Over-The-Road Trucker Expenses List: Fill & Download for Free

Absolutely! It's a great life! It is not, however, for everybody. I've known many drivers over the years that just couldn't wait to get back home, some after a single day out. I've never understood that. Especially when I was single, or when my companion was with me.While I was married and on the road, I came home more often to be with my family, but when I was single, and after my divorce, when it was just my son and I, there was no reason to add the expense of a permanent dwelling to my monthly expenses. As a long haul trucker, you have a roof over your head, heat when it's cold and AC (or open windows) when it's hot. You stop at truck stops, picnic areas, rest areas, shopping centers, or restaurants whenever you need or want to (within exception, of course).You’re a working tourist! You get to see the country, from sea to sea, out your window every day. Many national monuments and tourist attractions have truck parking nearby, or are just a short taxi ride away. Many movie theaters across the nation are very approachable by truck. If you happen to be going west on the Fourth of July, you can see fireworks going off for hours on end in the right part of the country. There are so many things to keep your interest and you meet people from every walk of life, literally. Talking on the CB Radio with Rock and Country music stars, politicians, average citizens, and other truckers, gives you a world of social interactions you just cannot get at a nine-to-five in one location. The list goes on forever. Everyday is something new!Of course, the job comes first, and the most important part of the job is safety. Personal safety as well as public safety. You have a constant responsibility to maintain and control up to 40 tons of rolling dead weight, sometimes more. You must be alert and vigilant at all times, but that doesn't mean you can't take time to enjoy what's out the window. You just need to remain aware and alert. Passing hundreds of deer during rutting season is a sight not many get to enjoy. Only a few people, comparably, get to watch the majesty of the Pacific ocean traveling north or south on Pacific Highway 1 on the west coast, or traverse some of the highest points in the country crossing the Great Divide of the Rockies. Just make sure you never forget your responsibility, and you'll enjoy life on the highway.The second most important part of the job is being on time. Quite often, there is just enough time to get a load picked up and delivered, so sometimes you have to forego the entertainment for the job, but that's true with any job.The biggest challenge of living on the road with no permanent address is mail. Snail mail and package delivery. It’s easy to route your mail to a Post office box in a convenient location central to your most often used routes, and for packages I have never had an issue with it being delivered to and held by the company I work for, often at my dispatcher’s desk. Some companies now even offer mail reception for their drivers.Your sleeping quarters are small, but not claustrophobic. Most sleepers will comfortably sleep two in the main bunk and two smaller people (got kids?) can sleep comfortably in the upper bunk. Many sleepers come with a closet and refrigerator, and space at both the end of the bed, and under the bed for storage.Just as in every daily life, watch out for the ne-er-do-wells, those nefarious individuals who prey on others. There is always someone who wants your money. Many will take it legally, people who will clean your cab and sleeper for money (just watch them, as not all of them have only cleaning in mind), there are people who will try to sell you items (again, some are legit) there are drug dealers and prostitutes who want your money, but rarely will they try to force you. In fact, in all my years of driving, I've never had anyone get violent, or even angry, for turning down goods and services that were illegal. Just say “no.” They don't want to draw attention to themselves at all. I have had a few who were selling legitimate items get extremely pushy though (one seller of cleaning chemicals particularly comes to mind).The worst of the nefarious I've dealt with over the years are zealots, especially political and religious zealots. Watch out for those. Also, you're occasionally open to drunks and drug users who can't handle their substances.When you think about it, however, these occurances don't happen with much more frequency than they do in your permanent neighborhood. You deal with them there, you deal with them on the road. I merely point it out so you know I'm not hyping a fairyland adventure.Yes, life on the road, as a long-haul trucker, without a permanent residence, is not for everyone, but if you have the temperament, and the drive, it is just as, if not more, fulfilling as a life with a front door, instead of a left door, and a mailbox box. As a bonus, there's never a lawn to mow or sidewalk to shovel, although you may, on occassion, be shoveling snow off your rig to get your vehicle weight back down - I once knocked over 4500 pounds of snow off my rig at a weigh station in Oregon.Enjoy the road, dump the bills, and do a job that serves the whole nation!

