Well today I was rather happily telling a friend that I had decided to get into trucking and in return I got the following responce -- "You can do better than that."

Just wanted to share as this was a first for me.

One thing that I promise to do when I finnish school is work on combating the publics image.

Thanks for listening!

-Jason

Better than what?

I do alright in the LTL business. OTR may be more enjoyable, but we're paid better.

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Z-Lady's devoted hubby.

Tell your friend the next time he does anything including wiping that a truck made it possible.

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My childhood dream of becoming a truck driver turned into a nightmare!

Now that is funny right there! I think it should be a t-shirt!

I have thick skin so I can handle it - it just made me pause when I heard that. In the words of Forrest Gump "Stupid is...."

i got about the same response when i made the announcement i was going to driving school and then otr. i was told that its ok for people who cant get jobs anywhere else, cant read or write, or cant be with normal people. my response woulda made my mom proud, i remained a lady while i informed my (ex) friend about the industry and her incorrect observations. needless to say, we dont talk much anymore... LOL

It is amazing that people have such a ridiculous take on drivers. Sure there are the ones who are deserving of the ridicule. But tha sterotype is just that a stereotype. How would they like it if they worked in computer programming and were asked all the time "Where's your pocket protector? Or " Don't all nerds have tape on their glasses?" Just don't let the small minded people out there bother you.

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" If you ain't living on the edge, you're taking up too much room!

There are plenty of slobs in every other industry out there. trucking does not hold the monopoly on nasty people. Heck, just think about all the shipping offices you see with some really big women back there playing desk jockey.

You mentioned computer programming. I used to work for a puter guy and one of his main techs was a real slob. Always stunk but the guy had a hell of an iq and he knew his #### when it came to mechanics and all the technical electronic crap. Smart as they come but sloppy ####### he was.


Who gives a damn what people think anyways? Most of us are probably making more money than a lot of "professionals" out there and they have to spend a boatload on clothes to look "proper" and biz like.

When I was in my early twenties I worked in an office for a couple years and let me tell ya, there were plenty of fat ######## in the high rise too.

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Always fish out of the right side of the boat.

I'm not far behind you there. I've heard that comment several times in the last few months. But...I just choose to ignore them.

Do better? Let's see, I've been drawing unemployment for almost 5 months now. I have beaten down the doors, ran the Post Office crazy with mailings, pretty sure I've kept my DSL connection pretty much maxed with job hunts, resumes, and have surely run up my cell phone bill making calls above and beyond my 1000 minutes anytime minutes every month.

I have a former wife would would LOVE to start receiving her child support again. I would LOVE to quit paying 990.00 per month for the COBRA coverage I'm currently paying for insurance coverage for the children. Yeap, that's almost ALL the unemployment I get each month.

So to those who say "I can do better" please point me in the firection of the "do better" part, I certainly am having a hard time of finding it.

I've spent the better part of the last three or four days reading here and it's ranged from OMG! Go away, to If you so choose you can make a living OTR.

I think I'll hang around here for a while.

I have been told that a lot as well.

Lets see....spend my days using my engineering education in an office environment where every minute of the day I was thinking about stabbing my eyeball with a pencil so I could go home...

OR.....do what I grew up around. As a kid I rode along with my dad, I used to draw pictures of trucks in school....Most of my toys were trucks. When given a box of lego blocks, I would build trucks.

Now I'm driving them!...and its fun, AND PAYS BETTER than what my engineering education brought me.

I don't have to listen to the desk dorks gripe about who used their favorite coffee cup. I don't have memos talking about how to properly write a memo. I don't get reprimanded for not handing a timesheet in within 1 hour of it being due. I'm allowed to listen to music while I work. I get fresh air....and more exercise.

Number 1....I don't have a boss breathing down my neck every second of the day!

Ya, life is tough....and I'm crying with happiness all the way to the bank!

I take a paid vacation during the week where I can see 4000 miles of the best continent on earth....and I can leave my job in the truck when I go home for my days off....unlike what many of the desk dweebs get to experience.

Most people who give me grief over it are un-employed, I just say. Hmmmmm at least I am bringing in 1000 plus per week, what are you doing?