Introduction: I Have Held Many Jobs But None Compare to Trucking
In our society, it is unconventional that someone would leave a prestigious job as a Congressional Auditor to become a truck driver. But I did and it was by far the best decision of my life. And I’m about to prove to you that being a truck driver isn’t just better than being an auditor, but that truck driving is the best job in the world. I have had over 30 jobs in my lifetime to compare this to, many of them very fulfilling. I’ve worked at youth baseball camps. I had what I call the Erin Brockovich job where I traveled all over the country living in hotels and working on Environmental Protection Agency clean-up projects. I worked at the World Trade Center disaster, was in the Air Force, and worked finally as a Congressional Auditor. These were all great jobs but none compare to the profound satisfaction and personal growth I have experienced while trucking. Truck driving has attributes that can only be found in truck driving. Trucking, at its best, checks all of the boxes you could possibly want; Money, check; Happiness, check; Mental health, check; Personal growth, check; And, as I will show you, even physical health, check. I claim that people can use Trucking as a vehicle to live their best life so now I want to describe to you why trucking is so great, why it’s the best job in the world, and why I can wholeheartedly make this claim. Alright, let’s explore why it is we are performing the best job in the world.
Top 10 Characteristics That Make Trucking the Best Job in the World
1. You Can Use Trucking As a Vehicle to Transform Your Life
Trucking is one of the very few jobs you can use to rise out of your current circumstances and transform your life by driving towards a better future. With trucking, you have the option to just drop everything, enroll in a trucking company driving school, and be given a truck to live in and work. Other than the military, there are very few jobs that give you the option to restart your life. You can use trucking to get out of that dead-end, soul-sucking job, get away from and over that toxic relationship, start your first business, and begin your entrepreneurial journey. You can save money, by letting trucking be the thing that helps you put that first $1000, and then $10,000 you ever saved in your bank account.
If you need a new fresh start towards a brighter future, try trucking!
2. Trucking Is the Perfect Trifecta of Fun, Money, and Peace
This point alone suffices to support my argument. Typically, when you find a fun job, it doesn’t pay much; conversely, high-paying jobs tend to be more stressful than fun. Then, if, like me, you require a good dose of peace along with your money and adventure, fuggedaboutit. However, trucking checks all these boxes:
- Trucking and Money, check – One of the most compelling aspects of trucking is its potential to save money. It’s often said, it’s not how much you earn but how much you save. Here’s an outrageous but fun number to drive this home. As a nomadic trucker, I am virtually expense-free minus food of course. If the average savings rate in the U.S. is 10% for folks working normal jobs, then based on this rate, the amount of money I save every month would be like having an annual salary of over $1,000,000!
- Trucking and Fun, check – What’s more fun than embarking on epic road trips every day? Whether you’re cruising down the open highway or exploring new cities and towns, trucking offers a sense of adventure that few other jobs can match.
- Trucking and Peace, check – I mentioned the military as an option for transforming your life, but, unlike the military, with trucking, you can have peace. Driving can be like meditation, with the open road serving as a therapeutic place to clarify the mind. The time spent in the sanctuary of the cab can be an almost forced meditation surpassed only by being in a monastery. This has helped me reach levels of personal and spiritual growth I never imagined.
If you want a career that is a special blend of money and adventure but you still want peace, try trucking!
3. A Trucking Business Is Accessible to Everyone
A trucking business is easy to start and is a quick fast lane into freedom, Independence, and entrepreneurship with awesome margins for careful operators. To start a trucking company you need to have a truck of course. However, after that, you just need to fill out some forms on a government website and pay the $300 fee plus the cost of insurance. Insurance costs can be hefty, but with diligent research could be had for as little as a first payment of somewhere between $1000-$2000. In a historic up market I achieved profit margins of 52% (which could have been higher if I knew what I was doing), and 35% in a historic down market.
The beautiful thing about Trucking is that it gives absolutely anybody the opportunity to grasp freedom. You may not be an inventor, you may not be an entrepreneur, or you may not be an independently wealthy person. But through trucking, you can be a business owner and claim your share of the American Dream.
If you want to be a business owner and be your own boss. Try trucking!
4. The Entire Country Is Your City and Each City Is Like Your Neighborhood
Pick your favorite hobby or your favorite thing to do in your city. Now think back to the very first time you did it and how much fun it was. Now imagine being able to do your favorite thing in every city’s best place to do that thing and on top of that it’s either your first time or feels just like the first time because you’ve done your thing in 50 other cities before coming back to this one.
Try trucking for adventure!
5. Trucking Promotes Personal Growth
Trucking allows you to precisely craft your trucking life by adding other passions to round out and enrich your experience. For my own personal growth, nothing has beat trucking. I chose blogging and YouTube which have expanded my life in many ways. But you can do whatever you want. Want to do real estate? You can scope out properties while you trek around the country. Want to hit every golf course in the country? Want to collect antiques? Aspiring writer? Let the rhythm of the road inspire your creativity and let the rhythm of those paychecks hitting your bank account fund your literary aspirations. The possibilities are endless so whatever side gig or passion you might have you can probably pursue it while trucking.
Try trucking for personal growth!
6. Trucking Makes You Happier by Allowing You to Pick Your ‘Friends’
Trucking allows you to craft your reality in positive ways by not paying attention to bad news television or harmful social media. Additionally, trucking empowers you to distance yourself from negative people who deplete you. The truck acts as a cocoon, cushioning you away from the negative so you can focus on inspirational, happiness-inducing things.
