PILOT —> TRUCKER
Posted by Beneficial_Test_6789@reddit | Truckers | View on Reddit | 80 comments
I’ve loved trucks since I was a little boy. To this day every time I see a rig pass or hear jake brakes I get excited.
Against my own internal voice I took out a massive loan for flight training. Through hard work and effort I have received all my licenses without failing any check rides for any licenses. I got into aviation because it is what I “thought I was destined for” since around 14. I’m 21 and 1/2 now with $70,000 in debt at 14% apr…. I’m waiting on a response from a major company for a very lucrative flying position that I had my last round interview with last week. I like to believe I did well, but countless times through my aviation career I have thought that I have put in plenty of effort, only to never be equally rewarded. My loan grows at $950 a month. I wanted to stop flight training after I got my instrument rating (license to fly through clouds) but everyone in my life kept pushing me to keep going and that I have a great future ahead of me if I stick with it. That was 2 years ago… I’m in the future. I hate it… there is something about that $70,000 that just doesn’t allow me to continue in this low level grind. Right now as a flight instructor I could never dream to survive this loan payment. I absolutely love flying with all my heart but this loan is so bad, I forced my brother to buy his own plane for flight training instead, which took him a years worth of full time work but he has it now…. But I personally am extremely unhappy.
I’m $70k in debt and I’m waiting on a response from this company and I want to remain hopeful but I have allowed myself to create a back up and this is where I would like your guys real world input. 👉 I live near the Tri state area, I’m ready to work my ass off for 3 years to pay off this debt and continue in aviation with a fresh mind….
After calculations I figure I will need to make $26 an hour minimum full time starting. If I go get my CDL this month, how realistic will it be to find a job that pays $26 / hour full time with a fresh CDL license by next month? I would absolutely prefer local home every night, but even if I only get 2 days out of the week home, I will be satisfied. So my two main questions are-
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Is this realistic?
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Your other thoughts.
TLDR: I am waiting for an answer from an aviation company I applied for, if I get a yes I will fly my ass off. If I get a no, I would likkke to get my CDL and drive my ass off but I need at LEAST $26 an hour starting. I live in the Tri state area and my only preference is that I have 1-2 full days at home if I’m not home every night. How realistic is this?
Thank you all in advance for your input 🙏
Naw_im_sayin@reddit
What state are you in? At the company I’m at, we just had a guy go through our company CDL training for 4 weeks; passed the CDL test; and now he’s grossing $2500 per week easy.
Macondo-1923@reddit
Absolutely don’t do it. Become a pilot, trucking is not as easy and there’s so much fraud and you’re so close to becoming a pilot.
Beneficial_Test_6789@reddit (OP)
Right but my loan payment starts February 2027 and it’s $1400 a month… I can’t make that the way I’m currently going unless I get this job or hope and wait for another. I need work… I’m extremely underworked right now. I am willing to make a 3 year sacrifice to be debt free and then re enter aviation. Thoughts?
AsphaltPirate74@reddit
It's not that bad. Just start with a good start company like Roehl or System Transport and you'll be fine. If you're single, get rid of the apartment, put your stuff in storage, and stack those paychecks. If you do flatbed, you'll make $4-5k a month after taxes with those starter companies, that's $144,000 after taxes you could make minimumc up to $180,000 after taxes, in 3 years, before your personal expenses and other expenses of course.
It's a mentally and physically demanding job, and the only way to make money is by reaching for at least 600 miles a day when possible, every single day that you can drive. That's 11 hours of driving, 12-14 hour days, and you only get a couple hours to yourself every night if you qant 8 hours of sleep. You do get a day and a half break once a week if you work most of your 70 hours you can work for the week since everything you do is logged and tracked and can go home every 2 - 4 weeks, depending on the company.
If you have any questions feel free to ask. Don't listen to these jaded guys that picked bad companies or hate their lives.
