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Taxi Driving versus Truck Drivingby TRAVIS on 2006-07-11 13:36:35 I have been driving an airport cab for about 6 months now. I like itwhen business is good. I hate standing in line waiting for a fare. I hate the fact that the competing airport cab company is allowed to siphon off the good fares and leave us the crap. Once in a while I'll get a good fare because all the competing cabs are out, or they just f*ck up and let a good fare come out to me. I like having people in my cab, usually. I get energy from them. Sometimes they drain me of energy, but not often. If so, I have a mental rest on the return trip to the airport. Sometimes I can make darn good money : $150 U.S. for a 9 hour shift, half of it cash. I never go to work loathing it. I always have hope and am in a positive attitude. In my previous jobs, which paid way more, I would have fear and loathing on the drive to work more often than not. There was a lot of planning needed, office politics, trying to predict what other people would do, plus just having to be Einstein all the time. (Not required as a cab driver so far). I am making about $20,000 US per year now, working only 5 days per week, 9 hours per day. I am considering going into trucking, to make more money. I would expect to make $30K per year trucking, either local or long distance. I just wonder if it would be worth thje extra $10K. I suppose I could try it , and go back to cabbing if desired. I can survive on $20K per year as a cab driver, but $30K would be better. Also, currently I have no 401K, no health benefits, no pension, no nothing except workman's comp. At this point in my life ( I'm on my fifties) I just want a steady job I LIKE and the money is secondary. I've stressed myself out too much. Any comments, words of wisdom would be appreciated. Travis Taxi Driving versus Truck Drivingby DANTU on 2006-07-14 08:23:01 travis wrote:> I have been driving an airport cab for about 6 months now. I like it > when business is good. I hate standing in line waiting for a fare. I > hate the fact that the competing airport cab company is allowed to > siphon off the good fares and leave us the crap. Once in a while I'll > get a good fare because all the competing cabs are out, or they just > f*ck up and let a good fare come out to me. > > I like having people in my cab, usually. I get energy from them. > Sometimes they drain me of energy, but not often. If so, I have a > mental rest on the return trip to the airport. > > Sometimes I can make darn good money : $150 U.S. for a 9 hour shift, > half of it cash. > > I never go to work loathing it. I always have hope and am in a positive > attitude. In my previous jobs, which paid way more, I would have fear > and loathing on the drive to work more often than not. There was a > lot of planning needed, office politics, trying to predict what other > people would do, plus just having to be Einstein all the time. (Not > required as a cab driver so far). > > I am making about $20,000 US per year now, working only 5 days per > week, 9 hours per day. > > I am considering going into trucking, to make more money. I would > expect to make $30K per year trucking, either local or long distance. I > just wonder if it would be worth thje extra $10K. I suppose I could > try it , and go back to cabbing if desired. I can survive on $20K per > year as a cab driver, but $30K would be better. Also, currently I have > no 401K, no health benefits, no pension, no nothing except workman's > comp. > > At this point in my life ( I'm on my fifties) I just want a steady > job I LIKE and the money is secondary. I've stressed myself out > too much. > > > > Any comments, words of wisdom would be appreciated. > > > Travis > A lot depends on your lifestyle. Truck driving would be good for a single person, not as good if you are married (or seeing someone)* Sometimes a taxi driver has less stress. Car breaks down, you know who to tow it to, not quite the same for truck drivers (long distance). A cabbie knows where to go to make *some* money, sometimes a truck driver ends up driving 100's of miles for nothing Expenses can be more for a truck driver. Paying for motel rooms, always eating out, yet still paying the rent/mortgage at home (for an empty place), as a cabbie you get to sleep there and if you want, cook and eat there too. *unless they come along of course Taxi Driving versus Truck Drivingby THEO_58HD@HOTMAIL.COM on 2006-07-14 10:20:20You are doing better than we are here in anderson, sc. small town of about 60,000 (bout 100,000 in whole county). I have considered going back to trucking myself (been hacking for 12+ years now) but is hard to consider with family. We are only cab in our area, and are not allowed to pickup at the major airport in our area due to not having a contract with the airport authority, and owners don't want to pay. If we're caught picking up, it's a 1000 dollar fine to the driver and car is impounded. we pay 65 buxs a day lease and our own gas. But the real bummer is we have 17 to 20 cars in daytime competing for business. We are lucky to take home 50 dollers a day. Most of us have wives or G/f's with incomes to balance. If a person is on his or her own here, they don't last long. they usually quickly leave to go to work at a fast food joint or to a temp agency. If you are able to go OTR, then do it. Money is much better, but are on road more, home less. Tough decision sometimes, good luck. Ed in Anderson, SC. Taxi Driving versus Truck Drivingby TRAVIS on 2006-07-16 21:56:43Thanks for the replies. Our cab co just got bought out by a new co, and the way they do things will result in us drivers making less money, I think. If that turns out to be the case, it will be an incentive for me to enroll in truck driving school, and get things started, finally. Travis
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