How many of you took the jump and.............??

[scania]

Happy with your (otr) job,or regretting it?
I'm 44 years old and actually realizing here lately that I've never had a job that I enjoyed.Yes I have a good paying job now,for last 13 years been at the papermill but never been really happy there.
I've always been pretty much a loner and always loved to drive my truck.
Just seems like a job I could actually enjoy doing,and yes I'm married but that's another subject if you know what I mean.

Anyway enough said,do you enjoy otr mostly or do regret making this career change?

[Evinrude]

Happy with your (otr) job,or regretting it?
I'm 44 years old and actually realizing here lately that I've never had a job that I enjoyed.Yes I have a good paying job now,for last 13 years been at the papermill but never been really happy there.
I've always been pretty much a loner and always loved to drive my truck.
Just seems like a job I could actually enjoy doing,and yes I'm married but that's another subject if you know what I mean.

Anyway enough said,do you enjoy otr mostly or do regret making this career change?

I work at a papermill for 20 years. It closed 2005. I am otr now. With all the benefits and salary the mill paid. otr is about 3 times less pay than the mill. But if your a loner and don't mind being paid for 90 % of hub miles this is the job for you.

[wot i life]

Its like anything else in life; you have some regrets and some high points.

[tjv189]

OTR was definitely not for me, and the sad part is I love running around and seeing the country. You might be wondering, "How could you not have liked being OTR then?", and my response is this: You will soon find out after being an OTR company driver that unless you work for a GREAT company, you will have to put up with a TON of bull**** every day, you will be underpaid, never know when you will be coming home until a few hrs prior to your arrival at home, and you will hardly ever get to see the parts of the country that you want to see.

So that is why I didn't like it, but everyone is different and some love it for what it is.

[Trucker4Life]

OTR was definitely not for me, and the sad part is I love running around and seeing the country. You might be wondering, "How could you not have liked being OTR then?", and my response is this: You will soon find out after being an OTR company driver that unless you work for a GREAT company, you will have to put up with a TON of bull**** every day, you will be underpaid, never know when you will be coming home until a few hrs prior to your arrival at home, and you will hardly ever get to see the parts of the country that you want to see.

So that is why I didn't like it, but everyone is different and some love it for what it is.

Oh, that is just an invitation for CFM to chime in...

[dennis in se pa]

I am about to find out. I am at Roehl's RDTC program in Wisconsin now. I am having a blast. This is not as difficult as I thought. I am looking forward to national OTR. 10 days to go! I guess I will find out how long it remains attractive to me.
respects,
Dennis in se pa (currently in the middle of Wisconsin)

[TomB985]

Well, I've only been driving with Roehl for about 3 weeks now, but so far I am enjoying myself. Sure, there is some BS to put up with, but overall I've had a great time out here.

As far as working with a great company, I'm sure that has a lot to do with it. Roehl has treated me very well, overall. I am a new driver, and I got a truck that was barely a year old, and had just 101,000 miles on it. They do not encourage, nor do they put up with running illegal, and they never have given me any trouble over not having the hours to make an appointment.

A lot of it is how you look at it, I guess. Just yesterday I went to pick up a relay load at a drop yard. Unfortunately, I got there and the load wasn't there, as the driver dropping it off was still in traffic. I called dispatch and asked what was going on, and they told me where the driver was and that it shouldn't have been long. I waited about 30 minutes, and he arrived. No big deal. Occasionally I've had to wait a few hours for a load, but mostly that had to do with me being in a remote corner of the world, not my dispatcher trying to screw me, as many drivers like to believe.

I'd say do your homework, find a good company to get started with, and give it a shot. If it doesn't work out, you could go back to your old job, I guess...

BTW...I'm that 22 year old punk kid many like to complain about, so my perspective may be a bit different from yours

[choperbob]

being a widower with grown kids, i love this job. i like being alone in my head days at a time. not having a boss looking over my shoulder, not having to listen to whining coworkers, knowing what is expected of me and doing what i need to to get it there on time. i got into this work at the right time of my life, it is a great fit for me.

[jamesinge]

Never regret becoming a Trucker. I love it.
OTR is another story for me though. I can only stand it for a while before having to go back local.
It does have its draw though because I keep going back when I get that itch. Soon as its scratched though poof , back to town for me.

[Night Zombie]

I went into linehaul straight out of cdl school, although I was trained by my co to do OTR. So I have an idea what OTR is like.

I like my linehaul job pretty much.

But there is some drama amongst the coworkers. You see the same coworkers a lot, doing linehaul, so the potential for favoritsm, resentment, paranoia, and fear and loathing, (who gets the good truck, who gets the flexible schedule, etc, etc, etc...) is always there.

I do not regret getting into trucking. Been doing it for a year now. It's a lot better than my previous jobs.

[just_froggy]

Just my opinion. If you are 44, have 13 years in a papermill, and there is no threat of a shutdown, layoffs or whatnot, stay were you are. Think of your benefits, retirement, ect. I don't know much about papermills, but I'll bet you will take one hell of a paycut.

[Copperhead]

Let's see.... been at this two decades now.... guess I am satisfied with taking the "leap". Definately not for everyone. But then I guess that is why someone can go to a few weeks of truck training and within a year or two, be making close to $50K.

It gets easier over the years. Mostly because, if you can keep a clean MVR and CDL, almost every company out there is bugging you to come work for them. It's a blast to try and negotiate with them for perks. If they don't come around to offering a few "niceties" I just tell them, "no problem, got a job now. You can't get a Porche for the price of a ford focus".

Just like most other jobs... you got to "pay your dues" before the offers start flowing in.

[scania]

Yeh,the money would suck.......
But I have some issues going on in my life right now like a marriage in a downward spiral,always been a restless kinda guy and a loner,followed construction jobs all over the country for 10 years,guess it kinda stayed in my blood.
I can get my CDL here for $2500 in 8 weeks,I'm going to find out if I can take evening classes after work or just weekends and take it from there.

[scania]

:twisted: .

[harleypiper]

Well I just got back after being out 3 weeks with a trainer. The key thing is to find a company that will treat you for what you are worth. After school I didn't think it would be as difficult as it was. It was a little over whelming at first but after spending 3 weeks in the truck, it became your daily routine. I wasn't once bored. We didn't bust our hump, and the company paid for hotel rooms for both of us, meaning we each had our own room. Even though he had a sleeper, he wasn't required to stay in it if training someone. I guess the only difficult part was learning to drive his way. I learned one way is school, another way with the first trainer and now another way with the last trainer. I think when I'm out on my own I will combine the 3 and figure out my way. We were pulling a tank all over which is definately a challange but after learning what the company is going t pay me for, I think I made a great choice for my 2nd career. Heck, when they needed a copy of my birth certificate, they were even going to re-imburse me the fee that I paid to the city. Good Luck