ConfusedJFs@reddit
I don’t know about system transport but you are absolutely not making that much if you start with Roehl. If you make 700 a week with them, you are doing wonderful. I know people that have been there over a year and are constantly running and still don’t bring home more than seven to $800 a week. Not to mention when you do the training, you’re gonna have two weeks of no pay before the training pay kicks in and that wasn’t more than 500 a week. And on top of all of that, that’s to assume that he’s even able to get a truck with Roehl right away. I did their training and got my CDL through them. And after I finished the schooling, it took two weeks for them to get me a local trainer. And then after the week of local training, it took them two more weeks to get me an OTR trainer. And then after the month of that, it took them two weeks to get me in a truck. That was six weeks of no pay. Roehl is 100% not going to let you reach 600 miles a day. With the loads they were giving me, I was lucky to hit 400 miles a day.
AsphaltPirate74@reddit
I got my CDL through Roehl back in 22 and worked a year for them. I already talked with OP about pay and how training goes and to talk to a Recruiter. Things might've changed since I've been gone, who knows.
I immediately got in a truck with a trainer and immediately got my truck too. Sounds like you just had a bad experience.
That's the kind of money I made, that's how I know. I've gotten a $2,200 paycheck before with Roehl and that's after taxes. I was a flatbedder, not dry van.
Do you just not know how to run your clock? Are you local? Are you not able to drive 600 miles a day? Do you need pointers on how to be better at trip planning? Are the loads just few and far between with Roehl now?
ConfusedJFs@reddit
The difference may be flatbed then. Because I was refrigerated. I was not local, I was OTR. I was able to drive that when they would give me those loads. But they aren’t giving those loads. I would have two days to deliver a 600 mile load and then end up sitting after I delivered on time. The loads are there, but there’s just no miles to them. Especially not for the new people. Maybe people that have come from the outside or that have been there for a long time can get loads. But when you come out of training now, you have a fleet leader for so many days that works with you. And then when you can prove you can run that, you get a different fleet leader. Also, I don’t know if it was different for you, but they don’t let anyone that gets their CDL through them do a split clock. So once your 14 hours starts that day, that’s all you’ve got. So if you’re stuck at delivery with a live unload and they take eight hours, you’ve lost eight hours off of your clock. As far as trip planning, there’s no point. You have to use their GPS system and it gives you turn by turn. If you deviate from that, then you have to have a coaching. It’s micromanaged down to the second. That’s another thing too. You only worked a year. The contract now is still in miles but the miles are gonna keep you there for at least two years. I may have just had a bad experience. I was also the only one out of my class to graduate. In a class of seven, four got fired and two had to come back because they didn’t pass the test. So maybe that was just my bad luck. But no one I knew there at the time was making any kind of decent money.
MidLifeChanger@reddit
I did better than $700/week net with Roehl over a decade ago as a brand new rookie but experiences vary when I started at $.34/mile. The company that works for one person may not work for another. I was on the National Refrigerated fleet that was mostly from Wisconsin to PA and back.
CakewalkNOLA@reddit
If you start of with a mega, you'll be lucky to make that payment and still be able to pay your other bills. Sick with flying, it's a much more lucrative career.
asleepatthewheel72@reddit
Get a second job working wherever to help pay your loan? And extra 200 a week in your situation goes a long way.
Resident-Sherbert-89@reddit
that's 10 months away. whats stopping you from starting paying now? if you start paying now or at least start a savings account to make a large payment at the beginning of the loan, it will bring the amount you pay every month down.
Macondo-1923@reddit
It’s that bad. You’ll be taken advantage of. Watch the 60 minutes episode that just came out about trucking fraud. Thank me later.
Hxncheaux@reddit
Idk what you guys are out here doing, but I’ve made a very good life myself with these trucks. If he does it right? Sky’s the limit.
MacandMandy69@reddit
It’s more than a sacrifice on your part, and nothing but broken promises and lies on the Company’s behalf. Get a job, you can do it, but please don’t drive your life away. Btw, I own a trucking company,so I do know a thing or three about the business. Your so close.
drama__@reddit
70k in student debt (especially pilot debt) is literally nothing lmao. Dude ride it out. It's not like they'll send you to prison or anything. People have $70k in CREDIT CARD DEBT. And a lot of those people are under 30.
Honestly, any comment here saying you'll make more than 100k gross your first year trucking didn't pass math class. I work almost 70 hours a week and make $1k/week take home on a local gig. Trucking is extremely underpaid and by far the most taken advantage of industry. Coming from someone with a lot of trade experience (cranes, welding, assorted heavy equipment, etc.)
