[scania]

Job is a job,some are easier than others but still it's a..........job.

[Cluggy619]

You know, I've been driving a truck of some kind since May 2000, after my brother showed me his check for hauling cars. From their, I haul concrete for different companies, and got into the tanker hauling around 3 years ago. I've been hauling fuel for over 1 1/2 years now. All of this time, with the exception of the 4 months I spent with JB Hunt, I have done local driving.

A man with a family should be with his family. Now, I was lucky enough to live in a area where locals jobs are around. Some do not, and OTR is the only way.

If your going to go OTR, make sure is with a good company with a good reputation. Finding out your with a crappy company after your on the road is not only hard on you, but your family as well.

In todays world, you can find out anything about a company by using the internet and searching. This is a great time we live in where all of this information is right at your fingertips. However, others, who will misguide you, are out there as well.

Finding a good company will allow you to feel that you have a purpose, and your family will see it when you come home. A bad company will leave you asking "why am I still doing this BS?" And your family will pick up on that as well. So be very selective when choosing a company.

Good luck.

[mbadriver]

Cell phone with unlimited minutes.

Originally Posted by Uturn2001

There is no two ways about it. The demands of being an OTR or regional truck driver can be hard on family relationships, but at the same time it does not have to be death sentence for your marriage or mean that you can not be a part of your children's lives.

The first thing that you and your family need to accept is that the driver can not be home for every ball game, dance recital, for every bump, bruise, and illness or injury that comes along. You will have to decide what events are the most important for you to be there for and work with your company on being there for them.

The next thing that you and your spouse need to come to terms with is that the person who stays at home is in charge of the home. You have to trust your spouse to take care of most everything and you have to accept that they may not do things the way you would if you were there, but as long as it gets done does it really matter how it got done? Also the person who stays at home needs to develop the skills and confidence to tackle the jobs that you would normally do.

Probably the biggest key to making all of this work is communication. You and your spouse need to learn how to really talk and listen to each other and you need to talk often. Every day if at all possible, even if it is just for 5 minutes to see how each other and the kids are doing and to say "I love you." Cell phones work well for this, and if you go with a family share plan you can call each other "free of charge" and talk as long as you want or need to. Also do not forget to spend a few minutes talking with your kids whenever you have or can make the time. Hearing your voice and you taking an active interest in what is going on in their lives goes a long way.

When you do manage to come home work on making what time you have there high quality with both your spouse and your children. This does not mean you have to do things "special" or expensive, it just means to spending time with them and being an active and willing participant in what is going on. This alone will make those time special.

When you are on the road let your family know where you are and where you are going. Get a map of the USA and Canada (if you go there) so they can see where you are going. Send postcards from some of the areas you are going to. Everyone loves to get mail, especially children. The idea here is to share with them what you are doing.

Communication, trust and sharing are important to any relationship, but to anyone who is unable to be there every day it becomes critical. Work on these always and it is possible that you may find your marriage stronger than ever. Fail to understand and appreciate their importance and you are going to be in for a rough ride.

Finally, before entering the field as an OTR/regional driver make sure that you have the support of your family. If they can not or do not support this then there is little hope that your career or your marriage will last long.

[/list]

[Big Daddy RECON]

Uturn, that was a good post.

Being a person looking to get into the industry I found it not a downer or negative but a reinforcment of what i "assumed" for the family

It is just a reality that if you are an OTR driver your going to miss things, but I look at it as a acceptable sacrifice for a better time later in my childrens lives.

Now I am going to sacrafice tucking my 4yo daughter in at night but when she needs me later in life I will be there AND as a by product of the industry be able to give her the things she wants.

I hear alot of BS about how starting drivers don't make any money...blah blah...

well I have been a motorcycle mechanic for the last 6 years and rated one of the top on the east coast by Harley Davidson AHD Honda of america, and I tell you this after that amount of time you would think I made quite a bit. The reallity is I didn't, I made far less then a 6 year driver with a BAD company let alone one that wants you to suceed.

and lastly,
hey mbadriver, why is it every post I read of yours, your pissing on someone else's parade. You have all this negative to put in and nothing to substantiate it. Please, if all you have to say is bad keep it. Your not helping us "possible" new hires, seriously! You very well maybe a supertrucker and all but you have posted nothing in this entire forum to help this industry grow.

[mbadriver]

Originally Posted by Big Daddy RECON

Uturn, that was a good post.

You very well maybe a supertrucker and all but you have posted nothing in this entire forum to help this industry grow.

The only person who can help this industry grow is Ben S. Bernanke. Look for a half point rate cut :wink:

[wildkat]

Here's my take from a woman's point of view...

