I finished a 10 week class mid-March and have my CDL. For personal reasons, I delayed applying for jobs. I have applied at only a single company and got approved but won't be able to start for several more weeks due to a jury duty obligation.

Here's my question: when single (unmarried/uncoupled) truckers are gone for weeks at a time, how do you handle things at home, like personal mail?

I live in an apartment so I can arrange some things like pay my landlord in advance, pay utilities in advance. But what about mail? I can imagine that I'll be gone for some weeks and have a stack of mail waiting for me when I come back. Do single truckers have their mail held at the post office?

That means if a piece of urgent mail arrives, you might not read it until it's too late.

For example, if I had been away while receiving the notification that I was being called to serve for jury duty, I might not have even read the notification until it was well past the deadline to respond.

I can't even think right now of other issues that a single trucker has to deal with that married truckers don't have to deal with (because someone's at home to check the mail, and do other things for the trucker while away).

So while I have been aiming for otr, maybe it'd be best for me to aim for a job involving mostly local driving.

While I have mostly focused on things like mail, there's probably other things I haven't thought about so any responders are welcome to point out other things I need to be thinking about as I look ahead to going otr.

Thanks

Youre good to plan ahead. Im single and have no one to do anything at home so I come home to a full mailbox and a lawn that looks like a miniature forest. To solve the mail problem, I just got a bigger mailbox. Im thinking about getting with the post office and getting them to keep my mail there instead of it sitting in my mail box for 30 days at a time. For bills, I have all my bills setup to where they are automatically deducted from my checking account. Since youre in an apartment, Im not sure if you can shut the water/electricity off. I stay out for a month each time, so I shut off the power and water. Ive had a $24 power bill and peace of mind that the place wont be flooded when I get home, if a pipe breaks or freezes in the winter. I keep the fridge and freezer empty and just leave the doors open.
Good luck!

Well you just have it pile up till you can get around back home.. I always get crap in the mail and not know about it till way way to late.. sucks!!! I try to tell all the companies I do business with to use email if they need to contact me because mail just don't work for me... You could have somebody you trust stop by and go threw it with you on the phone..

Do you have a neighbor you can give your mail box key to? Most apartments have small boxes. Good luck!

I have had a post-office box for over 20 years.

I very highly recommend it to EVERYONE.....

I really hadn't thought about it but I would think all OTR drivers would have a box..........

I can't count the number of times I have been happy, if not downright thrilled, that I did not have to give my physical address to someone or some company...........

Aside from the personal privacy a box affords....... I do not have to worry about:

• anyone EVER coming to my door because they got my address (I go to a lot of home shows and events and like to participate in raffles and auctions.... all of which require an address)
• changing my address when I move for every dang company or person that might send me something...
• people being able to find me after years and years...... 8 different homes but the same address for 22 years....
• mail piling up if I am gone
• packages being left on the doorstep because they don't fit in the box
• theft of my mail (annoying at the least, and nowdays, the possibility of identity theft)
• major amounts of junk mail (PO boxes only get mail with your name, they do not get all the grocery store, free flyers etc.... that just say "resident")
• wet, torn or crushed mail
• voting.... I get to vote using an absentee ballot everytime.... just make my choices and mail it back.... I don't even have to keep track of what elections are coming up..... just open my mail
• getting little checks for class action lawsuits (I have recieved money because I once had a BofA bank account, because of my old gym membership, my old, old mortgage compnay, even the phone company..... they all had to pay out due to a court case and I never would have received my money if I hadn't had the same address after all these years)
• putting multiple addresses on any application where they say "List your address for the last 10 years"
• important stuff like the IRS, jury duty, county property tax, social security.... everyone can find me (my box at least )
• missing out on specials, coupons, gift certificates etc.... I get absolutely tons of great offers (and yes, I am a bargain junkie)
• I know there is more....... give me a few minutes!

My box costs me a whole $36 per year........ not exactly a budget buster..... and my post office has 24 hour access...... if you get a package they have bigger boxes and they just put a key in your mailbox that opens the bigger box.......... love it, love it, love it.........

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The definition of stupidity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. — Albert Einstein

Money and Bills.

If it all possible, I would be set up for automatic pay for all your bills. Every company out there has it now and it is free as far as I have ever encountered ..... (I even get a discount from several companies for enrolling in the service).

Every month all my bills are automatically withdrawn from my account at the beginning of the month (you get to chose the day of the month that works best for you) and I don't have to stress or worry about missing something. (If you are tight on money, and you insist on having credit card balances, you can just have the minimum's taken out and then pay additional amounts online when you have the money.)

I would also recommend level pay plans if your utility companies have them....... I pay the same gas and electric amount each month (it is averaged for the year) and that way I don't have any big utility bill catch me off guard.

I have had people argue with me that they are not very good with money so they can't have their bills paid automatically........ I say that this is the BEST method for those people. If you have all your bills paid right after your paycheck is deposited then what is left in your account is what you have to spend....... it is a very good budget enforcement system.... you don't get to choose whether you want to go out and party or pay the electic bill....... the bill is paid, you are broke and you get to party at home with a few friends........ it really does work (I have seen it first hand ) If you are terrified of not having the money in there when needed, make sure you bank where they have overdraft protection for a LOW reasonable amount (preferably free....... but even my bank charges $5.... so I don't know if free is possible).

This method is also excellent for OTR drivers because you can check everything online..........

Okay, enough for the automated pay lecture.............

as far as the mail build up...the post office will hold ur mail until u tell them to stop. Hope that helps

That would be the cheapest way.......

However, I tried that one time with my home mail........ I found out that if you have the post office hold your mail they will not let anyone other than you pick it up...... I tried to send someone with a note, they refused to accept it....... then they required me to show them ID just to pick up my home mail which is 99.9% junk mail...... with my box, I can give an extra key to anyone I want and they can pick it up and go through it for me and let me know if there is anything urgent........

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The definition of stupidity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. — Albert Einstein

Being OTR as a single person can create some problems. The ones you mentioned only scratch the surface, in my opinion.

When I was OTR, I had my mom (when I lived close to her) or my very close friends handle the mail/bills things for me. I would leave them blank signed checks and have them call me whenever any bills came in the mail.

Fortunately for me, I had trustworthy friends and family to take care of this for me. I honestly don't know what I would have done without their assistance. Nor do I know what I would have done had they became untrustworthy.

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Keep that diesel burnin' and those tires turnin', but get there safe to keep on earnin'!!

i found that when you set up ur bills to be paid automatically through your bank or other source u can also have ur bills sent via email that will eliminate the clutter of ur bills atleast..