Trucking has its benefits. If you don't have a family and/or desire to be home, and are able to completely remove those expenses, trucking gives you the ability to live where you work. OTR, you'll have a ton of free time but nothing to do. Local, you'll have a ton of things to do but zero free time. (Until years of xp get you into a lower hour work week while still maintaining income)
TLDR or whatever, fuck the debt, ride it out, and be a pilot.
Also the risk:reward of trucking is astronomically bad. You can go to prison in the blink of an eye for someone else's mistake.
mr-doctor2u@reddit
The fact that you bring home $1,000 a week says more about you than the industry. Your experience is not the rule.
drama__@reddit
Are you trying to say I'm lazy? 500 miles a day says more about Schneider's pay than me. 7 drop and hooks on average per day.
mr-doctor2u@reddit
No im saying if that's what you accept, thats on you.
Matlovestruck@reddit
$26/hour with a fresh CDL in the Tri-State area is doable. LTL carriers like Old Dominion, XPO, Estes start around $22 to $28 even for new guys in that market. Union shops like UPS Freight or ABF can push you past $26 faster with overtime.
CDL to first paycheck is realistically 6 to 8 weeks if you move quickly.
If the aviation job comes through take it, that debt at 14% APR needs the bigger salary. But if it doesn't, you picked one of the best markets in the country for this backup plan.
Significant-Use-5136@reddit
I would suggest just mostly working and paying your loan off. See if you could stay at your folks house when you’re not at work or sublet a room unless your married with children and a mortgage focus on paying off your loan because honestly that loan is not that large. a new pickup cost more than that although I agree your percentage and terms on it are awful.
More_Than_I_Can_Chew@reddit
Honestly, the fact that you made it all the way through CFI and only have $70,000 in debt is actually pretty impressive. A lot of people come out owing quite a bit more.
Have you looked into refinancing at all—either partially or fully? Even knocking a portion of that balance down to something like ~8% could make a meaningful difference in how fast it grows and how manageable it feels month to month.
But zooming out for a second—you’re 21, you’ve got your CFI, and you clearly want to be a professional pilot. If you stick with this long term, you’re looking at a career that can easily be worth tens of millions over time.
Right now, it sounds like you’re getting buried in the short-term pressure of that $70K—especially at 14%—and that’s understandable. But in the context of a full airline career, that number becomes a lot smaller than it feels today.
The path forward probably isn’t glamorous, but it’s straightforward: instruct, build time, keep your resume moving, and do whatever you need to stay financially afloat in the meantime. Also—don’t lose sight of this: being 21 with a CFI is way ahead of the curve. You’re doing better than you think.
I wouldn’t walk away from aviation to go drive a truck. Stay in the game—you’re a lot closer than it feels right now.
mr-doctor2u@reddit
Well said.
mr-doctor2u@reddit
With as hungry and intelligent as you seem to be, you shouldn't have any issue finding a decent paying gig right out of ELDT.
JMPhotographik@reddit
My brother has been an airline captain for almost 20 years.
I've been a trucker for the past 5 years.
We make the same money.
The caveat is that $100k/year is difficult to come by in trucking unless you're doing specific types of more difficult work (heavy haul, oilfield, etc), and it doesn't always stick around due to market fluctuations and layoffs, whereas airlines will typically give you reasonable/regular pay raises, and seems to be far more stable. Trucking is also going to ABSOLUTELY SUCK for your first year or two.
TheRake1087@reddit
All these truckers on here that hate their jobs lmao. I for one love my job. When I’m home all I can think about is how I miss the open road. I make good money too, I went owner operator tho, and you really have to know what you’re doing. Good luck!
HungryAd8354@reddit
Don’t do it. You’ll make a hell of a lot more money in the long run being a pilot. Plus you’ll have better benefits and retirement if you get on with a legacy airline.
