I've been in the computer field for many, many moons and have been laid off for over a year. So I went ahead and went to Diesel Mechanic school at LATTC (local community college). So, while I see a whole lot of potential, I also see a whole lot of children in the field. I've been eying being an OTR driver and will have at least two choice this week for no-cost class "A" classes and am just about convinced I need to go-for-it.

So the reasons I would be a driver would be:
1) Solitude: I would spend most of my day being alone (I'm not the biggest people-person)

2) Driving: I LOVE driving. My best jobs have been as a driver, even here in Los Angeles. I've also been known to drive to who-knows-where just because.

I would want to drive OTR flatbed. I dunno, it's sounds like tons of fun.

Opinions? Advice? Reality check?

Ahhhhhhhhhh.. A kindred soul.. I, too, have been in the communications/computer field for darned near 30 years. I'm chucking it all and start school in about a week. No immediate family to complain about me being on the road and I'm going to enjoy the solitude. Got sick and tired of users/customers screwing things up and then lie through their teeth when calling to get things fixed.

Someone UNDERSTANDS me!!!

Heh.. It was easier in the military.. I could actually call a spade a spade. But man.. It really blows in the civilian world. Lord help ya if your customer gets their knickers in a twist.

You sound like a driver to me. You also sound like the kind of guy who has a good enough imagination to make it fun. With modern technology you can have a lot of things that didn't exist in the recent past.....computers, miniature guitar amps,etc... Just ask yourself if you would mind only being home one day a week?

Yeah, but we geeks tend to go overboard with our toys..... I'm not sure the company would appreciate a high tech communications center built in the back of the cab..

I could figure out how to put a recording studio back there

As for home-time, I'm divorced with five kids. I'm in L.A., but we couldn't afford a house for them all, so the kids and mama (with my blessings) move to a HUGE house in MO (best move for the kids. They are loving it over there). Mabey I can get some overnights with them and see them more often? Mabey I could take them along with me (one at a time, of course) during summer breaks?

I know what you mean about driving. My taxi life was in LA and I used to take a drive to unwind after a night of driving a cab....

A bit of advice about flatbed from my perspective. It had many good points, the first of all being fitness. You can get FAT out here, take a look around, 400 pounders aren't uncommon. You get a workout with a flatbed throwing straps, dragging chains, strength training tightening up wenches and binders, and the bungees! I lost my Bingo Wings! I hauled most everything from coils to lumber to machinery, pipe, you name it. Every load is different, you have to think about how you will secure it. All flatbedders are pack rats, you will collect alot of things to pad, protect your tarps and straps and protect freight from chains. Shippers and recievers are usually happy to see you, less waiting. Flatbedders are more helpfull to each other cause you feel the other guys pain. Plus when you help someone else fold tarps, you get in quicker.

The downside? Securement in totally on you. If it fails, you are 100% responsible. That can be scarry. I had a couple of close calls that scared me bad. Sometimes there is alot of tarping that you think is not needed and dumb, but companies collect more for tarping than they give to you. Winter, tarpcicles, strapcicles, it can be horrible. Even trying to fold wet tarps is a beeach.

The reason I went back to the box is my age, and I am female. I am fit, but as the "change of life" marches in so goes my bone density. A fall for me might be crippling. Oh, yeah, falling. You can get seriously buggered up. Fella in my company has a titanium pin in his arm where his elbow used to be complements of Arrow. I've seen it happen several times.

As for your career change, all I can say it try it you might like it. I was a driver, dispatcher and manager for one of the biggest cab co's in LA. I fell right into the truck. Best of luck to both of you computer geeks!

I love to cook, but doing it for a living is an entirly different matter. That said, it seems you have little to lose really. So I say it can't hurt to explore it. Good luck!

You literally CAN make a studio these days. If by MO you mean Missouri, with the right company you could be through there every other day. Check their rider program before you sign up. They all have it but it's limited usually and some smaller companies discourage it for insurance liability reasons. Others don't seem to care too much??