Don’t.I find the statement insulting and degrading. Most people who say that are having a bad day at work, or they’re in the middle of a midlife crisis that will eventually pass. Things do change; they sometimes improve. Most of the time, though, they’re just running off at the mouth, and have NO idea the kinds of sacrifices that are required to become a driver.First, you need to learn the basics of the industry. You need to go to school now to get a license, (a good idea in my mind), and that takes some commitment, even if you get trained by a company such as C. R. England or TWT. Just to get into the company schools, you need to pass a very thorough background check, (usually from a company like HireRite), and then you need to pass a physical. And, no, you won’t simply pass that physical by having a pulse and breathing.Oh, and for those who like to take a toke or two: They do hair tests now. Legality be damned. If you’ve had some quality time with some Maui Wowie - (is that even still around?) - particularly in the last 90 days, forget a driving gig.Okay, so you got yourself trained. Now, you need to find a company that will hire you. There’s been a relaxation of the minimum requirements, but even then, no guarantees. And much of the time, you’re not going to make any kind of decent money. Keep in mind that you’ll be paid by the mile, so you’re only earning money when the truck is moving. (Where I’m working now, I get a whopping .40 cpm. That’s not much, particularly since I’m local at this time.) If you’re over the road, (OTR), and you’re married or have an apartment, you’re now going to be supporting TWO households. Living on the road is NOT cheap, and if you think you can just make do by buying what you need at a truck stop, you’re dreaming. Truck stops are EXPENSIVE AS HELL, and usually for the simple reason that they have a captive market, and they’ll charge what the market will bear.You should also count on the fact that you’ll be out at a minimum for two weeks at a time. More often than not, you will be out for six weeks at a stretch, and I know some drivers who have been out for months. (I’ve spent as much as three months out at a time while I was OTR.) You’ll need to know where you can stop, and for how long. You’ll need to budget, and I mean down to the last few cents. You’d better be disciplined as hell while you’re out.Yes, you will also spend some time out where you are going to be very lonely. If you can’t handle long periods of being alone, you’re better off with an office job, because solitude is one of the characteristics of this profession. Social media can help, but you have to be willing and able to deal with time alone. (And don’t think for a moment you can just park in the back in Party Row at the truck stops and pick up a Lizard to counter this. First of all, Party Row is a dying thing, thank you very much. Second, the Lizards are either (1.) suffering from STDs or drug addicted, sometimes both, which means you’re getting a little something extra for your money, (2.) underage or trafficked, which means if they can identify you, and someone rescues them, you are going to be facing criminal charges, (3.) outright psycho, which means you also could find a Buck knife poking out of your chest. *Got a problem with authority? This won’t be for you. You’re dealing with authority figures constantly. Everyone from dispatchers, shipping clerks (who are notorious for bad attitudes), DOT officers, and who knows what else. Not all of them will look at a driver favorably, so be prepared for that. You have to learn how to roll with the punches, how be a little more diplomatic, and sometimes, even how to schmooze with these folks. It not only makes your job a little easier, but it can save your license and your job.This is a hard life. It’s not for everyone. So before you do something incredibly stupid, I would strongly suggest you actually talk to drivers. Find out what they really do while on the road. Learn about what companies pay, and what the chances of advancement are like. (No, you do not want to find yourself thirty years down the road still behind the wheel unless you’re an Owner/Operator, and actually OWN your own truck.) Spend some time checking out local companies and what they’re like, since you’ll likely start working for a smaller outfit to start with. Go on the FMCSA website, and check out CSA scores for the companies you think you might want to work for. (You’ll definitely be surprised.) And just when you think you’ve asked enough questions, go home, make another list, and ask some more. Find out what you’ll ACTUALLY get paid for a week’s work, not just what recruiters want you to think you’ll get paid. (And bear in mind the old Driver’s adage: Driver’s lie to get paid. Dispatchers - and recruiters - get paid to lie.)Please don’t insult those of us who have been doing this for years by casually saying “I think I’ll become a trucker.” There’s a hell of a lot more to this than you realize. And it takes a lot more skills than anyone is willing to give us credit for.*I had one more thing to add, but this is more NSFW than the rest of what I’ve posted….There was a time when I was in Ontario, CA (where a lot of crazy shit takes place), and my wife and I were just turning in for the night. We bumped into two people there: one was a guy I used to work with (let’s call him Carl), and another was a Lizard having dinner at the restaurant inside the TA. I talked briefly with Carl, (who is about as sharp as a marble - if his IQ ever hits 60, he should sell), and we pretty much ignored the Lizard.As it turned out, we were parked across the aisle from Carl. I was just buttoning things up for the night, while my wife finished setting up the bunk, and as I watched, the Lizard came strolling across the lot. You couldn’t miss the Lizard: if the Lizard’s skirt were any shorter, it would have been a belt.Oh, I should also mentioned that while we were eating inside, my wife noticed a certain distinguishing characteristic of said Lizard.So, the Lizard walks between Carl’s truck and mine, and Carl flicks the Chicken Lights on his tractor. He wants a date. The Lizard walks over.The Lizard climbs in.The Lizard comes flying out.Like I said, my wife noticed a certain characteristic of the Lizard. Carl missed that one, but discovered the second. Once the Lizard was in the sleeper, that was when he found out there was a little something extra about this one…Folks, please. Stay away from the Lizards.