Beneficial_Test_6789@reddit (OP)
I just want to make my money and get out. Pay off my debt, and then go back to aviation without NEEDING aviation. Right now I feel boxed in and my dream has always been to have money to start my own things, but I don’t feel that’s possible with 70k in debt / I don’t want that mental load
ChiTruckDGAF@reddit
You'll have to go into more debt to get your CDL and you'll just be robbing yourself of future earnings from your pilot career and making it more difficult for you to jump back in after taking the time off. You'll still have that debt hanging over your head as a truck driver. Airlines will look at your job history and be baffled once they're interviewing you vs a rookie who didn't quit and then come back.
TheRake1087@reddit
Wym into more debt lmao 🤣 so many companies will train him
MidLifeChanger@reddit
Look at where you live and--unless you work a local job--you need to think monthly gross rather than hourly pay.
East_Indication_7816@reddit
Your debt goes bigger in trucking. These companies who promise you training will put you in debt for another $8k in exchange for $500/week pay for 1 year working 70 hrs a week.
I only drive truck for the fun of it right now. Maybe when I get to 2 years experience I can consider I do it for the money. .
Beneficial_Test_6789@reddit (OP)
Couldn’t I avoid that by paying for my own CDL? Are there any companies in the northeast paying $26 an hour starting?
ConfusedJFs@reddit
Yes, you can pay for it on your own. But then you’re going to be in debt for that. And that’s assuming that someone will hire you straight out of school. Sometimes you get lucky. But a lot of the ones that are hiring are the mega carriers.
AsphaltPirate74@reddit
You can pay for your own. Some places do it cheaper-ish. My starter company that trained me for my CDL locked me into a 120,000 mile contract I had to drive for them. If you complete the contract, you don't need to pay a single dime back. It'll take 1 1/2 years to complete the contract but their training is superb. I've been to every single state in the lower 48 and it's partly thanks to their training.
TKOxBLITZ@reddit
I’d suggest looking into a dock to driver program. A lot of companies will have you work the docks for a while and then pay for you to get your license and drive for them after.
East_Indication_7816@reddit
Yeah better to pay for your CDL but $26/hr you will most likely see this on trucking that have heavy physical labor LIke Sysco, Usually you work night shift.
I had that offer from Sysco but I went with drop and hook dry van instead for a different company .
AsphaltPirate74@reddit
You're working for the wrong company. I could get over $2,000 after taxes checks for the week with my starter company.
MacandMandy69@reddit
Don’t do it. Become a Pilot. Thank me later.
Beneficial_Test_6789@reddit (OP)
If you had to generalize your reason why would you say stick to piloting?
MacandMandy69@reddit
Trucking is a hard life. Since you have no trucking experience, you will have to go to school, or go to a Mega carrier, and listen to their lies and broken promises, and sign a contract to attend their truck driving school, and if you get terminated before your loan is paid back, your wages will be garnished, and the debt will follow you everywhere you go. Now, if you do get hired on with a trucking company and you make it through you training, you will be placed with a driver trainer, and your weekly pay will be between $250-$350/weekly, and you will get all of the shit detail, and you will also have to live away from home and survive on the miserly sum until the driver trainer decides that you’re ready to go out on your on. The debt you owe for flight school is petty as compared to what you will incur trying to make a go of it in trucking. I can expand this if you need me to. This is just a brief summary of just trying to get started. Good Luck
ConfusedJFs@reddit
Adding onto this, living in a truck can be expensive. Because you’re either going to need to bring enough food with you to last while you’re out. And that would include buying a microwave and refrigerator along with any other appliances that you need. Or you’re going to need to eat out at every stop. And the food gets expensive. There is a lot of initial cost that most people aren’t aware of. And keeping in mind that while you’re with your trainer, you’re in their truck. So you live on a top bunk for a month. And everything that you bring with you has to fit on that top bunk. And yes, a lot of guys will talk about how they eat so healthy because they bring this, that, and the other with them. But they’ve also invested in pots and pans. They’ve been invested in cooking utensils and appliances. And then there’s the cleanup. You’ve gotta make sure you’ve got enough water with you to be able to cook. Because you’re not gonna be at a truckstop every night. Sometimes you’re gonna be in some random ass parking lot hoping that somebody doesn’t make you move. I do not regret getting my CDL. But this is not some Cash Cow that you’re gonna automatically start making money in overnight. The people that are making money have been doing this for years. And most of them are also owner operators. You’re not gonna pay your debt by going to a mega.
