I have a family should I get into Trucking?
 

I have read alot of posts that say do not be a trucker if you have a family.
The reason I would get into trucking is because of my family, better pay, better benefits, and a promising future in a reliable profession. I have been doing construction work that took me out of town during the week and I came home on the weekends, when I got home, I appreciated my wife and son more. I am confused about the pay, do you make good money driving a truck and is it worth it? Please give me all the advise you guys can, I am trying to make a good choice for my family, thanks.

Re: I have a family should I get into Trucking?
 

It all depends upon your definitons of the above items. Some people may think $35,000 per year is "better".

Imagine how much you will appreciate them after being on the road for a month or more. That is, if they remember you.

I speak from experience, if you have young children, OTR is no place for you. Divorced fathers get more visitation with their children than OTR drivers. Let's look at the numbers - you will probably get 1 day off for every 7 out. So for an entire year (assuming you take no vacation days), you will see your family for just over 52 days. 52 days of family vs. 313 days away from them.

Try being on deployment for 14 months with nothing but a pen and piece of paper to stay in touch with your family. You can let opinions in these forums influence your decision.. naturally, happens to the best of us. But in the end you just need to try it. If it doesn't work out then try something else.

Re: I have a family should I get into Trucking?
 

I have 2 children and have been with millis for 2 months on my own. I dont think anyone but you can answer that ?. being away for 2 weeks at a time doesnt make you a bad father. plenty of people have made good lives and supported their family driving truck. but dont fool yourself into thinking its all great. its hard work. when your gone your gone nothing you can do 2,000 miles away from home. i've spent more than a couple nights alone and guilt ridden for doing what I "dreamed of". honestly its hard for a loving father to do this job, every car that passes you with kids reminds you of how bad you want to be home for your kids.
Listen to what some of these people say and make sure this is something you think you will enjoy cause its not a job its a life style and it changes you and your life. dont think that "it will be diffrent for you" cause it wont. yes you can provide a decent income for your family if you dont eat it up on the road. Honestly i'll finish out my year here and look for something else local or go back to managment. when my kids grow up and move on then i'll come back out here cause its in my blood and for some sick reason i do love the life but I love my children more and home is where I belong at this point in my life. good luck think it through long and hard

I guess the Rev is referring to hauling van trailers. Don't know much about it, but I wouldn't touch a box trailer for the life of me! Boxes are for slobs. Haul a flatbed, get home most weekends (not an exaggeration, typically every weekend, barring breakdowns, and of course, depends on the company), get a little bit of a workout (easier than construction), and make much more than a box hauler. If you're used to being out for a week or so at a time, flatbedding shouldn't be much different. Just don't listen to these truckers who've only experienced the misery of dryvan and reefer-hauling. They do stay out for weeks at a time and are lucky to get a couple days at home each month. Flatbedding is much different. Give Maverick or TMC a call. They'll hook you up.

Or maybe McElroy over in Cuba, AL....they promise you'll be home every weekend. And from where you are they would be a regional run.

Generally I agree with what was said.

Many places with a healthy economy will have local work that you can get into too. Construction, Garbage, Food-service, LTL etc. The whole " pay your dues OTR" first is something of a myth these days.

While you CAN do OTR with a family it does not mean that it is a good idea. Another angle to consider is teaming. If you can tolerate it and find a good partner you can make good money and have better home time that running solo.

Re: I have a family should I get into Trucking?
 

I am not a driver. I am the wife to a driver and thought I would give my 2cents worth. First off the best advise that I can give is to talk this over real good with your wife. Include your wife in on this kind of change. The other advise that I give is to keep communications open, have faith and trust because trust me it takes a lot in this life. I will be honest with you the first few months will be the hardest because of training. Is this life hard yes it is hard being away from your loved ones but it is only as hard as one makes it. Will your wife and child miss you, you bet they will but you will also miss them. This will be hard on all of you if you choose to go into trucking you just need to look for the positive in all of it. To be quite honest I think it is hardest on my husband because he sometimes might go all day with not talking to anyone but me, but yet I have talked with our kids went to a friends for coffee...he sees pictures of the kids and I...me I get to see pictures of him and get to play cards with the kids...I get to see the funny things the kids do or see them them doing something real great I get to tell him about it over the phone. With all that said we are grateful for every single bit of it. In my own personal opinion yes you can have a family and be in trucking it just takes hard work to make it work from both sides.

Hope that helps with a view from the home front side. Good luck to you and your family. Just remember to look for the positive in all of this. Like I said above this life is only as hard as one makes it.

Yikes! You do know the Rev (and I) are bedbuggers and are probably some of the most hardest working drivers on this board. Flatbedding aint easy, but give the HHG "box" guys their due! :)

I'm definitely not talking about bed buggers. I'm a hard worker, but even I'd have reservations about that. :wink:

If you have been used to being gone all week, there won't be much difference in driving over the road if you can find a carrier who will get you home weekly. It seems that most carriers will get you home about every 2 weeks for about 1-2 days, after your training period. There will be a training period where you will likely be assigned a trainer once you get with a carrier. The training period varies according to the carrier and your abilities. Some training companies keep trainee's out as long as 6 weeks. Once you get your own truck, your earnings should improve. Pay from most carriers during the training period is usually low. With your own truck, you will earn based primarily on your ability and performance. Most companies pay mileage. The more miles you run the bigger the paycheck. Some carriers will pay extra for loading/unloading and doing multiple stops with the same load.

You can earn an above average income provided you stay out of the truck stops and keep the drivers door shut. In other words, you need to be consistent in the way you work. This is a slow time of year, but you should average between 2,200-3,000 miles per week year around. If you are doing your planning I would use 2,500 miles per week for my calculations. That should be close to actual average miles with most carriers.

There is a learning curve. We all experience it, starting out. You will need to learn how to manage your time and pace yourself. Your body will need to adjust to a schedule which may not always be consistent. Your earnings will be lower initially and will improve as you hone your skills. I call this time paying your dues. I would plan on staying with a carrier for at least a year. The longer you stay at a carrier the better your opportunities will be. Contrary to what some believe, there are more opportunities for those who don't move around from carrier to carrier too much. The better carriers are looking for stability. Some carriers will not hire anyone with more than 3 jobs in 2 years. Good luck.

goodluck
 

goodluck