Hey guys. Ok, I'm sure that you've seen post similar to this. But, I'm wondering if there are any guys out there driving now that used to hold an office job. Right now, I'm a supply chain/shipping manager for a large company but I'm sick of sitting behind the desk. I've been interested in professional trucking as long as I can remember. However, my dad is a blue collar guy and he wanted me to do the college thing so I did. Now, I want a change. I'm 30, have a fiancee and she has a 8 year old girl. We are getting married in April. I am considering the industry. I've looked at Transport America. How do you guys feel about these guys for a beginner. I'm wanting someone that has good hometime. It seems that Transport America, Roehl, TMC, and Maverick are the front runners. Any more out there? I'm currently in Tucson, AZ but moving back to Huntsville, Alabama in 2 months. For you guys what used to be white collar, what did you do before and how do you like trucking? Thanks guys.

Anthony

I was never white collar, I'v been in trucks my whole life.

Talk this over VERY good with her. If you want a life of not being there for your wife, kids and friends most the time and never in emergencies then it's for you. I'm not really trying to talk you out of it but it definatly has it's problems. It sound like you may like it, it's just a matter of if the family will. I'v seen this industry destroy marriage after marriage.

I was white collar. Spent 36 years as a salesman, etc.

I like trucking. But I wouldn't want a new wife in this job. My old one is just fine with it, but we're....well...old! She has her dogs and her friends and the daughters live close by.....I just couldn't have done it when I was younger....

Just be sure she's on board with it!
I know the first couple of years of marriage were #### for me which really = equalled #### for us. You know the saying, "If Mama ain't happy. . . Ain't NoBody happy!!"

I couldn't go with DH for the first few years and I was lonely and miserable at home. I had moved from my homestate to his and I didn't know anybody so I was really lonely and then when we started meeting people I hated it because he was NEVER around! And when he was home, he wanted to be sleeping and catching up on his sleep. There was a time in my life that I HATED a truck and every aspect of it. I guess it was worse in the beginning because he had to take crap stuff that didn't pay well, they worked you death and I couldn't go with him. He did this to build up his experience. Of course, this was all 10 years ago and now I'm settled into the life of a trucker's wife. Kind of like a police man's wife. It's better because now I can go with him and be together. Of course, we don't have any kids and I don't have a career. Situation could be different with you.

I just remember when we first got married I actually said, "I didn't get married to be alone!!" And I guess I could understand at that time why women left their husband's and said, "He was never there for me." It may seem selfish for a woman to say this when a man is out trying to earn a living. I don't have an answer for that, alls I know is that's how I felt!!

So, here's some perspective from a gal who got married to a man who was getting into trucking right after we got married. Similiar to your situation. Maybe it would have been different if he had already been a trucker and I was used to it but newly married and something else demanding so much of his time was a KILLER!!

Of course here I am 10 years later and I'm ok with it. But those first few years. . . well let's just leave it at that.

that's not true - you can get jobs where you're home nites and weekends.
I myself was white collar, and am working to get into trucking....

This is true and DH was always home everynight and weekend (except occasionally pulling on Saturday) but in the beginning the companies that my DH worked for were HORRIBLE and the loads were crappy and he was out many long, LONG hours. I'll give you some examples. In the beginning DH started out hauling shipping containers. This company didn't require much experience which was good for a new, just starting out truck driver. For some reason it wasn't just as simple as picking up a container at point A and hauling it to point B where he'd pick up another container and haul it to point C. Sometimes he had to sit and wait hours because a ship wasn't unloaded and the container he needed was on that ship. Or the union guys were in NO hurry to get your container and you better be on you P's & Q's with them and don't do anything that might slightly annoy them because they would not get your container and send you to the back of the line which may be 5, 10, 15, 20 trucks deep. DH one time got his numbers for a container mixed up and because of that error he had to go get back in line (which held him up hours). So, he was still "working" (i.e. he was away from home) but in the logs it went as sleeper berth even though he was fully sitting up in his seat watching and waiting for when his container was available. And I know that's "fudging" his books but there's no other way he could have hauled the loads. He would have ran out of time. But, he'd get home everynight. He'd get home in time to eat, shower and go straight to bed. No time for watching t.v., running to Wal-Mart or taking a walk. Because any one of those things was cutting into his sleep time. And sure, he'd try to do it for me. He'd stay up and take a walk after dinner or maybe try and catch a t.v. program together. But as his wife, I felt HORRIBLE thinking it's because of me he's losing out on his much needed rest. And, I would go w/ him many times just so I could be with him (but remember alot of women don't have that option which may be the case for the OP because of prior commitments of work or children) but in the shipyards for whatever reason the only people who were "allowed" in there were the union shipyard worker people and the truck drivers so here I'd have to crawl back into the sleeper. If it was a quick turnaround (45 mins. to an hour) I'd be back out in the seat and hanging out with my guy. If it was one of those long sit and wait I could be back there for HOURS just like him sitting there and waiting.

This is just one example of the many contract/companies he's pulled for. I could give you more which is why I was saying for ME personally and in our case our first few years of marriage were stressful because of trucking. And that's what I wanted to convey to the OP. To make sure he's covered every angle w/ his soon to be wife.

I will say that DH is an owner/operator. Eventually, after many years of working up the ladder to better companies and contracts he stays in state (well he did before he sold out of the family company business and we relocated but the family business still goes on and they stay in state.). The guys got into hauling for a company that has a contract w/ the state. They haul waste water that leaches through the trash on the state landfills and they haul it up to a waste water treatment plant. Basically, NOW after all these years, they pretty much have set schedules (almost like 9-5 but really more like 6:30am to 5pm). Because they're hauling in and out of state facilities and you know they're not going to stay open late. And now they are off when the state has off (unfortunately we don't get paid for it but nice to know you get a day off like when you were in school). It's a really great gig as long as the rain is consistent to make the water.

But I guess what I'm saying is a newbie is MOST likely NOT going to start out w/ the top jobs. It's like pretty much anywhere. You have to prove yourself and work through the ranks. The more desirable jobs seek experience and where do you get that experience? By putting in your time doing the crappy stuff. And putting in your time w/ the crappy stuff takes away from time spent w/ your family.

And like MedicineMan saidWhen my DH was stuck in line in a shipyard or he was quite a distance away he couldn't just get home in the case of an emergency even though he was home everynight. And even though he was home everynight, he was sleeping. That's pretty much all he did at home or had time to do was eat, shower and sleep. He wasn't "there" for me or our friends or our church. He couldn't.

And like MedicineMan, I'm not trying to talk anybody out of trucking. It's been good to us. But in our experience it was tough for a long time before it got better.

OK, I'm stepping off my soapbox now. I'm sure I've bored you all enough.