Hi all,
I'm thinking very hard of switching my job to become a taxi driver cos I'm really sick and tired of the corporate world with all its stress and backstabbing. Need to have a job that is my OTOT one, retrenchment-free, and less mental stress.
At the moment, I work 12-14 hours weekdays, and 6-8 hours weekends. No time for family, friends, or even myself. My mental and physical health also taking a beating because of this.
I don't need to earn 4 - 4.5k that I'm making now. Just need to make about 3 - 3.5k without CPF is fine for me cos I only have one child to support and my wife oso working.
But there're 2 problems:
1. Still on company contract for two more years
2. I don't have a driving licence
I know that my immediate action should be to get a Class 3 asap, then wait for a year until my company contract expires, so that I can become a OMO hirer.
Questions:
1. Can I apply for the VTL licence while I'm still working under contract?
2. How long before the VTL licence expires? Renewable yearly?
3. Which taxi company has the best benefits (in terms of maintenance, insurance)?
4. Which model is the best for Diesel engine? Sonata?
5. Can I expect an income of 2.8 - 3.4 k if I were to drive OMO 12 hrs a day, Mon - Sat, breaking up my shifts to include both peak hours and the 3-5pm slot?
6. Installing a GPS system is additional cost or is it included in the daily rental?
Sorry for being so 'Chang Qi' but I really wanna know from the frontline soldiers than reading 'politically correct' versions on the company public webpages.
Many thanks for your patience and hope to hear some responses. Hope to join the ranks in 2 years' time!
funny , i dun understand , if im given a 4 to 4.5 k job i will kiss the ground my boss walks on, volunteer to work long hours for him, tahan all the backstabbing & politics.
why throw a well paying job to be a TD? TD is like tuas south ave 16, dead end one. why choose a dead end when there are so many paths to walk? hahaha
guys with good paying jobs , stay and fight in your work place before all the foreigners start taking all the available slots. just imagine , foreigners take your job , u go be TD . end day u drive these foreigners sitting at the back and u at the front. happy?
singaporeans , dont cave in to pressure . show those farkers up there that u all are just as capable if not 10 x better than those FTS!
remember , wanna kick em out , this year is the time
Hello , learn to drive properly first before even thinking of becoming a hazard on the road .
It's not the FTs lah. My job got few FTs. But the workload is really damn jialat. My average sleeping hours only 3-4 hours a day except weekends can sleep abit longer. Also no time for family at all. When got abit of time, body is so tired out and the mind is so stressed out with so much work related things. Seriously going nuts liao.
Also, my workplace got damn heavy politicking. Zero friends. Only ones that can be trusted are those leaving the company.
ok choice is yours. my advice . be a relief. wanna spend time with family , then drive day. u wanna OMO come back to square 1 , no time for family.
btw why the heck am i telling u all these for? u havent gotten your license right? come back in 2 years time and ask la. by then hopefully im still alive to give some pointers .maybe poolman wud have listed his forum cum call centre on SGX liao haha no time to entertain new birds.
Yah , then i'll be CEO of Pool Inc International .
To the thread starter .....
First , u are working in those MNC earning near to $4 .
Second , u are white collar working 14 hours .
I guess u are a degree holder .
Then find a new job with your calibre , we dun need degree holders to drive a cab .
Dun waste your time , ur parents sent you to Uni not to drive a cab .
Dun disappoint them .
I earning $4000 as a cabby , i got Primary 1 brain , suitable for tis job .
U are Degree brain , u cannot make it in taxi line .
Go find a new job .
Originally posted by Poolman:To the thread starter .....
First , u are working in those MNC earning near to $4 .
Second , u are white collar working 14 hours .
I guess u are a degree holder .
Then find a new job with your calibre , we dun need degree holders to drive a cab .
Dun waste your time , ur parents sent you to Uni not to drive a cab .
Dun disappoint them .
I earning $4000 as a cabby , i got Primary 1 brain , suitable for tis job .
U are Degree brain , u cannot make it in taxi line .
