Isometimes wish I had looked a little deeper before I done the carreer change to be an OTR driver.1st I had 15yrs. at a plant with a good job ,good pay 22.00/hr plus all the ot I wanted ect.ect.ect. .But I really wasn't happy there. I had always wanted to be a truck druver ever since I was a Kid,at 46 I decided to take the plunge.After 4 months I still realy love the change and gave my notice at the plant . I 've been at it now for 10months and actually still love what i'm doing. Sure there are a lot of days i wonder what the hell have I done but I calm down and say to myself you did the right thing. I average 5500.00/mthand have been home every week end since I started (sometimes they are short,but mostly 2 days), and trintron is right. There are good things and bad things about this carrer but that's the same as any thing in life , nothing is perfect. The one thing I like about this carreer is that it is a proud proffession. why? it is one of the only jobs left that you get paid for what you do.if you want to make money you find a way to work hard and smart and get it done or you can relaxe and get paid less, in a factory or office you get paid to show up,you can work hard and make ,say 22.00/hr or you can dog it and still make 22.00/hr. get my point. sure you get the long waits at the shippers/receivers and that does tick me off . it's like they are stealing 30.00/hr from you. but that is part of the proffession.Notice I don't call driving a truck a blue collar job, and besides what is wrong blue collar workers ect. ,. To get to the point of your question ,I think you kind of all ready know what it is like ,only you can answer that after you try it . Would I recomend it to someone else ,damned straight if that is what they want to do. My 19 year old son has come with me a few times and he said he could never do it ,well that's fine but if he said dad I want to be a truck driver I would encourage all the way but at the same time give him as much insight as possible including this site ,there is a vast amount of knowlege here. I don't know you or anything but if it's something you want to try go for it ,you can allways quit if it's not for you,you only live once and only get one crack at it. As far as the nea sayers if they truly hated it they wouldn't be driving truck today,they always say they don't know any thing else , that IS crap.

 

I was in Tool and Die for 5 years work but that is going mostly over seas.

I was briefly in health care, a growing stable career that is not greatly affected by lay offs. People often talk about how bad trucking is but if you spent a few weeks working at a hospital you might change your mind. You may have to change peoples clothing because they are unable to do so. Scooping up poop, vomit and blood from patients. Assisting a screaming patient (who was a bystander, caught in the middle of a gas store robbery)who had been shot 2 times in the chest and dies 45 minutes later. Try taking a 2 yr old who was burned to death in a fire to an x ray table for arson investigators. Try working with a patient who you have so much in common with slowly dying from cancer. Witnessing death 3-4 times a week is normal for many, not for me.

I have driven for 15 months OTR and it has some bad sides but there are far worse jobs out there. I would rather do this than be a corrections officer, police officer, nurse, coal miner or work at Walmart and bring home $160.00 a week.

 

There are several professions where you are away from home, such as the military and traveling salesmen. I wonder if they whine about not being paid 24/7? I doubt it. There will always be things you like and dislike about most any job. There are positive and negatives about driving a truck. It isn't something everyone can or will do. I think some people just enjoy complaining and being unhappy. They would complain and enjoy their misery no matter what they did for a living. Like the military and traveling salesmen, trucking takes a certain type of personality to be successful. There are some dispatchers who lie and make promises they cannot keep. There are also drivers who lie, cheat and steal from their employers. You don't condemn an entire industry for a few bad apples. There are some people who get into trucking and simply cannot cut it. The same can be said of the military or many other professions. If we were all the same there would be no need for so many different career choices. Were this such a bad career choice there would not be so many from different backgrounds coming into this industry. That tells me more about this industry than anything someone would say. There are businessmen, military, salesmen, college professors, attorney's, law enforcement, doctors and just about any other profession you could name who have abandoned their previous career or professions for a career in trucking. That says a lot about this profession. If it were that bad, all these people would not be flocking to this business.

