I apologize for all of a sudden all these posts from me. But, I've been lurking on this site for almost 2 years trying to find out as much information as I can. And now as the day is getting nearer that I plan on entering Trucking School, I have all these questions.

There is a bumper sticker that reads: a bad day fishing is better than a good day at the office.

My question is: Is a bad day on the road better than a good day at the office?

I guess this question would be directed towards those of you that went from office jobs to driving.

Thanks! Steve

 

Depends on what you call a bad day.

If you have a Bad Day as a truck driver you can get yourself or someone else killed.

I was in corporate america for 27 years as a computer programmer.

My worse day ever doing that was 92 hours long with no sleep, having to repair computer hardware, and the major reconstruction of data that happened after that. It was after a hurricane and we didn't 'blow air' long enough in the drives and we had multiple head crashes. Out of 7 drives, 5 had head crashes of those 3 lost all the heads. Have I come close to this truck driving - nope.

It really depends on how you view what is going on, depends on how you deal with the situation.

If you are one that gets upset over frequent changes in plans, dealing with people that have no clue as to what you do, long periods of boredom followed by pronounced periods of terror --- if this is you then you will have a lot of 'bad days".

 

I've been to war... and survived. There are no "Bad Days" after that. Every day's a holiday, and very meal's a banguet. BOL

 

Sealord I agree with no contest between combat and office.

But, the OP was asking for comparisons between office and driving.

 

There is no real way to compare. Trucking is a highly unique occupation that does not compare well to other more typical occupations. There are unique stresses, pressures, and yes even pleasures. Some handle these well while others do not. Trucking in any form, and especially OTR/regional trucking is not for everyone.

IMHO those who crave human contact or NEED to be with their families frequently or those who have anger control issues or those who are unwilling or unable to adapt quickly to an ever changing environment (work/social/meteorological/etc) have a low chance of finding success in trucking.