I bought a 68 R model Mack 237 5 speed in 1986 for $3,500 and went to work. I started running sea containers from Philly to Port Elizabeth and back for $200 a round trip. I did that for a few months and then leased on to a crane rental company and hauled crane boom, counterweights, and rigging for $30 an hour.

One day I was working on the Blue Route (476 in Pa) and a shop steward asked to see my book. I didn't have one but he let me finish up and told me I should look into becoming union. I made some phone calls the next week and went joined the Teamsters.

In 87 I talked to some people I knew who had a scrap yard. I asked them if I could work there every day if I bought my own insurance. They said no problem and I went and bought a primary liability policy for $5,000.

About a year later I bought a 12 year old Summit 40 yard demolition dump trailer that needed a floor and tires for $1,500. I put a new floor in it, and used tires on it and away I went $6.50 a ton plus bridge tolls from Philly to Camden 18 tons on a load 4 loads a day.

I didn't get the license until 1989. Things were a lot different then.

 

It was succeed or die trying, and I almost did the latter. .[/quote]


That's how champions are made.

 

Or you end up moving and setting up office cubicles.

 

Thanks.. The biggest thing I can thank is good credit and lots of it, it's really invaluable. There are a lot of costly mistakes to be made, I made some, but having an extra long rope to hang from definitely makes it easier to survive when times were tough.

My only tip would be to be patient. I was lucky enough to find a great family-oriented company to run for who does specialized, high paying work. For 8 months I lost my health, my family life, my social life, I just tried to push myself to tbe breaking point but I never found it, I was too full of piss and vinegar and all I could think about was working and making money. The driving was the easy part. The hard part was living off of an average of maybe 3 hours sleep a night, often 0, sometimes 1 hour felt like a luxury. Eating convenience store food driving down the road because stopping to eat cost me time in the sleeper. Tarping, chaining up, severe mountain driving with 140,000lbs in weather ranging from -40 to 100 degrees. I ran 12-15,000 miles per month with an 8 axle unit, 90% mountain driving, all winter long. I wasn't smart about it, I did it illegally and unsafely but I succeeded. I cheated to a rediculous extent and was lucky I never got caught, or never hurt myself or anyone else as a result of it. Most of my problems stemmed from being impatient and wanting it all, and wanting it now. Looking back now I could have achieved the same results in a lot more relaxed manner and I'd probably feel younger today as a result.

 

:shock:

How many of this type of story ends up on the other side of the results column....only with innocent people hurt or killed as a result. Camstyn...I'm glad you made it thru safely and can see the risks you subjected not only yourself but others to but I sure hope no one reads this and thinks....whoa, cool; this dude has balls.

 

I agree 100%!! ALWAYS SAFETY FIRST!!!

 

You're right 100%, it's not something I would brag about, I'm just being open and honest on how I did it. I was inexperienced and impatient and knew better but couldn't see the forest through the trees. It wasn't worth the risk or the long term effects and looking back I sure wouldn't want to advise anyone else to do what I did. There's lots more to life than money and it's an expensive lesson to learn!