Sometimes, I inadvertently see a negative news clip in the truckstop or in the gym. However, for the most part, I filter out anything that is not promoting my mental health by being uplifting, educational, positive, etc. This deliberate choice to prioritize the good is probably a big part of the reason why I can call myself the happiest, kindest trucker on the road.
Jim Rohn, a motivational speaker, is often credited with saying, “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.
The people we spend time with can influence us more than we realize. We should consider whether our closest friends and family inspire us or bring us down.” Another one of his quotes with a similar meaning is “Show me your friends and I’ll show you your future.” The environment we surround ourselves with plays a big role in shaping who we become.
Trucking allows you to pick your circle of ‘friends’ by being intentional about whose voices you listen to all day. In this way, you can have any five friends you want. Now what do you think your life would be like if those five people were Tony Robbins, Brene Brown, Suze Orman, Oprah, and Jim Rohn?
If you want to make a new set of friends, try trucking!
7. Escape Modern Existence and Travel Back in Time by Becoming a ‘Trucker Gatherer’
In today’s fast-paced world, the allure of escaping modern existence and returning to a simpler way of life is stronger than ever. If you find yourself yearning for freedom from the pressures of contemporary society, trucking offers a unique opportunity to become a modern-day “trucker gatherer.”
Tired of the monotony of traditional work? Exhausted by the demands of modern life? Short of joining the Amish or retreating to a monastery, trucking stands out as one of the few alternatives that allow you to break free from the shackles of modernity and reclaim a lifestyle reminiscent of a bygone era.
Some historians and scientists argue that the hunter-gatherer lifestyle, predating the agricultural revolution, offered a more fulfilling and rewarding existence than the rat race of modern civilization. In his book “Sapiens,” Yuval Noah Harari highlights the lighter burden of household chores and the greater sense of fulfillment enjoyed by foragers compared to their modern counterparts.
Trucking offers a modern twist on this pre-modern lifestyle.
As a “trucker gatherer,” you have the freedom to jettison the trappings of modern life—houses, cars, and excess possessions—and embrace a nomadic existence on the open road. With only your truck as your home and only the possessions that will fit in your truck, you can reconnect with the simplicity and freedom of a time long past.
If you want to travel back in time, try trucking!
8. You’re Always Only One Load Away From Taking Time Off Whenever You Want
If you have never had this experience then you can’t know how good it feels to know you don’t have to work tomorrow if you don’t feel like it. An ex-colleague of mine in the U.S. Government Accountability Office explained this perfectly. He had reached full retirement eligibility but chose to continue working. When I asked him why he stayed, his response was eye-opening. He explained that he had been counting down the days to retirement and couldn’t wait to leave but a funny thing happened once he became eligible. Once he knew he could leave at any time, the work became more enjoyable. It felt as though he was working for himself, and that sense of autonomy made all the difference.
If you want to make work more enjoyable by feeling like you are working for yourself, try trucking!
9. Trucking Finances Your Vacation
So this is an awesome perk. If you like to travel, then trucking basically pays for you to take vacation. Your transportation to the destination is paid for. Your hotel can be paid for if you want if you don’t mind sleeping in your truck. Now all you need to have is money to enjoy yourself.
Then if you’re an owner-operator or a business owner the benefits are even greater because you get to deduct most of your travel expenses at tax time. This essentially gives you a 25% discount on your travel expenses. Travel is expensive so saving that money on travel allows you to spend it on other things.
If you want your job to pay for your vacation, try trucking!
10. Contrary to What Most Believe, Trucking Allows You to Get Into The Fittest Shape of Your Life
There is an elephant in the room that I need to address to really drive home the fact that trucking is the best job in the world so this one is the final reason why trucking is the best job in the world but it also serves as some how-to advice for my fellow truckers. This one is related to physical health. Now, no job that negatively impacts your health can be the best job in the world. Physical health is a non-negotiable. However, contrary to what most people believe, trucking allows you to get into the fittest shape of your life.
With one small tweak, you can use trucking to get into the fittest shape of your life. To set yourself up for fitness success, instead of sleeping at truck stops, all you have to do is sleep at or near a fitness center. Two studies explain why this works:
One study found that people who live close to gyms, weigh less and have smaller waistlines than their counterparts residing farther away from exercise facilities. This same study found that living far away from fast food outlets also appeared to help people maintain a lower weight and trimmer waist So according to this study, sleeping at a fitness center and away from the fast food at truck stops is a win-win for your waistline.
Similarly, Mens Health reported that finding a closer gym may be the key to working out more because a new report has found that how far away the gym is from home can make or break your decision to go.
Now here is what happens when you sleep at or near a fitness center. You’re really just playing a trick on yourself. You have to go in there anyway to pee and wash your face and once you’re in there you’re like ‘Man, can I really just come in here and walk out without doing anything, even just a little something?’ You will not feel good about yourself if you don’t at least lift a little something or do a little cardio while you’re in there. Take my advice and set your mind to doing just one set of weights or two minutes of cardio. And once you do that, the magic happens. You will find that a “single set of chest is like snacking on a single chip–you can’t do just one! You just gotta take that first bite! So sleep near a gym to wake up, work out, and wash up!
So if, you want to wake up, work out, and wash up to get fit, try trucking!
Conclusion
Well, I hope I have convinced you that trucking is the best job in the world and shown you the vision for how to use trucking as a vehicle to live your best life. I leave you with a final quote as you embark on your trucking journey…
“May your truck be filled with goods and may you be fulfilled with goodness.” -The Long Haul Truck Blogger