Go find a new job .
well said KC , indeed a man with wise words. i cant agree more
Originally posted by Tio Call Liao:well said KC , indeed a man with wise words. i cant agree more
then me half fuck ite grad how?? :P
like they say ITE...Its The End......
im also just as half fucked. partial A level cert , cho lan ah? can say im good as gone liao. ITS the END . game over. bye bye hahaha
Druss66, sleep only 3-4hrs everyday? you really no life sia
I'm a full time cabby,if I sleep only 3-4hrs daily
my income will also be more than than 4k or even 5k
But I don't have medical & annual leave,no cpf & no bonus...
sick also must drive,no such thing as son sick take urgent leave
I'm also like you sick of all the backstabbing from the office & corporate world....
took my TVL & here i am,a full time cabby, a happy cabby i should say
but b4 i took my tvl,i've been on the road for 15 years,so no problem for me adapting....
taxi driving is not easy & it's not for anyone,but just follow your heart,who knows you will be like me becomes a happy cabby :) just take your class 3 first & see how later,alot of things can happened in 2 years time,you may have totally diff sets of ideas 2 years later maybe
muz hav strong determination n hardworking to be a cabby ;)
even when tins not goin well tat nite u muz psych urself tell urself
that u will hit the target collection end of the day. Works for me
most of the time but knn rushing around like mad man haha
dont think any cap company will take in a 12 points new driver
and dont think u will pass the road test if u dont drive on the road with any experiance
dont think u will know where is "jalan behargi road" when 1 customer wan to go there
and dont think u will pass the 1st test in driving test
think of new plan thanks
Bros here, I quite agree with teolk. Work must be happy, even if you got paid $4-5k u not happy, life is a drag. Driving taxi for me is about free time to do what I want, make use of the free time to work out a plan to generate residual incomes. Taxi driving can be a permanent career or a stepping stone to another financial freedom. it totally your choice.
But the time you put on the road is about the same you put on the job 12-14 hours. Does it make any difference to you. You don't get office politics, no bosses face to see. but you have to handle nasty and unreasonable customer, idiotic drivers, white angels. It a different kind stress. Driving taxi is not as sweet as you think. I remember when i started driving, life was hell cos i got nobody to turn to help. But with some proper planning and helps from all this lao jiao here, i am sure you can make it. You cannot think like a uni grads, you got to think like TD. No spreadsheet or data calculation on paper will help, thats only for LTA. TD nowsaday are a new generation breed, no more like the older one doing the old way. You have to innovative in your thinking.
Right now the most important things is to get your license and plan your move. You never know what going to happen 2 years down the road. Maybe you have a new thinking in your career directions, maybe you can own the taxi 2 years time, maybe pools Inc Limited is form, maybe comfort bankrupt... blah blah blah
Plan as you go along and see how it work out
i think this forum has motivated people from all walks of life to be a cab driver, me included.. which makes this forum a success. my thinking is that cab drivers who are able to earn at least 3k a month are those experienced, hardworking, disciplined and thinking drivers. for newbies, i think for a start, must visualise and be realistic.. and i dun think for a newbie, average collection of $20/hour is achievable due to many factors including lifestyle adjustments and physical condition.. driving continuously is no joke if your physical condition is not there esp for those in corporate world and has been sitting in the office type for donkey years. this takes time.. for a newbie to go all out from the start, very fast punctured liao and can get easily demoralised especially when at the end of the day, earn miserably. my thinking is perhaps the first 3 months is something like a probation and learning period where u learn as much as possible thru sweeping roads, the timings, ur body conditioning etc which means dun expect to earn a lot the 1st 3 months, just like a property agent... must be mentally prepared for the 1st 3 months and then i believe from the 4th month onwards, should be able to see some good results..
mental preparation is important
Druss66
actually whether u know where Jalan Bahagia is or not does not matter. You just need to ask pax to guide u to the place. 99% of the pax know the shortest way, even the angmos.
Your biggest worry is to how to be a safe driver - no accidents, dont get fined by TP, dont get photo'ed by LTA in the bus lane, dont pass thru ERP gantry without a card, dont park illegally and get fined. And must always lun and lun the angry pax. Unless u r lao jiao like Pool, dont even try to fuck your pax.
