Enjoying the OTR life but miss being home.

If you can hang on for a year, you maybe able to find a local gig after getting that all important year and get your social life back. Good luck!

 

OTR is a hard lifestyle, and is not for everyone. I did it for several years but I now have a good paying gig that gets me home most nights. I only sleep in the truck 1 or 2 nights per week. There is not enough money in the world to get me to go back OTR, but I'm glad that I did it. It gave me good experience and I've been to 48 states and every major city in the US.

I know its hard to be away from family and friends, but my advice would be to stick it out for a couple of years, especially if you don't have a wife or kids yet, because the experience gained is invaluable.

 

it will get better once your solo and can book your hometime
knowing what to look forward too
as others have said the more experience you get the better local job will be available
and 21 without the family makes it easier

 

Gypsum Express has a terminal right beside the Bud plant would get you home more often

 

I would stay there a yr and look often for jobs in your area so u have a good idea how much exp the local gigs require.

 

This is your best bet to getting home often in that area...or SFI, Emerson they run a lot of the Rock Tenn stuff by the fairgrounds. JB Hunt pulls a lot of intermodal out of Bud too if I remember correctly...those JB intermodel drivers in that area were always happy when I spoke to them.

 

typically after training you get your truck and they send you home to get all your stuff in it
was the time period and pay during training clearly stated?
have something lined up before you try and go elsewhere and keep getting into the training cycle