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Yep, I can say trucking is working for my family. I have to admit that we have had a rocky relationship, but we always trusted each other though. If you don't have a solid trust for each other, it won't work.
Our relatonship has actually gotten alot better. When he comes home, he is usually out the door when he starts to get irritated and starts to comment about what I do and don't do that needs to be done. Actually those comments have bees starting to become less and less frequent. I could see where it would be more difficult with a relationship that was very good, and you don't want him there 24/7.
The other poster mentioned about the love side of the relationsip. All I can say is that you might want to think about a small $12 bullet/egg vibe at one of those "speciality stores". My husband told me that he rather have me have one of those instead of even thinking about other possibilities. He sorta has an equvilant for him. Mutual agreement. It only tides one over until your husband the real thing gets home.
As far as what the company tells your husband, don't believe them. There are always some type of catch to the bonuses, and the miles he was told may or may not be there. One thing I found out is usually the less a company is talked about and the harder it is to find information about, the better that company is. Those are usually smaller companies than the large ones such as swift, werner, crest, JB hunt, and ect.
Training pay and first year pay sucks pretty much. It will get better. Much better, especially after he gets some experience behind him and can move to a better company that pays more.
I'll give you one of the worst case secnorios - my own examples. After my husband drove 7 years as a school bus driver and never making enough to make ends meet. He finally gets fired, thank you Jesus. He was scared to quit before. He goes to school and gets his class A.
He started working for transport america. I don't have anything nice to say about them. Pay was like $300 a week with trainer. His first trainer was extremely bad, and decided to lie for us to the company. My husband was sick, and I called the trainer first letting him know hubby would not be able to go out. The trainer told me not to worry, and that he would call the company for me. We caught him in that lie though. My husband was in the hospital when the trainer said he refused to get on the truck with him. After that he got a very good trainer, but only survived for two months. They put three things on his DAC, which really shouldn't have been there.
If you don't know yet, DAC is the drivers credit report. Anything a company deems fit to put on, they will from getting stuck in the mud to having a roll over. Even if the things on the DAC are not really worth reporting such as accidently forgetting to remove a block to keep the truck from moving, and running over it. Well those will all count against the driver. Most companies will say they look into it, and then make a determation. Others will just look at how many and say next. That is basically what happened to my hubby.
About three months later he got a local job. After a year he lost his job. He was unemployed for six months. He had temp jobs here and there.
Then he finally had a break through. There were two companies willing to hire him. The one was a larger company. I was so scared that neither company would hire him, I basically told him if he gets the job with the larger co to go with it. Well it turned out that at the third day of orientation, they decided to lower the pay that was quoted to him originally, and have him go out with a trainer for three weeks. There were other things going on my husband didn't like. I was still with the mentality of him sticking with it. The company told him he had a choice to go with the trainer, or go home. Since they changed what was told him, they would pay the bus fair back, and it would have no affect on him. He chose to leave.
I was mad at the time, but am now extremely glad he decided to leave. He got a job with the other smaller co. I'm not going to ruin anything now by mentioning the name. He started 5 cpm a mile more putting us in the low 30's. He had three incidents in a short time that another larger co would have fired him for already. The worst was bridging the trailer on a Chicago tunnel. The tunnel was clearly marked, and it wasen't until the end of the tunnel that the road had just enough of a bump that he couldn't get through without hitting something. He was already in the middle of the tunnel, which was tight in the first place. He didn't have room to move to avoid.
He had to get the corner patched, until they could get it in for proper repairs. Could have been much worse though. I think he was just a little rusty when he started back.
He has been there since near the beginning of the year. He is basically happy with the company. The company still seems to be happy with him. They had him up to Canada, and over to California. They don't have too many California runs though. They mainly stay over to the east, which he is fine with. He was complaining about the Arzonia heat while he was in that state.
As far as the money goes, it does help that I live in a low income area. One of the sweetest experiences I have had recently that haven't had since our nine years of marriage is that I now have more than enough money to pay the bills. Just today I was able to pay off an old debt we owed finally. I actually have a savings account with a little built up. I paid to have our van fixed with money instead of credit. I'm finally able to have a tooth that has been bothering me pulled not this Thrusday, but next Thrudsay.
For us the money is getting better. His future looks bright, as long as he keeps his nose clean.
