I need some advice

[Doughboy70]

Hi Everybody, I'm new here although I've been reading for awhile. I want to thank everybody here for all the information and help you've given other newbies like myself. I have applied with TMC and hope to be driving for them soon. It was a tough choice because I have kids at home but I am hoping this will lead to a good career. I would appreciate any advice I can get about starting out, like how this will affect my children, will I make enough money to be worth being away from them for at least a year maybe more. I hope you guys can help. Thank you.

[JimsOpus]

Hi Doughboy,

I'm in the same position here. I am a few days away from my roadtest and Schneider is probably going to be the place I will have to start with since most other companies want a yr or more experience. I was wondering such things as financially making ends meet on the road and at home. I also wanted to while I am here ask about internet access on the road and what all of the experienced truckers use ie: siricomm, wifi , aircard etc. and which are the best and or most economical.

[GMAN]

The first few months to a year can be a bit difficult for most starting out. After the initial learning period, your wages should increase to an acceptable level. There are some who post on the board who work for TMC who can best tell you specifically about first years earnings with them. I use an air card, as do many others. It isn't cheap. It run about $60/month for unlimited use. WiFi is less expensive, but is limited to where your service provider is located. For instance Flying J is only good while you are on their lot. The same with the other truck stops. An air card has more flexibility. You can purchase WiFi by the hour, day, month or annually. I believe it runs about $25/month. You can do a search and probably find more information on the subject. We have discussed it before on the forum. Good luck to you both.

[Crash935]

I grew up with my dad driving my whole life and went on the road full time back in august. Been married for 14 years and have a daughter who is 13 and a son whos 10. The biggest part is the support from home and a wife who can do for herself. I'm lucky that i am usually gone for no more than a week and a half and can schedule my home time when i want but you need to learn to make the most of your time at home with the family yet still find time while your home to do a few things for your self. It will be difficult learning to balance your time and dealing with the fact that you wont be home at the end of the day but reasuring your wife daily and talking daily about what is going on at home helps (find a great wireless plan for both of you). As for making ends meet while on the road i can tell you that truck stops are expensive to eat at a couple of times a day. I shop for a week while im home and have a 12 volt cooler to keep left overs from dinners at home in (put them in a microwave dish and use the nuker at the truckstop), and things to make sandwichs with, get a sams club or costco membership and buy in bulk and in the type of packages that are one serving to keep the rest from going stale. Get frequent fueler cards so that you get coupons or points to use in the truckstops and free showers. Thats a start for you guys, im sure others will throw out other ideas and tips. Good luck and see you on the big road!

[mowman]

You're not going to be making much money for at least a year, and even then you won't be rich by any stretch of the imagination.

You're not going to be home much, and you'll have a lot of time to think about what you're missing at home.

It will be frustrating - maybe even depressing - when you want to reach out to those at home and they can't take your call because life goes on.

A lot of things will happen there that you're not aware of. You'll be kept informed as much as possible, but it will be difficult to bring you into a lot of the day-to-day decisions because you weren't there when everything went down.

You may have differences with your spouse regarding how your children should be brought up. Little things that are important to you, but not your spouse. It'll be frustrating, because your children probably won't get that because there's only so much your spouse can do alone.

I'd think long and hard about it.

[Doughboy70]

Thanks for your responses guys! Good advice all of it. I had not heard of the air card but I will look into that. I have wanted to be a truck driver since I was a kid. I know it will be tough on the kids but hopefully I can minimize that for the time I am over the road. Best of luck to you at Schnieder Jim I hope things go well for you! Hope to see all of you on the road soon. By the way I have written Flatbed Fred and I hope to call him this week for more info on TMC.

[One]

Id try going local ASAP. use OTR only to gain exp. so you can get in with a local outfit like an LTL carrier or regional carrier. no need to loose your family while being away. Look at local right now, but most require experience. Some big OTR carriers have local work too, but dont rely on a recruiters words.

[Doughboy70]

Thanks One. I definitely will not believe everything that the recruiters say. I will try looking for something local.

[wife_of_driver]

As the wife of a new trucker, I can say that I agree that having someone at home that is supportive and independent is going to help a lot. Just yesterday I spent over an hour on the phone and computer with my husband to help him find a better route to where he was going. Lots of phone calls home help the Mrs and the kids, but I think will help you too. The hardest part for my husband is when he's in the hotel alone. That's when the isolated feeling creeps in. If you have a good relationship at home, things will be rough for a little while. My kids ask every day when Daddy's coming home. They're 6 and 8. But, as time passes it gets a little easier. Good luck to you and your family, and be safe.

[Doughboy70]

Thanks for the advice. It's good to hear things from the wife's point of view. I hope that we can make it work. I know it will be tough but I think we will be fine. Thanks to everybody for the helpful comments.

[JoeyB]

Just yesterday I spent over an hour on the phone and computer with my husband to help him find a better route to where he was going.

I'll bet that helped your husband far beyond just finding an address. The idea that you were able to work together and accomplish a task even though seperated by miles is pretty cool.