You followed many rules correctly in order to get your driving license. As a TD, you have to follow even more rules correctly in order not to lose your license and money from getting fined. Last time you wonder how to enter the carpark. But now as a TD, carpark locations are no longer as important. You must know all the taxi stand locations and where to find passengers, and where to it is possible to stop illegally (no fine) and eat/drink safely.
Originally posted by lazyeebone:One of the conditions to be eligible to apply for a TVL.
Posses a valid class 3 Singapore driving licence and
have at least 1 year’s driving experience with a clean driving record.They say…Horse before the chariot or chariot after the horse also can. No other ways. Some say …count eggs don’t count chicken.
I'm not very experience can only tell you this.
At least 30 years young.
Originally posted by Tio Call Liao:im also just as half fucked. partial A level cert , cho lan ah? can say im good as gone liao. ITS the END . game over. bye bye hahaha
If partial A level cert is
IT'S THE END,
then ITE is
IT'S THE END OF THE END.
I'm at the end of this end or you can said the never endding end. Confused liao ??? (-:
i am also new at this but maybe i can share my point of view from so far, note just my personal opinions, look in the quote
Originally posted by Druss66:Hi all,
I'm thinking very hard of switching my job to become a taxi driver cos I'm really sick and tired of the corporate world with all its stress and backstabbing. Need to have a job that is my OTOT one, retrenchment-free, and less mental stress.
POV: there are a few assumptions you tend to make, maybe i can help shed some light (on some). usually ppl associate cab driving with carefree. its not. its as stressful, as backstabbing on the road as in the office. the difference is, in the office, at most you lose your job. on the road, you can lose your life (or limbs).
I disagreed with "OTOT one, retrenchment-free, and less mental stress." theres no (or very few oppt for) OTOT in cab driving (have to find out); cab drivers face retrenchment everyday from the first moment rent is paid out; and the mental stress? from self (family?), from other drivers and of cos from passengers.
At the moment, I work 12-14 hours weekdays, and 6-8 hours weekends. No time for family, friends, or even myself. My mental and physical health also taking a beating because of this.
POV: 12-14hrs weekdays? That is "normal", for some even "under average". 6-8hrs weekends? Cab Driving usually consumes even more than that if you want to make good. Unless you just, quote: "needs enough to eat, drink, smoke, toto, 4d and newspaper."
I get the feel that you automatically assume cab driving will 'improve' your general well being.
I don't need to earn 4 - 4.5k that I'm making now. Just need to make about 3 - 3.5k without CPF is fine for me cos I only have one child to support and my wife oso working.
POV: Not alot of pple will realise, even after years and years, that the secret (irony) of Cab Driving to earn a living is NOT to earn a living. Drive cab because you dont need to. Drive cab because you dont need (THAT LEVEL OF) income. Drive cab because you have no expectations. Some called it "frustrations", some called it "burn out", some called it "accidents", lets call it "situations" will follow, sooner or eventually, the more desperately you need to drive cab. I can literally bet, almost everyone who started (or ended!) cab driving, thought "Enough is Enough". haha
But there're 2 problems:
1. Still on company contract for two more years
POV: I think you'd appreciate theres always penalty for breaking bond or contract. so much so they can take you up to court for compensation. But one more thing about the contract part later on.
2. I don't have a driving licence
I know that my immediate action should be to geta Class 3 asap, then wait for a year until my company contract expires, so that I can become a OMO hirer.
POV: From the friends and associates i know of, who got into driving, then got into cab driving, they usually take more than 1yr to get to the driving licence eventually, then more time than the strictly speaking 1st yr driving experience, THEN ANOTHER half or 1 or more yrs before they get to the TVL...THEN ANOTHER half yr or again yrs (many) before they actually finally start their first Cab engine. (then another few more days? weeks? months? before they grow confident about sticking in the job). Think about the strength of that commitment over time. Perhaps thats why in fact all the cab drivers i know of got into cab driving WITHOUT planning far earlier ahead, they got into cab driving because they thought about it at most a few months back. But again, these are the 'average' that i know of, might not to apply to everyone whos urgent to start cab driving. but note my previous remarks about urgent to start cab driving.