Must haves have already been said, but will repeat:
1) Cell Phone
2) Cooler
3) Cooker/warmer and loaf pans
4) CB or XM radio to find out the weather
5) At least two weeks worth of food and clothes
6) A container or two for smaller necessities. A zip bag or other container to keep reciepts in that can be used for tax purposes.
7) A jar for change
8) This will only work with a bank where you can check the balance online, and allows you to see all of your accounts and transfer money between accounts in a split second. It is also better if the bank does the transactions quickly at any time of the day, and the money is automatically in the other account to use.
To give him his own bank account with his own debit card. You can transfer money to it from your main account. He won't have to worry about checks, and knows exactly how much he has to spend. It also helps when he needs an emergancy $20 or $30 for tolls. The company he works for re-imburses for tolls.
9) Some type of camera either a disposable, or one you can have film developed. So he can take pictures incase he is in an accident, or someone backs into him
10) TV/vcr to help keep him entertained and/or
11) Lap Top if you can afford one
If he can get online with wireless, then he can do many things online. I think he may even be able to pick up some internet TV. My husband has a wireless card and can pick up free wireless, but it is spotty.
He has two programs that do cost, but help him greatly. Drivers Daily Log, and truck miles. Drivers Daily Log is a ligetimate program that some companies actually allow their drivers use for the company logs. My husband uses it to help him figure out his logs, and make sure he is not in violation. Truck miles with streets helps him find the best truck route to take.
Other than that, he has his favorite games, real arcade, Vongo, and etc.
Vongo is hosted by the stars channel. Some like it, and some don't. It has older movies, but you can down load them to your computer. They will stay there until they expire from Vongo. My husband can download movies from home, and watch them while out on the road.
This is something you can do with the kids. Get a large street map of the US, and hang it on the wall. Keep track of where he goes, and mark those places on the map. Your kids also get to learn US geography at the same time. I have them find the state, and then help them find the city.
Basically it is up to you on how this works. Don't worry, panick, agonize, feel sorry for your self, get depressed because he isn't there, and everything will be fine. Find things to do. Do things you always wanted to, but never did because you thought he wouldn't like to do those things. Have a hobby that you put off, because you felt you didn't have time or he wouldn't be interested in. Now is the perfect time to get back into it. Rent movies you always been wanting to watch, but never got around to. Get out, go do something, and have fun.
I never use to like to drive, but now I'm driving to various places. Then again you may be more like me. I like to hang around home, and sit in front of the computer being lazy. :twisted: My husband never liked that. I'm ok, as long as this place is a little cleaner than before he left. Unless I had a cold like I just did. A two week cold with a menstral cycle. UGH... :evil:
From here on in, always try to think positivly even if things don't seem like they are going well. Like when I just about had a conption fit because my husband walked away from USA truck. Yet, that was the best thing he could have ever done.
If you think positivly, your mind will show you in many different ways how your life is positive, and many different reasons to be grateful. If you think negative, your mind will take you on a wild roller coaster ride to the brink of insanity and break down. It will show you all the ways your life is miserable and wreched, and then even invent more ways until your totally depressed. Then when positive things do happen, you will only be able to see them in a negative light. You will start to think your life is miserable and nothing positive ever happens.
Don't let that happen to you. The best way to defeat that type of thinking is to find something positive even in the worst situation. Yes, I know it is a Pollyanna attitude, but it can save you from a mental break down litterally.
It is much better to think more positively than negatively. In a weird way, when I think more positively about things even negative things, it seems that more positive situations come my way or appear in front of me. If I think negativly, then things seem to go from bad to worse to worse, until it seems like my life is all but one big mess that I wish I wasen't living in any longer.
It takes alot more effort to climb your way out of thinking negatively to thinking positively, than it does to slide down from thinking positive to thinking negatively. That is what you want, need, and have to avoid if your family is going to hold together.
One final thought. The most important thing you can do is to keep the lines of communication open day and night. Make sure you both understand each other before hanging up. If either of you needs to hang up, let the other person know that there will be a call back to finish the conversation. Make sure you call back, even if he was suppose to. It will be more easier for him to forget to call you back than it will be for you to forget to call him back. Remember he is out there thinking about you and the kids as much as you and the kids are thinking about him.
Be blessed, and stay safe.
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