As far as all the regulations are concerned. We do have more regulations to comply with than most professions. You usually don't need to fear the DOT or weigh stations if you are following the rules and going your job. If you do your daily pre-trip and keep your logs current you should not have to worry too much about the DOT or law enforcement. Most problems drivers have with the DOT are the result of their own behavior rather than the DOT targeting them. If you fail to keep your truck up and don't take time to do your logs, then it will come back to bite you at some point. There are some DOT people who seem to be over zealous in their enforcement techniques. Most are simply doing their job. I have been cut some slack by just having a good attitude and treating these officers with respect. My attitude was usually reciprocated. A driver with a poor attitude is not going to do well in this situation. I have had a couple who have had attitudes, but they are usually courteous and business like. Their attitude is most likely coming from the driver who was just ahead of me.

The short of it is simply this. This is a profession where you will need to be away more than be home. You will probably miss some things with the children and family to earn a good living. Most of the time you can work around getting home for holidays or special times. You can choose to eat right and take care of yourself. You can earn an above average income. You can work as long as you keep a good MVR and can pass a DOT physical. Those drivers who seem to be unhappy are normally more willing to complain than communicate with their company. Most problems can be worked out with proper communication. You will get out of this business exactly what you put into it.

 

Well said,I'm in maintenance right now,you have people complaining there simply because they have to do their job they try to pass it down the seniority line.

 

This is a great thread...
Every point of view has been touched on. Obviously lotsa pros and lotsa cons.
Gman and a bunch of you mentioned other occupations in comparison to OTR.
I've done a truckload of other things that might seem glamorious to others on the outside but sucked to those of us actually doing the job. Just like OTR ads with the beautiful sunsets and gorgeous mountain views.
It's all a charade.
Like many of you posted, it's what you make it. It all starts "upstairs" in the noggin. It is what it is and it is what you make it.
I've been a disc jockey. Great gig. Low pay. Corporate bs. Some ole songs and commercials over and over and over....every day.
I've been a traveling salesman. Covered lotsa miles all over the countryside facing lotsa rejection. Every day. Drive 175 miles to an appt and the guy is a no-show. Happens more often than not.
I've sold retail. I've sold dooor-to-door. I've layed blacktop in the middle of summer when it's 90 and stifling humidity.
I've trashed out foreclosed properties for banks. Just when you think someone can't get any more disgusting with the way they live, another property gets faxed over and that one is more disgusting than than the one you thought couldn't get any worse.
My point is every single job has it's good and bad points to it. Every single one. Except maybe James Bond.
What I've learned to do over the years is get a piece of yellow notebook paper. Draw a line right down the middle of it from top to bottom. At the top of one side write "pros" and at the top of the other side write "cons".
It's called the "Ben Franklin Rule" and it goes way back to his time.
It's a simple but very effective way to either proceed with your decision (the pros outweigh the cons) or to move onto something else (the cons outweight the pros)
Sit down and write down everything negative you can think about OTR (or whatever it may be) on one side of the paper.
Then write down everything positive, or good, that you think OTR can provide for you.
Add them up and you'll have your answer. You have it written down in black and white right in front of you.
There is an abundance of information right here on this site, and alot of the answers to any question can be fielded here as well, from every opinion.
Trucking has always been a colorful profession. If your out here long enough you can meet just about anyone from every walk of life. The good, the bad ones, and the real ugly ones.
Holy moly are some of you guys butt ugly.
The profession was better 20-25 yrs ago no bout a doubt it. I made over $40k back then having one day off for every week out. There was alot less traffic, a tad bit more consideration than nowdays, definately more courtesy back then than now. Cementheads were still scribbling on bathroom walls way back then so alot hasn't changed. Morons were still pissing in empty Gatorade bottles and leaving them in the parking lots back then too.
Some things change and some things stay the same.
Except for a host of new rules and regulations every year or two (don't forget to put that in your "negative" column), trucking in itself pretty much stays the same and only the characters keep rotating.

 

 

Any respect towards an experienced driver who's trying to help someone else out BigDiesel? Or are you one of those selfish, inconsiderate drivers we see out here every day? I think I know the answer... :roll:

 

Every forum has at least one resident DICK. We have two.

 

ROFL :rock: Too funny! And OK: I'll bite! Who's the other one? :lol: :wink: