never seem to be happy

Discussion in 'Trucking Jobs' started by thunderhead_driver, Dec 30, 2006.

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  1. thunderhead_driver

    thunderhead_driver Bobtail Member

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    started driving in 2000 at age 37. for the most part enjoyed it. got off the road last year for a factory position that included driving their truck to another warehouse. its not all its cut out to be. my wife says its not in me to be satisfied. now i want to go back on the road after about 10 months. am i crazy or what? yeah im home every night, but so what. i come home, watch tv, its just me and the wife, and she often went with me on the road anyway. just a boring life here. guess its what u make of it. anyone else have similar problems.
     
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  3. Burky

    Burky Road Train Member

    An interesting question, and while I don't have any speciic answers, I will make a couple of general observations.

    In any job, you can find enough to get by whether it be financially, or security, or whatever it takes to meet your basic needs. The key in finding a job that you are truly going to enjoy is to be able to honestly figure out what your strengths and desires are, and then find work that matches up with those needs and desires. There are people who absolutely love the idea of being home every single nite, working a set schedule with nothing to interrupt it, and having life basically planned out for them.

    At the same time, there are people who absolutely thrive on a life and job where nothing remains the same from day to day, and they don;t know where they will be when the sun comes up the next morning.

    In trucking, there are jobs that get you home every night, and ones that keep you out for 3-4 weeks at a time if you want to. There are jobs that require no more effort than to open up the doors of the trailer, and jobs requiring you to actively work to get the truck unloaded. it's simply a matter of figuring out what combination of factors is going to make you happiest and finding a job that does that.

    You have to be honest with yourself and admit it if you are the guy who is content to sleep in the truck while someone else unloads it. You may have to take lower pay to find the exact job you like that fits your plans and needs. Sometimes, it is worth it to a person to take a job that doesn't pay quite as much, but has stable work time and home times.

    it's all a matter of figurig out your strengths and playing to them. And if you can do that and are honest with yourself, then you stand a good chance of finding the right job, one where you leave for work each morning with a bounce in your step and a joy to head out to work.

    i have never believed that work should be a drudgery, that you should show up for work feeling that you are being punsihed for something.

    In my case, I like to be home but don't have a problem with being out as needed. I like having something to do with the unloading process, monitoring pressures and hooking up hoses. I like sticking mainly to one part of the country, yet still do trips from to places I haven't been once in a while. I found that job, and am happy as can be with it and most of the time I not only go to work and make a good living, but I have a good time while doing it.

    My best advice in this boils down to this. Figure out your strengths and play to that. That's pretty good advice not ony in trucking, but in life in general.
     
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  4. pro1driver

    pro1driver Heavy Load Member

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    geesh man............you're normal.................no man is ever satisfied.......

    i got out of trucking for about 2 years, then got back into it, OTR, then regional, then local. its like a magnet i suppose.

    now i'm going to be doing some "administrative" duties as well as my yardman's job. i might just possibly move into a management position in less than a years time, unless i go back OTR again.............

    but you also gotta remember, as we get older, we should be working "smarter" not harder. sometimes, it ain't too smart, to be driving and getting aggravated when we can basicaly "sit back" and do an easier job that's less stressful..............and that's what you got right now.......a regular job, regular hours, and you get to sleep in your own bed, preferably with your own wife too...........:laughing3:
     
  5. luvmyhubby

    luvmyhubby Road Train Member

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    Being a "factory rat" is difficult, there are few if any challenges...some people can live with the same routine and feel comfortable doing so, some of us need to have a challenge once in awhile (bad roads, traffic jams, appointments to keep etc) to make us feel "alive". Having your wife beable to go out with you is a bonus, and if you are miserable in the factory I would say go for it!......being happy in your job is one of the most important parts of employment....you cant pay a person enough to be miserable. There are pros and cons with every job but sometimes the lack of challenge far out ways any pros of being off the road.
     
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  6. themlilboots

    themlilboots Heavy Load Member

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    I still say that driving a truck calls your name......
     
  7. pro1driver

    pro1driver Heavy Load Member

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    yeah, and if that "truck" calls my name.........i'm gonna seek "professional" help.............

    either that, or i'm gonna take up sniffing airplane glue...............
     
  8. themlilboots

    themlilboots Heavy Load Member

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    ...yea sometimes it just comes right out of the CB and says, "Shut Up Stupid".....LOL!!!
     
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  9. pro1driver

    pro1driver Heavy Load Member

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    North East, USA
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    i swear, that's the same EXACT voice i hear no matter where i'm driving, be it, california, idaho, texas, florida.............

    although, i'd suspect a spanish dialect from north joisey.......:laughing8:
     
  10. themlilboots

    themlilboots Heavy Load Member

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    LOL! I find that since I drove truck years ago, and now drive a school bus...... I still want to drive truck. There is something about traveling the road and never being in the same place all the time. You are not punching a time clock and you must always be alert to what is going on around you. It is challenging, there are so many decisions that must be made, where to stop, where to fuel, how to avoid the four wheeler that just cut you off. I still think truck driving is more of an adventure than a 9 to 5.
     
  11. pro1driver

    pro1driver Heavy Load Member

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    my "challenging" thoughts/processes are, "chunky or smooth" peanut butter for lunch.

    soda or coffee for my break time

    heavy socks or argyle socks for when i go out and wash my pick-up truck

    country music or country music when i'm driving to and from the coffee shop, since i decided on coffee and not soda.

    hot dogs and beans or beans and hotdogs for supper.

    you know, more "pertainent" things in life.............:toothy10:
     
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