Why do you guys do it?
 

Hey guys. I've posted a ton of questions on here over the past couple of months as I was trying to decide if trucking was for me and my family or not. I've decided against it unless I wind up doing the Roehl 7 on/7 off deal and run my business on the side. But, I do have a question. I've talked with SOOO many truckers at truck stops that absolutely hate their jobs and are very negative. I've also read many post on here about how bad trucking is and how most people seem to hate it. With that being the case, why do these guys continue to do a job that they hate? THat just wears you down physically and mentally. I'm not trying to be a smart aleck but I was honestly wondering. Me for example, I hate my desk job with a passion so I'm trying to make a change. Just curious here. THanks.

Speaking for them, i would say that perhaps you can't do nothing else. And this is a relatively easy job that pays ok.

For myself, i enjoy driving. And it's not just a job, it's an adventure.

Re: Why do you guys do it?
 

Most truckers don't hate their jobs. They just love bitc*ing more! :lol:

Most truckers just hate being under ANY control. Therefore, they complain constantly about anyone who screws up their daily lives!

SOME people (not just truckers) complain about their jobs because it makes them feel better about themselves. You know..... "I must be a superhero if I can put up with all this and STILL be the best trucker on the road!"

Insecurity is part of being human. We all need reassurance. We're very PROUD of the fact that we can drive these beasts. And we want YOU to know it!

Our parents didn't LOVE us, and our employers don't STROKE us! So... we stroke ourselves by telling you how hard our lives are! We couldn't claim that if we didn't say we hated our jobs!

Lying on the CB is a major part of our lives! We just can't seem to stop it when we get to the lunch counter! :wink:

Is any of this ringing a bell with you? No? Then, you wouldn't want to be a trucker! :lol:

Best of luck to you in what you decide. Trucking parttime (7 on 7 off) isn't the best way to start out, IMHO. That's a reward you should expect ONLY after years of paying your dues.

Try sitting at a lunch counter in a Truckstop and telling those old salts that you're just a "part timer." If you ain't got the stories about chaining up in a blizzard and driving with no heat - in the old days - to back it up..... they'll laugh you outta the joint!

Anyone who drives a truck KNOWS he can do just about anything else he chooses to do! Don't let 'em fool ya! He drives a truck because he LOVES it! He complains about it because it's part of the job description! :lol:

Simple. Trucking grabs you by the balls and won't
let you go. You hate it, but starting something new means
starting at the bottom, and that rarely pays mortgage.
In trucking, you make more because you work more.
I was an offset pressman before I became a trucker,
and I would go back, except there is not that many opportunities where
I live. I have a relatively comfortable local position
where I don't make as much as OTR guys do, but
I sleep in my bed every night, and have all my weekends off.

there are times when i hate my job because of stupid 4 wheelers & 18 wheelers, shipper & receiver BS, and anything that just burns up my time. but i must say i love my check and everything else i own thanks to my job :wink:

Well you'd still have to deal with the moronic 4 and 18 wheelers going to work and going home. :lol: :lol: :lol:

I'm sure its just like any other job or career out there; ya might feel 'stuck'; some people simply are afraid to change, or maybe thats all they know.

There are basically three kinds of truckers:

--Those who love trucking. They simply can't fathom doing anything else, ever. (They're generally insane, but good folks. 8) )

--Those who don't really like it, but couldn't make anywhere near the same money doing anything else. :?

--Those who don't have the social skills to do anything else. You can tell these guys by the junk all over their dash, their pee bottles flying out the window, and the green fog that follows them out of the truck because they haven't showered in the past decade. :roll:

Re: Why do you guys do it?
 

This is the BEST, most concise and ACCURATE description of why we "do it" that I've ever heard. Well done golfhobo!

Thanks Hobo. I always look forward to reading your posts. Always Cut to the chase, and hold the cheese.

As continental says, once you are in, its hard to get out of it. You make enough money to pay your bills and maybe a house payment, but for the most part not enough to save up to make a change. Most drivers are not highly educated and would therefore take a pay cut for changing careers.
Then, if you do and you decide after a year+ to go back, you start at the bottom again...what a fraud. Finding another career often means networking and researching that is hard to do while OTR.

About the bitching: Trucking is very dangerous and very stressful. Theres no hazard pay, not enough home time and no support if your psyche suffers from it like so many of us wont admit. The law is against us and so is public opinion for the most part. Lack of human interaction makes you antisocial and prone to anger. Im sure many will disagree, but hey- acting out on this forum is the only place where many can do that without hurting someone.

One

I don't think it's truckdriving itself that's so bad, it's those long hours and all that time away from home that gets you down.

The cold war ended and I was laid off. There were a bunch of people looking for not to many jobs...so I started driving. Its an adventure {in discipline} for sure and a way to see the country. There is no way I could go back to the "industry", seeing the same people every day would drive me nuts. Once driving is in your blood "you got to go..."