Cool_Thanks_4934@reddit
Aviation just doesn’t pay what people think it does. I’ve worked for fueling contractors for decades and had to leave because it just doesn’t pay enough. The main suck is aviation community is my heart. Trucking definitely pays better but far longer hours.
Chemical_Job9211@reddit
Funnily enough I’m in the opposite situation. I’m saving up right now to go to a flight school next year
EntireBall@reddit
Be a pilot. You’ll top out way higher than a truck driver. It’s not fucking worth it.
Rising_Awareness@reddit
Do you have any sick relatives at home? 🤔 You could do what I did. Go to Prime, inc to get your training, license, and a few months experience and then skirt out without owing them anything for the CDL training if you can get a note from a Dr that says your family member needs you at home. 🤫😆
Beneficial_Test_6789@reddit (OP)
😭😭 Good technique, fortunately everyone is in great health.
Rising_Awareness@reddit
I didn't plan it that way: just the way the cookie cumbled. 🤷
Actual-Ad-6146@reddit
There’s no pride in trucking. Just a hunch of crabs in a bucket trying thinking there’s an imaginary top they can climb up to if they just don’t quit. Trucking is a notch above a roofer. At least as a pilot you can actually do what the majority can’t.
TaperingRanger9@reddit
Bruh just don't pay the loan lol, unless your credit is super important to you. But you can always pay it later and rebuild your credit. But don't go into a shit career like trucking over being a pilot just because of debt. It would literally be a better move to not pay it imo
TruckinTuba@reddit
Idk what you mean by "tri state" but it depends on your area, truckers with no experience at my company can get a local job making ~$33/hr? I think
MoosiePie22@reddit
Wanna trade I’m a cdl driver always wanted to be a pilot 😅😅 but yes run away from this industry you get treated like absolute shit by customers, cars on the road.
Kkalemauser@reddit
Go Aviation all the way. Whatever you have to do.
You could drive a garbage truck. They start at $26 an hour. Some garbage companies will help you get your CDL.
Farmhand30-06@reddit
Find a large LTL hub with dock work. You can drive forklift for a while and make $24 to $30 an hour. Sometimes you can get into driver training programs. Then you'll get in as a driver at $28-$35 /hr. Try XPO.
Level-Leg-1579@reddit
Get the CDL because I don't want a pilot in the cockpit who is so wishy washy and incapable of making the correct decision.
Beneficial_Test_6789@reddit (OP)
If only you knew the pilots they are letting into cockpits these days, I would like to say I’m not one of the bad ones.
Level-Leg-1579@reddit
Grow a set....
Violet_Apathy@reddit
You need to expand your job search globally. There is no reason why you need to work in a specific nondescript area
IcyPlant9129@reddit
Bro just find a warehouse job and hit incentive and continue building to ATP
TruckerSob@reddit
you are 21, if this debt is actually hurting you. literally just dont pay it, or declare bankruptcy its not an actual student loan you cant run away from. You were 100% getting taken advantage of with this 14% apr shit.
XanJamZ@reddit
Alot of people got into trucking for just a few years to save up money or pay off debt... they're still here years later. Trucking is a trap.
yardbirdtex@reddit
Heh. Don’t.
Immediate_Regular@reddit
First off, you're young stop worrying about the debt hanging over your head. Don't ignore it, do what you can to pay it down, but stop letting it rule your life. Welcome to adulthood, it's going to have a lot of shit sandwiches for you to eat. This is one of them.
Second, become a pilot. Don't become a trucker. Your worrying about the debt hanging over you isn't letting you see further down the road. Becoming a trucker is a waste of your training and long term earning potential. You could get into a trucking gig that will clear your debt and let you go back to flying if you want to but that will involve a lot of luck. A lot of things would need to line up exactly right for it to happen. I wouldn't take that gamble.
It sucks to sit staring down that debt load at your age. I get it but abandoning being a pilot to become a trucker because you're panicking over $70k in debt is a bad play in my opinion.
kingsnow18@reddit
4 years ago I finished my Aeronautical Engineering degree (in Mexico) and I started trucking to save up some money (in the US as I have a green card). I don't regret it but I'm still trucking and hating it. I wish an engineering company would take a chance on me but I don't have any experience and trucking doesn't look great on your resumé. Just keep in my that 3 years "working your ass off" to pay off your debt could become 6 or more. It could make it even more difficult to get a job as a pilot. I you really don't have any other options then go for it. Just do you research as many trucking companies could rip you off.
kingsnow18@reddit
Good luck bro!