Kind of a vague question but I'll try to answer as best I can:Smart drivers will try to bring their own food as much as possible. Eating carry-out all the time is (A) not healthy, especially in such a sedentary job; and (B) mighty harsh on your wallet as well (it can cost a grown adult up to $200 per week just to feed his face).You will probably spend around $10 on many trips taking your truck to a scale to weigh it. Having too much gross weight, or too much weight per axle, is not only unsafe but can also get you fined by authorities if you are caught at a weigh station. Many truck stops have scales at which you can weigh your truck and make any adjustments necessary to make yourself legal. If you are caught being overweight, no one will accept any excuse.This may be considered optional but some companies will require you to occasionally get your truck and trailer washed. This can cost upwards of $75 or so per wash. In the case of refrigerated trailers it may not be optional: some food shippers will require you to have the trailer interior cleaned before they will even think about loading you.The cost of filling up your tanks can be anywhere from $400 to $600 (sometimes even more) per fill-up. That's just the tractor; if you have a refrigerated trailer then you can add about $150 on average just to fill up the tank for the refrigerator unit. But there is at least one bright side to this:A shower at a truck stop can cost you $12 to $14 per visit. However, many truck stops will give you credit for a free shower per x gallons you buy at the pump. If you do it right you may never have to pay for a shower.Also, many truck stop chains will have rewards programs: you simply register for a card at no cost and swipe the card when you fuel. Usually you are awarded a point per gallon or Liter, and those points can be spent just like cash at whichever truck stops participate in that particular program.Tolls: most major companies will participate in transponder programs (EZ-Pass is an example for the northeastern US) to help pay tolls. Otherwise, the money will come out of your pocket, and tolls for semis can be expensive when compared to passenger vehicles.Parking: I've mentioned this before, but the US currently suffers from a severe nationwide shortage of truck parking. Some truck stops will actually charge you a nightly fee for parking; in most cases that fee can be waived by showing receipts for a certain dollar amount of purchases made at that truck stop during your stay.You will go through work gloves on a regular basis thanks to handling diesel fuel and dirty work on the truck. I usually end up buying a new pair every month.Permits: in some states you actually need to purchase a permit to haul things like tobacco products or alcohol. In Oregon you need to purchase a permit just to be allowed to fuel your truck (there may be other states but I haven't seen this anywhere else yet).Lumper fees: okay, I still don't understand this but, in many cases when delivering food products, you may have to pay the unloaders to unload your trailer. Usually your company will handle this. Sometimes you can get away with not paying for lumper by unloading and sorting the load yourself but many places will have rules effectively barring you for even being on the dock, basically forcing you to use the lumper. Some others will let you do it if you so desire but will give you substandard equipment to use in an effort to discourage you from lumping your own loads. Bastards…This is not an exhaustive list: notice how I haven't even mentioned the various tools you'll need to buy, for example. Or the random drug testing or biannual physical exam which are requirements for keeping your license.