Thanks, Trubbledog (and Goldiesplating) but somehow, I feel you are just "stroking me" to make me feel better! :lol:

Personally, I have very few conflicts about what I do. I'm somewhere between line 1 and 2 on Gearjammin Penguin's list.

I might find it hard to make this kind of money elsewhere, because I am not dedicated enough to finish a degree program that I abandoned years ago. But, on the other hand, I LOVE what I'm doing! I KNOW that I have options.... I COULD do something else. But, this is what I choose to do at THIS time in my life. I've only got about 20 years left 'til retirement, and there are AT LEAST 5 major "segments" of trucking left for me to explore.

Right now, I'm driving team interspersed with solo. Cali (or thereabouts) and back each week. Someday, I'll venture out into the world of 3-5 week solo runs. After that maybe heavy haul. Eventually, I may move back to my beloved Western 11 and run regional there. I would like to go overseas and pull for the government shutting down a base somewhere. I even got an itch to haul logs in the beautiful mountains of the northwest. I wouldn't mind living at the beach in SC, and hauling out of the ports there. At least when I get home, I'm "reseting" at the BEACH! There are just SO many options!

Name me ONE factory job, or retail job, with that many options!?

I don't like wearing a TIE! And I don't like kissing butt! Don't like punching a clock, or looking at walls! I'm single and getting older every day. I'm not a sportsman, but I've WALKED many miles surveying for oil in the WEST. I've been in the deepest circles of the Intelligence community, flown on aircraft on a daily basis, and owned my own business.

I guess I feel like, until the day I started driving a truck, I'd done it all! And NONE of it, turned me on like driving a truck has! Yeah, it gets in your blood! But, I believe it helps if it was already IN your blood, though dormant.

There's no doubt that it takes a certain kind of person to drive a truck. But, that person is often hidden beneath the lives we ALL end up living. The trick is to recognize ourselves when we look in the mirror!

EVERY ONE of you that are spending time on this forum are here because it excites you! There's a book out called "The Purpose Driven Life." None of you need to read it! You KNOW what purpose drives your lives!

I'll bet all of you have seen the movie "The Call of the Wild." We are all Free Spirits! Or at least, I THINK we are! It's a struggle to keep our spirit in line at times, but we must remember the seriousness of what we do. Be SAFE! BE dedicated! Be CIVILIZED! But.... Live FREE or DIE!!

I'm only here because I heard the chick's dig it. :D

Because if there were no truck drivers how would you get your goods at the store? If you got it a trucker brought it!

Besides that my husband and I actually get along better when he's driving over the road, guess we're just backwards or something but for us it works :) :P

once you get your start in trucking it's like trying to eat one potato chip. You can't quit :P
Plus Driver like to piss and moan but they stay at it.

You been listening to too many trucker's lies!! :lol:

The trucks maybe, not nessesarily the drivers :P :lol:

Trucking is defiantely a life style, its a part of every area of my life. Most of my friends are on the road.
I do it because it works for me and I love it, plain and simple.

Cheers

I will disagree about most truckers being uneducated. I have met some very well educated drivers. Although, there are some who are not well educated. To be successful in this business, you need to enjoy your own company. In other words, you need to enjoy the solitude of driving down the highway listening to your own thoughts. I do some of my best thinking while driving. I think one reason there is so much garbage on the CB today, is that some of these people are afraid to be by themselves with their own thoughts. I think some of the others who posted have given some good thoughts about what makes a good driver. I don't think education has much to do with whether someone is successful in this business or not. Many are a bit of a non-conformist. That can be an asset as a driver. Sometimes you need to be a bit creative to get the job done. It helps to be able to think outside of the box, as they say.

Excellent replies guys! I was just wondering what drives you guys. I know there is a HUGE part of me that wants to drive, but with my new family, I either have to put that dream on hold or look at something like the 7 on/7 off at Roehl or 4 on / 4 off at Knight and then do something else on the side. I know that even though I love spending time with my family, BUT, I do love time to myself too. I do some of my best thinking while driving down the road listening to Sirius.

For you guys that have families at home, how do they handle ya'll be gone? I'm assuming most of you guys are OTR for a couple of weeks or so...???

Some people become drivers because it is job.

Others (including me) do it for the love of driving and being out on the road. I will say there are times why you do this job when you are along the road putting on chains at 230 am on a lonely stretch of hwy it will make you rethink why.

But seeing the change in seasons in areas that you travel is the best.

I have it lucky as I am home most weeknights and have weekends off. This job is not for everyone and it is hard on family life.

Well I've only been doing this 5 months and it is very abusive just coming into the industry but that's all been said before. As for this particular topic I will say this, I went home about a week ago after been out for a while and I woke up in the morning in my own bed wishing I was waking up on the side of the road in desolate west Texas on I-10. I can't even describe the peace I get out there which is even more strange for me since I always hated Texas and most Texans. Not that I was ever there before but it seemed like out of all the states that's the one that had the culture and values diametrically opposed to where I am from.