Beneficial_Test_6789@reddit (OP)
Thank you for the insight. As long as I get 2 or 3 days home a month I should be able to stay current and proficient. I’ll definitely be careful if I do peruse it
schiza-clausen@reddit
How many flight hours do you have?
Beneficial_Test_6789@reddit (OP)
600 with a good mix of tailwheel, glider, glass, 6 pack, real xc (Utah to NY in a 150), multi, instructing, and even some time in a King Air. I like to believe I make friends pretty easy, why do you ask?
schiza-clausen@reddit
Have you thought about looking for low time flying jobs? In other countries?
Quirky_Tour3301@reddit
You can get right around that. I’m at 25/hour with a regional dedicated route that gets me home on weekends for a 34 reset. It’s exhausting work though. Pushing up against my 14 hour clock is real.
schiza-clausen@reddit
You can get a job at an airport for 26 an hour. Trucking is not the answer! Look for SIC jobs!
GabtsbyForaDay@reddit
Trucking isn’t what it used to be. Pilots makes wayyyy more and working wayyy less.
GreyGhost878@reddit
20 years ago I got into trucking. In 3 years I paid off all my student loans (it wasn't a lot, $20, but I was only making $45k/yr and drivers make more now) AND I saved up another $20k.) So, yes, find a good company, live frugally, and you can pay off your debt in 2-3 years. Then you can do whatever you want. Financial freedom is absolutely worth it.
Weak-Pea8309@reddit
You need to try to think long term. I know it’s tough when you’re young but what you’re thinking about doing is flat stupid.
Socosoldier82@reddit
Stay your path and stay focused. You’re in too deep to walk away now. You’ll be rewarded exponentially once you’ve gotten settled into a paying career. Hang in there 👊🏼
ShoeStunning@reddit
do you live at home? dock to driver ltl. id bet you could pay that off in a year or two if you got to driver fast.
i wouldnt do it. but i also dont have 70k debt.
Beneficial_Test_6789@reddit (OP)
And why wouldn’t you do it?
ShoeStunning@reddit
truckings where i went when my hopes and dreams died.
Beneficial_Test_6789@reddit (OP)
Yes I live at home with no bills at all. Let’s assume I pay for my CDL would it make it better?
ShoeStunning@reddit
I mentioned ltl because its a path to 75k-100k a year without being brutally physical (its still pretty bad). they wont take you with no experience. you need a year or two under your
if you want local youll have to go for beverage, beer, or food service if you want to get cdl on your own. youll make good money but just know its gonna be tough work.
ltl and otr are all ive done. otr paid half as much as ltl in my experience.
Ornery_Ads@reddit
Most drivers start with an OTR mega company like Swift, JB Hunt, CR England, etc. You'll immediately have...an income.
Not a good one, but it's money. You will likely be earning about the same, if not less, than what you make as a CFI/CFII, assuming your school keeps you busy.
After 1 year, there are a lot of opportunities that will easily get you over $25/hr.
If you choose to not go through a mega, your options for local work will be either class B stuff, or a physical job like merchandising Coke/Pepsi products, or food service delivery.
If you go the class B route, you almost get stuck there. It's almost like if all you did was CFI work in a 172. No regional will hire you on because you never got any turbine time. If your only experience is class B, a lot of companies (insurance) won't want to move you into class A equipment.
Class B work will usually start you around $25/hr. You can expect 50-70 hours/week, but your first job likely will not give you overtime (all hours are paid at straight time pay). After a year, you'll have access to better jobs. Just know that most class B positions are seasonal, so you'll have 2-4 employers depending on what you do. Just as an example, you might drive a dump truck April-October, then a propane truck October-February, have March off, then be back in the dump truck next April.
Just know that once you stop flying, you've basically stopped flying. You'll have a big gap in your flight hours and will have lower odds for any flying jobs you apply to.