Budgeting is one of those tedious chores avoided by people of all types all over the world.  We know, it’s tedious! But, with the internet access we all have now from our phones, our laptops, and even our neighborhood McDonald’s, there’s really no excuse anymore to avoid it.  Automated software can do most of the legwork for us!

Especially with a trucker’s lifestyle – constantly on the road, making transactions at different shops and stations and restaurants all over the country, it can be vital to keep a tab on your finances and make sure you’re only spending as much as you need to.

So, getting started is really going to be the hardest bit.  That’s why we’ve decided to walk you through the easiest ways to create a simple, complete budget for yourself so you can start watching those pennies.  We’ll be using Mint.com as an example, a free budgeting site that imports all transaction details directly from banks, credit cards, and even bill collectors, but you are free to use any of the free systems out there on Google that you find most compatible to your tastes.  Just make sure you do your research before divulging account info.

If you’re extra squeamish about using the net for this information, just pop everything into Excel.  This will require more legwork on your part since transactions won’t be automatically imported and cataloged.

Mint is a secure site, vouched for by a multitude of agencies, so if you’re concerned about personal information security, it might be a good one to try.  Let’s get started.

Step One:  Observe

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The first and most important thing to do when you decide you’re going to take control of your finances is to become aware of how you already spend.  Too many of us know there’s money in our accounts on Friday and next to nothing on the following Thursday, but for the life of us can’t tell you where that money went.

We had a friend use Mint to track spending for the Month of May (which obviously isn’t over yet).  She can access this pie chart to review where exactly her money is going.  As you can see, the bulk of it goes to home expenses, which should be the largest expense for most people.

This chart is automatically generated by Mint which recognizes most of the withdrawals from her debit and credit cards and puts them into categories.

You might realize with horror that you’ve spent 20% of your income on nothing but bottles of water and bags of chips.  The point of this stage is awareness.  Your habits won’t change overnight but you need to be aware of them.

Step Two: Allocate

The current most commonly used budget ratio is Elizabeth Warren’s famous 50/30/20 rule.  Simply put, this rule cuts your gross income into three categories by percentage.

So if you make $100 per month, $50 should go toward those things you absolutely need.  Your mortgage, your groceries, your fuel, etc.   The $30 should go toward things you want.  Gadgets, takeout, a ticket to a ballgame, etc.  And that final $20 would ideally be tucked away into savings for a rainy day or debt repayment if you are holding debt.

Obviously, this ratio assumes that your income covers necessities at the 50% mark.  If that’s not the case, you will need to adjust accordingly.

For the first month or two, it may be easiest to split your budget into three broad categories:  needs, wants, and savings.  This really comes down to personality.  If you are more detail oriented, you can skip to the next step.

Step Three:  Specified Budgets

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Creating specified budget categories will come down to you and where you see yourself spending in the upcoming month.  To the right is an example of the specified budget our friend kept for the month of May.  We do not recommend allocating every cent of your expected income.  It’s important to leave wiggle room for the unexpected.

Do not attempt to massively reduce the amount of spending you tracked from your observation stage.  If anything, use those numbers as a guide and just attempt not to go over them in the coming month.

If you set unrealistic goals for yourself or attempt to restrict your spending too harshly out of the gate, you are less likely to stick with it.

Step Four:  Maintenance

This will take work.  Spending habits are an automatic thing and you will find that it takes longer than you maybe anticipated to avoid overspending in areas that aren’t fixed.

Keeping a record of your budget will make it possible to pull reports comparing your spending to that of the previous month or year so you may monitor the changes your expenses go through and the progress you are making in keeping your spending to a minimum.

Final Tip:

Stick to your debit card for purchases.  If you are constantly pulling cash out, you will quickly forget where you’ve been spending it and on what.  Your debit card will create a bank statement that you can pull online to see exactly where each dollar went.

For more information on personal finance and keeping a budget for yourself, check out Get Rich Slowly and The Simple Dollar.  If you have a system that you’d like to share, please leave it in the comments.  Best of luck!

This Sioux Falls Trucker learned to knit between loads.
This sweater is for his wife.

We talk a lot here about the dangers of being out on the road for the bulk of your work day.  And sure, it’s imperative that you stay alert and safe while you’re behind the wheel in a variety of weather conditions, lighting, and traffic.  What we don’t talk about much is the part of the job where you have to stay occupied between loads, and we hear that can be a real killer.