I've been trucking for 29 years now, have been all over the US & Canada, always run solo.

was a single parent for 15 of those years, I stayed local to regional till my girls were grown, then ran long haul for a few years, didn't like it much, & the money was not as good as I'd hoped, road expenses were too high.

I married 10 years ago to a man who had been my friend for the previous 10. He understands me, my dedication to my career, doesn't try to compete with me, & is not intimidated by me.

I decided 5 years ago I had had enough pof being gone all the time & found a carrier to lease on to that runs regional, I am pretty much home every weekend now & still work extremely hard, as running in the arctic takes it's toll in ways that no other place can. The isolation & loneliness can be literally deadly.

I love what I do, it's not just a job, or a means to an end. It's not only what I do, but what I am.

Like many have stated, trucking is not for everyone, but for some, like me, there is no other way.

[mbadriver]

I wish people would quit referring to trucking as a profession. Someone put the Professional Driver tag on us to shift responsibility from the company to the driver.

This is not a profession. At best, it is a skilled trade. It is a job, not a profession. It is not a career, because there is no path to the next step in the career. For instance, you graduate college and go into banking. You get hired, you go into a training program, you become a branch manager, then go to a larger branch, then you manage several locations, etc, etc.

The career path I see, is you can work for Werner, Swift, etc. and become a trainer. I guess you would then be a Professional Educator and start going to PTA meetings.

Originally Posted by GMAN

There are a number of pros and cons to this profession. One thing for certain is that it is a job which requires you to be more responsible for yourself.

[wildkat]

Originally Posted by mbadriver

I wish people would quit referring to trucking as a profession. Someone put the Professional Driver tag on us to shift responsibility from the company to the driver.

This is not a profession. At best, it is a skilled trade. It is a job, not a profession. It is not a career, because there is no path to the next step in the career. For instance, you graduate college and go into banking. You get hired, you go into a training program, you become a branch manager, then go to a larger branch, then you manage several locations, etc, etc.

The career path I see, is you can work for Werner, Swift, etc. and become a trainer. I guess you would then be a Professional Educator and start going to PTA meetings.

Hmmm...I'm afraid I have to respectfully disagree with you here...at least, in my experience, where I work it goes something like this...

Step One...Dock worker
Step 2...Shunt truck
Step 3... City P & D driver
Step 4... Linehaul Driver
Step 5... City Dispatch
Step 6... Linehaul Dispatch
Step 7... Operations, Safety or Terminal Manager
Step 8... VP in charge of Operations, sales, etc

Everyone, YES everyone of our upper management was once a DRIVER! Everyone of them has been "out there"

Maybe that's why we have ZERO turn over (we haven't hired a driver in over 2 years & then that was only to replace 2 guys that retired after 40+ years with the comapny) & why we all get along...hmmm... maybe they are onto something...SHHHHH don't tell anyone.... :lol: :lol:

[groovemachine]

Great thread! As a prospective driver studying the industry, the family aspect is the only thing keeping me back at this point. The great question for so many of us is...will the jobs available to us after 2-3 years in the industry warrant being away from home so often during those first 2-3 years.

Do the ends of having a cush dedicated or local run justify the means of being otr for several years to gain experience?

:?

[Ridge Runner]

Originally Posted by wildkat

Hmmm...I'm afraid I have to respectfully disagree with you here...at least, in my experience, where I work it goes something like this...

Step One...Dock worker
Step 2...Shunt truck
Step 3... City P & D driver
Step 4... Linehaul Driver
Step 5... City Dispatch
Step 6... Linehaul Dispatch
Step 7... Operations, Safety or Terminal Manager
Step 8... VP in charge of Operations, sales, etc

Everyone, YES everyone of our upper management was once a DRIVER! Everyone of them has been "out there"

Maybe that's why we have ZERO turn over (we haven't hired a driver in over 2 years & then that was only to replace 2 guys that retired after 40+ years with the comapny) & why we all get along...hmmm... maybe they are onto something...SHHHHH don't tell anyone.... :lol: :lol:

Wildkat,

Thank you for pointing that fact out. The trucking industry is like any other in respect to support personal. I had been in management for over 15 years before moving to the trucking industry. I had a plan going in and have worked the plan. Got my CDL"A", drove OTR 1 year to get hired by a local company, Drove two years local and now I am a dispatcher/supervisor. I also picked-up my State CDL instructor license and was offered a full time job teaching with a local (private) school. I do teach part time there and love it. I like where I'm at now and find it a challenge. I have NEVER regreted my choice to go into this profession. The doors that have been opened and those that have yet to be opened offer me a way to provide for myself and my family.

Everybody has different dreams. This is the one industry that I found that can't be out-sourced and offers unlimited growth.

BTW: I haven't closed the door on going back OTR one day with my wife after the kids are grown. :wink: :lol: