Second Income for Truckers?
What to Look For

Increasing regulations and fewer work hours make a second income sound attractive to professional truck drivers. This may be especially true for truckers:

• who are approaching retirement and know they do not have enough savings upon which to retire;
• who have families back home who depend on them financially; or
• who continually feel the pinch of increasing prices for basics such as food.

But many questions arise, including these:

• How can truckers earn more money when they already have full-time trucking jobs?
• What kind of extra income could truckers earn -- that would be worth their while -- from their trucks (for OTR truckers) or homes (for local truckers)?

We're glad you asked, because that's what we are going to discuss on this page.

Types of Income

Previously, we described the difference between 

• linear income (money you earn one time by exchanging your time for completing tasks -- the type of income you earn from driving a truck); and
• leveraged income (money you earn from the efforts of others whom you have helped become successful, with payment on the basis of referral fees, network marketing, brokerage, etc.).

What If Income Stops?

If you were injured on the job and unable to work for an extended period of time, how long would you be able to stay afloat financially?

What if you had a really serious injury?

What would happen if your paycheck stopped?

That is exactly what happened when Mike fell off the tractor part of his company-owned Class 8 truck years ago. Without going into all of the details, when he was forced to take unpaid time off to get medical attention, his paycheck stopped.

In February 2012 -- and again in his capacity as a professional truck driver -- Mike fell off a flatbed trailer and injured his left arm and side. At the time, we had no idea how long he would be out of work.

Although the Lord spared Mike from having a torn rotator cuff, his injury was so bad that for over a week, he was unable to lift his left arm far enough away from his body to put on deodorant. Vicki had to help him with basic tasks such as putting on clothing and taking a shower. This kind of situation can really shake a man to the core of his soul.

By the Lord's good favor and the help of a sample of a product given to us by a friend, Mike was able to make a full recovery and completely regain full mobility.

An Awakening

In the months after Mike got well, we got to thinking about how fragile his trucker income source really is. 

The next accident could render him permanently disabled!

We started to ask ourselves questions like these:

• Isn't there an easier way to earn money and one that is less deadly?
• Isn't there a business that would let us own our own lives (not being so employer-dependent)?
• If Mike was unable to continue his job as a trucker, what kind of replacement income could we get that would be well suited for us, that we would like and that would pay us well?
• Why kind of second income opportunities exist that match our principles and meet other important criteria?

What is Your Perfect Job Like?

Everyone has a written or unwritten list of criteria or attributes for a perfect job or second income source. 

While we're going to share our list below, it would be good for you to write down what you're looking for.

You may have a need for only an extra $100 per month. Or perhaps you're looking for a whole lot more when it comes to opportunities for second income, extra income, supplemental income, etc.

If we were looking to start a business from scratch, we would want one that we could run at/from home and which meets the following criteria:

• the products or services are first class and are of such a nature that we can fully stand behind them;
• we have personally benefited -- and continue to benefit -- from the products or services;
• there is a growing need for the products or services being sold;
• the company that manufactures the products or services is stable and established;
• there is full staffing and corporate support;
• we would never have to store inventory;
• the consumable products we use are compact (easily fitting within a truck);
• we would never have to focus on selling the products ourselves;
• there are low start-up costs;
• there is low monthly overhead for which you receive products;
• personalized training and resources are available;
• one online tool can be obtained for free;
• the business can be worked both by truckers on the road and by their home support teams or truckers' wives back home;
• the income opportunity is unlimited; 
• the business can be conducted from just about anywhere (an Internet connection of some kind really helps);
• if we move, we don't lose the business we've worked to build; 
• if we had a family emergency and were unable to work the business for a while, the income would continue; and
• the business we build can be passed down to our heirs.

Drilling Down for Info

Before we continue, we must say that we have a certain type of second income opportunity for truckers in mind. It fulfills to the letter all of the points above.

Speaking of the list, we said that our perfect job meant that we would never have to focus on selling the products ourselves. If there is no selling, how does one earn money?

We're glad you asked.

Many people don't like to have things sold to them. But they do want products to help them make their lives better. Sometimes all it takes is sharing a sample of a product you know works with someone who has a need. That's what happened in early 2012.

After Mike got hurt, a friend shared a sample of a product that helped relieve Mike's aching muscles. After the sample ran out, we ordered more of it. Since that product worked so well, we began to order other products from the same company. The products worked. They sold themselves.

The products worked so well for us that we knew that we had to share this information with others to help them. Furthermore, we realized that we could get paid for referring others to the company.

Getting Paid for Referring Others

Many truckers are already familiar with the concept of getting paid for referrals online.

You've heard of Amazon.com, right? They have an affiliate program.

Well, take the concept of an affiliate program but design it around a wide range of consumable products that people want to buy and are willing to share with others for compensation down a number of levels.

Specifically, you build a network of people whom you've helped, who turn around and help others, who help others, etc.

With the specific program we recommend, you can get paid down to five levels. What a terrific way to build a second income!

When a few people help a few people who help a few people, you can build a network that can generate a substantial income.

This type of second income could eventually build to the point where it surpasses your truckers income.

Learn how you can build this type of second income now.

Return from Second Income for Truckers? What to Look For to our Budgeting page or our Truck Drivers Money Saving Tips home page.