semi, getting your CDL and being able to drive for long hours. Everything after that is smooth sailing. It's especially good if you are anti-social IRL and have the loner personality and don't want to deal with too many people. You just haul shit from one place to another. Loading and unloading are mostly optional. It's not to say there's no physical or mental straining that comes with this job, though but I can't think of anything else that's low skill with good pay.

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10-4 rubber ducky

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I could see it being pretty grueling though. Like, I've taken road trips where I was behind the wheel for a double-digit number of hours and that shit ain't easy

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From what I know, safety is a pretty big priority for truck drivers and it's federally mandated. You're only allowed to drive 12 hours max and then you have to break for 8 hours after that.

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Veggeta_MAX posted...

From what I know, safety is a pretty big priority for truck drivers and it's federally mandated. You're only allowed to drive 12 hours max and then you have to break for 8 hours after that.

12 hours nonstop is a fucking lot of driving, especially when it's not a "once a year" kind of thing

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it's a mentally draining job that takes you away from home or family for longer periods of time than a lot of others.

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Yeah, as a trucker, you have to deal with long road trips and asshole drivers.

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if it was all highway, i'd have done it 15 years ago. but i hate driving in the city with my wagon. there's no way i'd be comfortable.

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It's not mandatory to drive 12 hours straight, it's just what they can drive up to. I think most companies tries to push their drivers to drive at least 6-8 hours a day. A previous truck company I use to work for did this.

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Medussa posted...

if it was all highway, i'd have done it 15 years ago. but i hate driving in the city with my wagon. there's no way i'd be comfortable.

With seniority comes dedicated routes and even just local.

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TetsuoS2 posted...

it's a mentally draining job that takes you away from home or family for longer periods of time than a lot of others.

Correct which is why I more so recommend this for loners.

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I couldn't do it, I'd fall asleep and die
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A job that is a combination of "so boring you could fall asleep" and "if you fall asleep you might commit manslaughter on a Jonestown level" seems pretty stressful to me, to be honest.

Throw in the lack of family life, anywhere to call home, long hours...no thanks.

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Shezarr posted...

12 hours nonstop is a fucking lot of driving, especially when it's not a "once a year" kind of thing

Yeah I used to do a 12 hour drive 4 separate times a year and it's pretty tough. Usually by like hour 6 is when it starts to get tiring and by the last 2 hours is when you get really exhausted

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Also, truck drivers are a dying breed and they need more and more. I'd say they are as needed as much as nurses. Companies are willing to pay for your CDL classes, 3 weeks of paid training and signing bonuses because companies so desperate for drivers.

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They've made it tougher to become a driver and there's more regulations.

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I worked for 4+ years in a retail warehouse, and my observations were that semi truck drivers were the most out of shape, unhealthy, angry people on the planet.

And a chartreuse microbus

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ExtremeLuchador posted...

They've made it tougher to become a driver and there's more regulations.

A lot of them are for safety stuff, and I think the biggest change is moving from paper logs to electronic logs which boomers hate.

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I'm working on getting my CDL.

Find routes that are just day trips and have fun. My fatherinlaw does this and makes $800-1600 per 9 hour round trip in his F-350 and trailer.

Hell my current job has me driving 16+ hour days non-DOT, so this will be nice

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Veggeta_MAX posted...

Correct which is why I more so recommend this for loners.

A lot of people on here are not big on reading.

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They probably also have to deal with thieves trying to steal their load when they're parked.

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Medussa posted...

if it was all highway, i'd have done it 15 years ago. but i hate driving in the city with my wagon. there's no way i'd be comfortable.

My friend's dad is a truck driver and he went the wrong way down a 1-way in midtown Manhattan once.

They had to close basically the entire area around him so he could back out.

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Being a loner doesn't stop homesickness, that's the point.

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Driving 18 wheelers is NOT an easy job at all. My uncle did it his whole life.

horrible job if you have a family. Youre always gone. It pays quite well tho. Think he was making close to 80k/year.

getting a CDL for it is harder than you think. And driving trucks that big in general is not for the faint of heart.

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My grandpa drove a log truck and rolled his truck at least twice coming down a mountain.

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I might not mind if I was a over-the-road type, where you come home every night.

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Personally I think most office jobs are easier and might pay more depending on which job.

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lww99 posted...

I might not mind if I was a over-the-road type, where you come home every night.

That comes with time and seniority unfortunately.

