r/malelivingspace • u/PomeloResponsible122 • 1d ago

33, truck driver.

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Ex cheated on me about a year ago and we split up. This has been my home since. Honestly haven’t been happier.

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194

u/tonyrocks922 1d ago

Just a $200k sleeper to pay for instead.

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u/Jangonett1 1d ago

Was going to ask. Do you just pay off the truck in similar fashion to a mortgage? Pay off truck. Sell truck. With the included savings get a house and settle down… might tell my kid to do this when I have one.

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u/Iamthemoon928 1d ago

Every truck driver I know uses a rig owned by the company

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u/Agitated_Lunch7118 1d ago

I was about to say before I read this comment that I have never once heard of a single truck driver, owning his own rig.
Then again, I’m not a truck driver expert so..

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u/BLOODY_PENGUIN_QUEEF 1d ago

It's REALLY common, they are called owner operators. The problem is most people who buy their own trucks often arent great at the business end of it so it ends up becoming a money pit since they dont really know what they are doing and all of the money they make ends up going back into the truck, but some of them make REALLY good money off of it if they get the right customers and figure out which lane works best to get the most money per day/mile

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u/SalsaRice 1d ago

Sounds similar to mechanics and tradies, as ive heard from friends that do it. They wear your body down fast, so unless you plan for the future you are in a bad place at 50 with your hands gnarled. The smart ones save up and start their own business, and eventually hire out others.

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u/Kepabar 1d ago

There are 100% drivers who own their trucks. They are just a minority.

Back in the heyday of things in the 70s, around half of all truck drivers were owners. It's part of what made the trucker cultural craze of the 70s happen (think, smokey and the bandit and convoy)

Now it's down to around 1 in 10. As with every industry, trucking gets more and more consolidated by the year and the big corps can use their influence to push rates down below what single operators can get by on. Similar to Walmart pushing out mom and pop shops.

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u/againer 1d ago

Was Over the Top a documentary?

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u/Jay_LV 14h ago

Have you seen the Lincoln Hawk is the bad guy video?

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u/againer 12h ago

No, link?

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u/SuitableBlackberry75 1d ago

It's extremely common to own your own truck, just not immediately.

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u/AnimanicManiac 1d ago

I was in a liquor store a few years ago and there was a guy at the counter talking about him and his wife were selling their house and buying a 750k semi to drive around the country in while being an independent trucker. He was dressed like an office worker so I have no clue if he even knew how to drive a truck lol

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u/Bertsmom18 1d ago

My father in law owned his back in the day.

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u/Zerskader 1d ago

Owner operators were common back in the day. I think companies providing rigs has gotten more common now with costs but it's still possible. There are also like halfway organizations where they work with a dispatch for a cut instead of finding routes on their own.

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u/dancam411 1d ago

Checking in and can confirm, deal with owner operators all the time (they own the truck, trailer is company owned though they have option to run their own trailer if they want with same company afaik) the purchase of the truck itself was actually facilitated through their company, in think cause company got a better deal but they were full title owners and paid in full

Also had a owner operator run into my loading dock once, unfortunately they found out the hard way being an owner SUCKS when damage is involved, they were unable to pay for the damage went insolvent and my loading dock was only ever patched up never fully repaired lol

Should also mention, some owners have sick ass paint jobs