Now, there are a couple of ways to look at your downtime, depending on the type of person you are.

It might be that this is a primo relaxation goldmine – time to bust out the playstation, the book you’re only a quarter of the way through, or settle in for a nice, luxurious nap and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that.

But you might be a more antsy sort, and this empty time could be the perfect opportunity to pick up a new hobby or skill, maybe one you’ve been eyeing for years.

The headline photo for this story is from a Wall Street Journal feature on sewing truckers, a story that made the industry buzz with disbelief.

These guys have flouted the macho image of a long-haul trucker and taken up keeping balls of yarn and fabric in their cabs to create everything from slippers to quilts.  And they’re good at it too!  That’s not even the surprising part.  What really caught readers off-guard is just how widespread the skill is becoming in the trucker world.

“Oh, there’s many a time you’re just going down the road at O-dark-thirty in the morning and you just start thinking about a particular pattern,” says the ex-Air Force mechanic on the Iowa 80 at the head of the story.  And that got us thinking.  Projects are a great way to keep your mind sharp.

Obviously, we can’t list every possibility out there, but ideally, anticipating the fun you’ll have with your pet hobby between stints on the road is a great way to keep you awake, happy, and an all-around interesting person.  After talking to a few of our guys and researching the subject, here are a few suggestions that might just tickle your fancy.

Chess

This game is in a league of its own, and now that internet access is accessible in pretty much every corner of the world, easy enough to learn and practice.  The real allure of chess is how you can play your whole life and still learn new strategies.

Chess simulates war.  It’s all about thinking three steps ahead of your opponent and there are stacks of books, articles, tapes, etc. out there to help you hone your game.  If you enjoy competition and are the type of person who loves planning your next move, this is the game for you.  You’ll be amazed at how much you think about your ongoing games between plays.

Want to try it out?  Here’s a guide to the very basic rules of the game and, just for fun, here’s a beginner’s strategy you can use to start knocking your opponents to the curb, right out of the gate, including a very useful video on common first moves and how to thwart them.

The Great American Novel

We all have that idea that’s been knocking around in our heads for longer than we can really say.  Procrastination is a hell of a thing.  While it might be tempting to spend your downtime flinging Angry Birds at a wall, we guarantee you’ll start looking forward to those hours of freedom between truck duty if you’re working on the story you’ve been putting off.

Just try it out.  Create a little outline or write the first few lines.  You might just find yourself hooked.

Photography

There aren’t many people out there who have the access to their country’s nooks and crannies like a long haul trucker does.

A camera might be an investment, but logging your experiences, showing the world what you see … not only is that an incredibly rewarding hobby that will give you mementos for the rest of your life, it’s also the type of skill that can grow forever.

Don’t rush right out and buy an expensive camera.  Take a look at some basic tips first.  Try to imagine the photographs you’d take.  If you find it’s something you can’t quite stop thinking about, then it might just be the perfect hobby for you.

Blogging (Hey, it’s fun.  We’d know!)

Are you aware of all the popular trucker blogs out there on the internet right now?  It might shock you to know just how interested random internet strangers are in your lifestyle.

Hook yourself up with a free account on a blogging platform like WordPress or Blogger and just post what’s on your mind.  Share photos, funny stories, or whatever thoughts are knocking around in your head.  The best thing about a blog is how casual it is.  The Healthy Trucker and Life on the Road are some of the more popular blogs. Truckers Blog lets you write a blog and post it right there on their website.

Did we forget a good one?  You’ll have to let us know how you pass time in those long stretches of free time.  Be sure to comment and fill us in.

Limited Edition 4900FXT

2013 is a big year for Western Star Australia, the 30 year anniversary of the brand taking Australian trucking by storm!

When distribution rights were acquired in the tight economic times of 1983, in already over-saturated truck market, it seemed like a risk doomed for failure to introduce a new, arguably niche brand to the Australian market.  But Western Star Trucks Australia was confident that this product would overcome the slump in trucking at the time.  It was the perfect brand for the Australian trucking market.

They were right.  The first year saw 53 Western Stars sold and on the road.  By the end of this year, that number will top 1,500!

