My health now is good. Cancer free my doctor tells me. My point was that as long as your a "producer" for your company they treat you like a king. When your not or can't ; you are labeled as a "liability" and lets get rid of you as quick as we can. I'm not worried about dying in a truck somewhere. I just want to be close to my family. I need to work so i will do what I have to do to provide for my family. Even if it means going OTR.

I`m sure whatever you decide will be best. You have obviously put much thought into your options. Good luck...

Thank God that you are now cancer free, Michigan. You do have your priorities straight...family does come first. My best to you...Dave

Well don't feel like you are all alone. That is just the way it is. My brother worked in the same factory I do. When he was 49 he had a pain in his chest. A month later he was dead of lung cancer. He didn't smoke. We have to enjoy each day we are here. Thanks for the post Michigan.

Central, it looks like you have made the right decision for you - your family. That is most important when making considerations.

If you get on driving a hyster, it gives you freedom to at least move around the plant, and not be tied to a production line or machine, so it isnt that bad. I drove fork, pole & squeeze hysters for several years in the carpet industry & would say that while it is not the highest paying job there, it was the most enjoyable one.

BTW, if anyone dares you to hyster surf - just say no.

Go through one of those tempoary employment places and work a factory job for a week or even a day. Factory job are called production jobs cause you work your butt off like a machine. I am from Akron Ohio and we have lots of plastic factories here and everybody wants a new job. Unless you can be a line leader and its not so bad but hot in summer - unbearble

I worked in a screw machine shop for 3 years, up until late last month, when I finally decieded that the shop and myself were going nowhere. The shop looked like it was going to close, as have all the shops here in Jacskon, and I just did not want to be worried about it anymore. It was hard work, but i was not tied to a machine for each part, but only had to keep the machines running good parts and fix them if they broke. It was hot, 12 hours a day, but i enjoyed it, even the 65 hour weeks, but it gets old quick. When it started to get so bad they fired the temps, dropped us down to 40 hours and had some of us running cnc's and hob's, I decieded to go through trucking school.

Now I am sitting here in a Super 8 with my gf, and we are waiting to goto school in the morning.

Good luck, and I am sure you know what the best decision for yourself is, nobody else can make it for you.

April 1st I am leaving a factory job, i have worked for the past 8 years for the ford motor company building trucks. and I hate it. before I was an otr truck driver, but I saw the visions of weekends off, holidays and family. but for the past 8 years I have had back pain hernia sugary, legs and god knows what else hurts. I feel like the clevers family stuck in suburbia. now I am going back to truck driving where I can be free. yes I will miss out on the other stuff. but look at what you gain. so many driver do not take advantage of the life on the road. you can go fishing in any pond you want. you can see the sights of the country where most people have to rent or buy an rv and go on vacations to do what truckers can do and get paid for it. so enjoy trucking while you can because unless you really hate it you will miss it like I have.

If I may add my thoughts,all have made good points pro's and con's of both factory or a truck. I've worked in 2 major known factories since I was 19 ,Lennox and Maytag. Yes always for the most part had steady income and good benefits. I was able to get an apprenticeship in machine repair worked in factory maintenace the past 20 years. But the last years the manufacturing environment has gotten so that you never know if you are going to have a job to retire from. Case in point Maytag was bought out by Whirlpool and by the end of this year the Maytag plant in Iowa where it started will be closed. The manufacturing secter is so that the big companies are always looking where to cut jobs or move Mexico,China or to another state.If you work with a union plant every 3-4 years contract to deal with, which the last 2 I went through 1 strike always the threat of moving jobs or replacement workers. But yet you see the big CEO's get their 14 - 20 million or more umbrella packages, and you wonder for what. But the average worker is just trying to make a living.
The last year since it was announced they where going to close our factory has been the most worthless year knowing you are loosing your job,and not much you can do about it.
I was able to get out with my severance and today or tommorrow will get my truck and start over in my new career as otr driver. I don't know if this is what I want to do the next 15 -20 years I will be 50 next month, but I feel if to return to another factory I would get physically sick as soon as I walk in. I have had a parttime truck driving job the past 3 years and want to give this a try,it was my way out of the situation I was in. If down the road it doesn't work out maybe I can use my maintance background and look for something else.
Not all factory jobs are bad and trucking you have to accept what comes with it, I'm just going with what I've been through and trying to start over with what ever comes my way.
What ever ones chooses good luck and I hope for the best.

Update:


Still no call from factory. My second week at CDL mill completed ; one more week to go before I graduate from school.