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tbh fuck semi truck drivers

The actual bullies of the road
blocking both lanes on a highway
pushing people around the road and they do anything in return

Going slower than the flow of traffic in the passing lane not cruising lane

fuck semi truck drivers

Drrobotniks posted...

tbh fuck semi truck drivers

The actual bullies of the road
blocking both lanes on a highway
pushing people around the road and they do anything in return

Going slower than the flow of traffic in the passing lane not cruising lane

fuck semi truck drivers

Believe it or not truck drivers get into mad trouble driving bad via law enforcement or the company they drive for. There are GPS apps they knows where the truck is at all times and how fast they go and shit at all times, they are always being watched but yeah even with that I agree there are too many bad drivers in general.

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feel free to disagree
they go slow down two lane roads when they can stick to the highway
you'll see 2 semi trucks side by side on the road going the same speed cause who knows why?

Just some awful drivers, fuck em tbh

As a truck driver's son, I can tell you that's not true.

any job where over half the people working it are coked up is not an easy job

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Ryuko_Chan posted...

any job where over half the people working it are coked up is not an easy job

Most companies(if not all) drug test their drivers

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Drrobotniks posted...

feel free to disagree
they go slow down two lane roads when they can stick to the highway
you'll see 2 semi trucks side by side on the road going the same speed cause who knows why?

Just some awful drivers, fuck em tbh

Trucks should not be allowed to pass each other if their speed difference is less than 5mph. Too often you see one truck change lanes because the other is going 0.5mph slower than their own cruising speed and preferring to hold up traffic for the 10 minutes it will take for them to finish passing rather than just slow down that tiny bit and keep traffic flowing smoothly like a seasoned professional would.

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Paragon21XX posted...

Trucks should not be allowed to pass each other if their speed difference is less than 5mph. Too often you see one truck change lanes because the other is going 0.5mph slower than their own cruising speed and preferring to hold up traffic for the 10 minutes it will take for them to finish passing rather than just slow down that tiny bit and keep traffic flowing smoothly like a seasoned professional would.

This 100%

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My uncle did 20 years (enlisted) in the USAF. Drafted at 18. Got out in the 70's after Vietnam. Then 22 years as a bus driver up in Sacramento. He said it was the lowest effort/highest paying job he could find. Worst part was the passengers according to him. He jokingly says that without passengers he could have driven another 8-10 years.

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Ive heard they get paid like $15/hr now. Theres a huge shortage of truckers because of the low pay and overworking that they experience after the pandemic. People making $70k/year went back to work and were told they would make $15/hr ($30k/year before taxes).

In addition to that, the trucking industry is doubling down on the marijuana testing, too. If you own your own truck then you can make some money. If you dont, then youre not making a fair wage.

Payzmaykr posted...

Ive heard they get paid like $15/hr now.

They start at 20.

Payzmaykr posted...

Theres a huge shortage of truckers because of the low pay and overworking that they experience after the pandemic.

There's been a shortage of truckers because boomers can't handle the technology that comes with it. Using a tablet to log everything is a deal breaker for some.


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It is draining, and lonely. I mean the only upset is the pay and lot lizards(if you want to risk, jail, STD, and the like)

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Veggeta_MAX posted...

Most companies(if not all) drug test their drivers

Uppers get pissed out in a matter of days

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i would NEVER become a truck driver. I just know that sooner or later I'd change lanes, and all of a sudden I'd have to explain why someone got smashed under my wheels.

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Can't they just put on the adaptive cruise control and lane keeping assist

all in all good points.

Definitely isn't ideal for highly social people with a family and kids. You also have to have the skills to feel comfortable controlling all a big mofo loaded with weight.

For the right person, relatively easy good cash. and you get to feel good knowing you're filling in a critical job, without people like you stores go empty society and the economy fall apart.

One tip I'd like to add is make damn sure your camera is running at all times. I think it's required now anyway; that way when some fuckin moron slows down in front of you trying to be a dick THEY goto jail for reckless endangerment. ;)

I don't know if I'd call spending hours at the wheel of a 40 ton death machine low effort lol. Especially with the amount of stupid ass drivers out there. In just the 1 hour it takes from me to go from work to home in my car, I get cut off, or almost hit, 2-3 times easily. I'd imagine it's exponentially higher being on the road all day.

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I wouldn't want to do it

Stressful, long hours, sleeping in the sleeper, mostly shitty truck stop food.

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