Coping with being away from your significant other

Many years ago, when I was in the U.S. Navy, there were career sailors who were married for many years, even with the long deployments and constantly being out to sea for drills and exercises, and many of them pulled through intact.

I personally have never married and never had any children.

I believe that OTR truck drivers, with spouses and children, can also manage this as well. I believe that it will take a lot of work on both the spouse and truck driver alike.

Good luck!

God bless you and your family! God bless the U.S.A.!

 

The sad truth is that if you are a new driver with these concerns, your OTR career will not last. They say that one year experience is what you need to drive local, but I know five guys who went to school with me who are all driving local after 7 - 9 months. You really do give up your home life. When I was married, I actually felt worse seeing my beautiful wife on Skype at home while I was in a truck out in the middle of nowhere. Is your wife independent? Mine totally relied on me, she couldn't even tie her own shoe without any help so I hope that your wife can take care of things while you are away. I am single now and happy though, get to visit all of the cities around the country and see a lot of my high school friends who moved away. They pick me up when I am in their city and we party.

Anyway, it seems like 98% of truckers demand hometime so I am surprised the industry doesn't cater to them more. Especially larger companies that have contracts who can easily send you from your nearest location to a receiver near your house (depending where you live). I stay out a lot and since I am in the top 5 drivers of my company I can go home any time I want. I could tell them that I need to be home tomorrow and they will give me an 11 hour run straight to my house for the weekend. Love my company.

 

OTR truck driving can also be quite difficult for the truck driver who needs to take care of elderly parents.

 

Some people don't. When I went back to OTR, I was gone for a month at a time. The other half did not approve of this, and the end result was pretty much an ultimatum to get off the road. I liked working for the guy I was working for, but priorities...

 

First off it will be hard, but it can be done and is done every day by millions of people just like you!
When I first started OTR we didn't have cell phones and I had to use a pay phone THAT SUCKS!
So first thing make sure you have a decent cell phone plan with free cell to cell.
Call on a regular basis, find an aprox. time that will work for both of you. The last thing she wants is for the phone to wake a cranky baby after a long day.
Do not call and then spend time complaining about traffic your company ect. she's not going to want to hear it just like you don't want to hear how Jr. cried all day.
Is this your first child? Ifso leaveing now is going to cause problems, make sure she has the support of close family.
She will have to take care of almost all day to day things like paying bills,takeing out the trash, mowing the lawn ect. Make sure she understands this and try to help by haveing a lawn service/friend/family stop by help out.
Before you leave go to wally world and pick up a about a dozen different cards. You know the "love you" & miss you type. write little notes on them and then just before you leave hide them around the house like in the back of a book she's reading, in cupboard, underware drawer you get the idea.
That way hopefully she'll find one every few days and get a smile and a laugh. We did it and she would put the "miss you " card that I left back in my truck with her own note.
Good luck and don't let home sickness get you.

 

Try and talk for a few minutes each day..its not what you talk about, its the talk that matters. It takes a different kind of man to do OTR...and it takes a really special kind of lady to be an OTR drivers wife. Good luck , I hope it all works out for you and the family!

 

My Wife is learning how to deal with it, she is quite clingy.
I'm a bit of a loner so Iike being out here on my own anyway.
WE do talk on the phone quite a bit, more and more Companies are making rules against that though. (while driving).

 

Otr is a sure test of the maturity and the ability to cope with a given situation,,, of both individuals in a relationship of any kind....