Questions:
1. Can I apply for the VTL licence while I'm still working under contract?
POV: Coming back to the contract part, most companies usually close one eye. But certain company policy (dont worry about checking, they wont inform you and when they found out or as you say someone backstab you, then they will make one up along the way) would designate any form of 'non-official, non-pre-approved undertaking or training' as moonlighting, sidelining, liable for penal action, even compensation. For example, they can "suspect" a worker is operating in a diminished capacity during work hours (regular or OT), without necessarily prior informing his mgmt, hence seriously and possibly jeopardizing safety of self and others blah blah blah..AND THEN IMAGINE a (non related?) accident really happened! Compensation everyone knows, guess what penal action means. Try check under 'scrapegoat'.
2. How long before the VTL licence expires? Renewable yearly?
3. Which taxi company has the best benefits (in terms of maintenance, insurance)?
POV: Because the Cab Market here is in reality an oligopoly, anyone can say EVERYONE has the best benefits. or someone might say NO ONE has any benefits. and then another might even say, What which companies, isnt it all ONE company? See the irony? To me, its just a matter of personal preference and fit.
4. Which model is the best for Diesel engine? Sonata?
POV: Some prefer CNG, Some petrol. To be honest, its abit early to go into this because things might change (look at COE, the car market and the public transport market today and 2 weeks ago) til you get your license (then your TVL) (then your 1 yr driving experience) (then you start your cab engine).
5. Can I expect an income of 2.8 - 3.4 k if I were to drive OMO 12 hrs a day, Mon - Sat, breaking up my shifts to include both peak hours and the 3-5pm slot?
POV: refer to earlier pt about lofty expectations and ideals?
6. Installing a GPS system is additional cost or is it included in the daily rental?
POV: my personal experience, as someone mentioned, the best GPS is the one between the driver's ears. but what intrigues (me) is you harp on this (and even the monetary costs), BEFORE your first driving lesson. it means (to me), you already foresee you dont know where you going.
Sorry for being so 'Chang Qi' but I really wanna know from the frontline soldiers than reading 'politically correct' versions on the company public webpages.
POV: everything said, this is another dangerous assumption. doesnt mean "frontline soldiers" give the best picture, than 'politically correct' press releases. To put things into better perspective, since time immemorial, foot soldiers had charged in front to get marked down first, by raining arrows, boiling oil, hidden mines, but their Officers in their neat trim uniforms keep sending them up FROM THEIR VANTAGE POINT AT THE BACK. So Who Learned What actually?
Many thanks for your patience and hope to hear some responses. Hope to join the ranks in 2 years' time!
How much you collect per hour as a newbie depends totally on you. My first day of driving i net $198 (happen to be a sat), 2nd day net $91, 3rd day net $165, 4th day net $138. I still got the record since day one. Not trying to show off here, just to let newbies know it all in your mind and how much preparation you made before u start. i even took effort to draw all major town maps (overview) on to a B4 hard card, and everytime I not sure, I just look at it. If customer say Bukit Batok St 32, as long as you get to or near St 32 and ask instruction from there, most customer will not f u one.
So it's hardwork and lots of planning and thinking, rather than chioning blindly. As we go along we will become more pro in thinking and know when, when not, how, why and where to pick customer, like our ceo poolman
Taxi driving is all about working hard the smart way,discipline & positive
street smart is vital...being able to handle tricky situation wins it all,
even if you don't really have a good knowledge of roads doesn't really pose a big problem
the magic word is simple : "Ask"
If u are not happy with current job , keep hunting for something new .
The other side of the pastures is always greener .
At the same time , try getting a license .
2 years later , then if wanna try cabby's life , try as part time .
On Saturday or Sunday like that , have a test of the water .
If part time taxis dun go on well , u at least still got a FT job to deal with .
No driving experience , u cannot make it la .
I say that one more time .