Beautiful country out there though.

Since I was 20, I traveled. I served 13 years in the Coast Guard and most of that was on the Cutters. When I got medical discharge, I started my own business. It failed, or never got going. So I went to Driving Truck. Drove for 4 years and loved it.

Yes I had my Grumbling days, we all do not matter what job your in. It's called having a Bad Day. In the Service we always said a Bit*hing Sailor was a Happy Sailor. We all loved the Job, but some points were getting to us.

I had not driven since Nov of 2000. I want to go back, I hate sitting at home and looking at the walls. But I have some things now that would prevent me from going back working for a Company. I would have to give up my Disability from SS, no problem, but in order to get back on working, I have to say I am no longer sick, and that a Lie. I am not one to sit around and do nothing. I rather be working. Work in Retail? Can not stand that long. In Computer Field? Qualified but I do not have a piece of paper with a College Name on it, so I can not get hired. Working on the Docks? Again Can not do that type of work anymore. Law Enforcement? Have experience, Can not run due to bones, Plus I may end up shotting some idiot 4 wheeler driver. Fire Fighter? Again Expereince, but not able to manuver well on my feet. Can I sit and stir a truck down the road? Yes, if the load has to be unloaded by me, Hire a lumper.

As in "she thinks my tractor's sexy, it really turns her on"?

OK, so should I be embarrassed to even admit I know that song? Or maybe the ladies find it appealing that I can quote KC!

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

Heheh...I beleive they are talking about the John Deere in the fields....funny though. :lol: :lol: :lol:

Good one :lol:

Isn't there a song about Trucks? They mostly talk about Pick up Trucks but still a truck.. I can not remember the name right off. Been long time since I been able to listen to any Country Music

"Hillbilly Delux"- that one? (Brooks & Dunn)

Why do I do it? I could sit in a cubical all day but in the end I know I would rather be on the road than in an office pushing paper. You can listen to the guys who complain how much they hate their job but if they left the industry they probably would miss it and want to come back. We are by ourselves most of the time and most prefer it that way.

Brooks and Dunn may be the one who sings it but I do not think that's the name. Never heard that name Hillbilly Delux. Never heard it. The Song I am thinking of as I said more about Pick up trucks, something like the Pickup man.. Everybody wants me to haul their stuff in my Pick up Truck..

Oh yeah- "Theres somethin' women like about a pick-up man".......I know what yer talking about- can't think of the artist;


'You can set my truck on fire, roll it down a hill, and I still wouldnt trade it for a coup DeVille"
:D
..."an 8ft bed that never has to be made, if it werent for trucks we wouldnt have tailgates!- Met all my wives, in traffic jams; theres just somethin' women like about a pick-up man!"

There's something woman like about a pickup man. Joe Diffe 8)

I do it plain and simple because I like to drive truck. I have other skills/abilities that I can put to work in the marketplace, but those other jobs require some degree of a$$-kissing, back-stabbing, and a boss breathing down my neck.

That being said, I tried the OTR thing and found it to not be worth my while. Figure it like this: say you're making .37 cpm at your run-of-the-mill dry-van outfit and you roll about 2800 miles/wk. That works out to $1036/wk on the gross. If you're out there on the Highpay Highway for 47 weeks of the year, you're looking at around $49,000.

Now with local LTL I make $22.00/hr with overtime after 40. Figure I average around 42.5 hrs/wk and it comes to $962.50/wk. Based on 52 weeks that totals to just over $50,000.

Here's the real kicker: OTR I was working 80-100+ hour workweeks, hometime a roll of the dice, up different hours of the day/night, sleeping in truckstops/pickle-parks/ramps/etc. LTL I'm home everynight and every weekend (a FULL weekend) and the benefits are 2X as good. So what it boils down to is that OTR= double the hours for the same pay and much less hometime?!?!? Sorry, I think I'll pass. No wonder the turnover rates are so sky-high in that side of the biz.

Be that as it may, there are days I miss runnin' the road. And I might consider going back someday if they ever paid drivers what they're worth. But since that's not in the cards anytime soon (like FOREVER), I'll stick with local. Especially with all these Mexican trucks about to make a run for the border.

OK mister, what did you do with the real Frosty! :lol:

I just about fell out of my chair!

COLDFROSTYMUG, seriously man give it up, it's the same song and dance with you in all your posts, we understand you hate the idea of OTR, great, but to continue to post and post and post, come on man i think all of us on here can pretty much read you like a book anymore, like i said, we all know you hate OTR and everything it has to offer, but move on, i don't think i'm the only one on here getting tired of your same old posts about how OTR is out there to screw you over.

cant you guyz see?- hes torn between two lovers (OTR & Local), and feelin' like a fool :P :lol:

Re: Why do you guys do it?
 

I'm looking at possibly changing careers to truck driving. I found one article

http://www.career-opportunities.net/...rOpportunities

with information about what it is like...are there any others I ca research?