So, to say thank you, Western Star Australia has pulled out all the stops and produced 60 limited edition 4900FXT trucks (30 in blue and 30 in slate gray) complete with top-of-the-line 560hp Detroit DD15 engines and an array of special, one-time commemorative features on the trucks.

“The trucks are beautifully presented and are sure to attract a lot of attention throughout the country,” says Dough Shand, the general manager at Western Star Trucks Australia.

The trucks are currently en route to various points in the Western Star Australia dealer network and will be available for purchase in the near future.  They will also come with a top secret bundle of driver goodies by RM Williams for those who manage to get one.

If you’re not in the market for a brand new truck, no worries.

You can still partake of the anniversary.  The 2013 commemorative calendar has been released to celebrate the trucks themselves and the loyal customer base.  You can grab yours here.

We think it’s fair to say that the Western Star brand has forever changed the face of Australian trucking.  If you don’t believe us, just stop by the Brisbane Trucking Show in May and take a look at the enthusiasm behind the brand.  And they’re nowhere near at the end of their upward climb.  2013 will see the launch of the brand new 4700SB, a variety of trucking shows, and the growth of the brand new (and may we just say – super handy) Truckie’s Mate App.

Thirty years is a great milestone.  But we feel pretty confident that this is only the beginning.

Star Nation is at it again!  We’re giving away a limited amount of the official 2013 Western Star “Built to Be Legendary” posters to our members.  To have one sent to your door, all you have to do is refer one person to become a new member of Star Nation.  Make sure the person you refer mentions you by full name when they complete their registration.  This should be a piece of cake.  Once they see all there is to see and do on Star Nation, including giveaways like these, they’ll want to join anyway!

Now, we don’t have mailing addresses on file for those of you who joined Star Nation at one of the shows like the Mid-America Trucking Show (MATS) or World of Concrete, so we’ve created a special place where you can enter your mailing address including street, city, state, country and postal code so we can get one of these posters out to you as soon as your referral completes their registration.

Click Here to Add Your Address to Your Registration

Remember, if just one of your friends, family members, customers or coworkers joins Star Nation and mentions you when they register, we’ll send you this beautiful poster for free!

We’ve received quite a few pictures over the last couple of weeks and are in the process of adding them to the gallery.  Seems to be a lot of nice trucks rolling out there. Here’s just a sampling of the many photos we’ve received:

First up, Ryan Hardiman out of Australia sent us these photos from Australia.  Ryan sold these at Westar Truck Center in Derrimut and has kindly sent some of the final shots for Star Nation.

Next, we have a few sent to us from Russ Hunt at Badger Truck Center, Madison, Windsor, Wisconsin in honor of football season in the USA. This 4700 SB has a DD13 450HP engine with dual 13K pushers and a 20K front axle.  Any Green Bay fans out there?

Last but not least, a northern Michigan logger 4900 SA with a 560hp DD15 pulling a 30K pup trailer. Note the deep sun visor and 8″.  We understand this was being shown at a logging show in the area.  Nice.

Star Nation says a big “Thank You” to the guys who sent in these great photos and all the pics in the Star Nation gallery. We’re always looking for more, so send them in when you can.

Anyone familiar with the trucking industry is no stranger to the variety of charitable events made possible by trucking professionals.  From convoys and tractor pulls whose proceeds go to worthy causes like the Special Olympics to programs set up to support fellow truckers in need, the trucking industry devotes its time to doing its part.

If you’re a fleet member, an owner-operator, or even just a trucking enthusiast, you may be wondering how you can get involved in all of the good causes supported by the family that is professional trucking.  So, we’ve done some leg-work for you and outlined a few notable causes specific to the industry that may be worth looking into.

Trucker Buddy:

Trucker Buddy International is an organization that helps educate and mentor schoolchildren via a pen pal relationship between professional truck drivers and children in grades K-8.  Drivers are matched with classes and share news about their travels each week. In turn, students write letters to their drivers and at the same time, enhance their skills in reading, writing, geography, mathematics, social studies, and history. www.truckerbuddy.org

Operation Roger:

Are you an animal lover?  Operation Roger might be the trucker charity you were born to join.  With nearly 700 pets rescued and sent to new, loving homes since its inception, Operation Roger doesn’t require cash donations, it just requires a ride for needy animals.

With an army of compassionate truckers around the country allowing needy pets to “hitchhike” to their new homes or to medical attention across the country, all that’s required to participate in Operation Roger is a love of animals and the willingness to provide a temporary home with “lots of TLC” in the passenger seat of your rig as you help them get to where they’re going.

For more information, contact operationroger01@yahoo.com or just go ahead and fill out your application on their website.

The Big Iron Classic:

For those of you with a soft spot for needy children, the Big Iron Classic might just be the event for you.  While you enjoy the toys that make your world go round, the proceeds from this massive event, hosting some odd 14,000 attendees last year, go entirely to toy donations for needy boys and girls, making them effectively one of the largest truck shows and children’s charity drives in the Midwestern United States.

This event is in the fall, always on the first weekend following Labor Day.  Come for the shiny trucks and tractor-pulls, stay for the good cause.

The St. Christopher Fund:

As the old adage says, charity begins at home.  The St. Christopher Fund is there to provide aid to needy truckers and trucker families around the country when medical problems have led to financial hardship.  There are 3.2 million truck drivers in the United States, and sadly, statistics show around 70% of them suffering from chronic health problems.

While this is a simple donation-based charity, the reality of those they help will hit you at every trucking event you attend.  For more information on how you can help, contact truckersfund@gmail.com

Last month’s 2013 Work Truck Show saw the unveiling of a brand new line of vocational vehicle – the new Western Star 4700 SB, featuring Western Star’s famous 110-inch BBC – the shortest in its class – as well as a 42-degree wheel cut, a boon to maneuvering in tight spots with a big vehicle.

The 4700 comes equipped with a top-of-the-line Cummins ISL engine and an Allison 3000-series transmission. It can boast up to 370 hp and 1,250 lb-ft of torque.  Take-off power can be customized to the front or back of the truck to fit the owner’s preference.

The real advantage of the newest addition to Western Star’s all-wheel drive family (including the 4800 and 4900) is the lightweight versatility of a vocational truck, which will prove immensely powerful to customers, saving on resources and making for a more versatile ride on a variety of terrains.  The 4700 has been categorized as being ideal for cranes, utility, digger derricks, and small dumps.

The earlier models in the family, particularly the 4800 and 4900 are more suited to slightly heavier duty jobs, like snow plowing, dumps, utility, construction, and oilfield trucking.

For the heaviest jobs, the 6900, which also features AWD technology is available.  This one is geared more toward your mining and agricultural jobs, your heavy construction, and the bigger jobs on oilfield projects.

With the addition of the 4700, the all wheel drive family really seems complete, and covers the full spectrum of job demands and necessities.

“We’re meeting our customers’ demands for a rugged, yet lightweight truck suited for the most challenging of job sites,” said Peter Schimunek, marketing segment manager at Western Star. “Our 4700SB AWD combines the best in performance, customization and durability in an affordable package. Complemented by Western Star’s roomy, comfortable interior, this truck is the ultimate workhorse.”

We know we’re always at the height of excitement when a new truck hits the market.  What does Star Nation think of this newest addition to the already phenomenal class of all-wheel drive options available from Western Star?

What’s better is that there are plenty of organizations out there who support the trucker in all that he or she does. Hotels and fuel stations that have special discounts for truckers are the obvious ones, but beyond that, there are all sorts of perks you can get if you just mention your proud profession.

Here are a few tips to unlocking all those sweet benefits.

OOIDA:  

Now, we know it’s not news to you that there’s a whole heaping platter of stuff to be gained by getting that $50 OOIDA membership.  From the Western Star rebate program to this monster list of discounts on everything from tires to tax services, that membership fee will more than pay itself back.

AITA:

If paying for a membership puts a bad taste in your mouth, it might be worth it to check out the mall page on the America’s Independent Truckers’ Association website. It contains probably the most comprehensive list of discounted items and services available to a professional trucker out there.

Find cell phone plans, credit services, even website help for owner-operators right in their sidebar.

Just Be Who You Are (out loud):

A lot of scoring a special deal will come down to you making yourself known.  Diners, hotels, and even convenience stations nationwide enact special discounts for truckers.  It never hurts to ask!  You might score a sweet 40% off your stay at a hotel or get free unlimited coffee with your meal.

The world runs on trucking.  You may be surprised at just how many businesses are willing to show their appreciation for what you do!

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