Okay newbies... This is a recap of my week... can YOY handle it?

Thank you Krooser for your detailed play by play. I have been reading, reasearching and trying to learn as much as I can. I am 38 years old, divorced with two kids. Work in a good paying office job but am miserable where I work. I drove class a for a moving company for a couple of years from 21-23 years old. I really miss much of what driving has to offer but reading this reminds of some of the things I did not like. I have been trying to plan a change in my career path but havent got the guts to just give up what I have right now, even as much as I hate it. I think I am secertly trying to get fired by the way I speak to my pin head supervisor. I have had a coulpe of good supervisours during my working life and it does make a huge difference. Hard to work for someone that asks you to do things they would never do, lies, cheats and takes credit for others work. Oh well just wanted to give you a thanks for taking the time for your post.

 

Krooser, don't forget to let them know that in trucking school, if you screw up, you get an "F".

In trucking world.....you get killed

Be Safe

 

Thank you for sharing that!!!

 

And yet here you are still driving.. I really am not trying to be rude here, but if the road is soooooooooo negative for you why have you been driving for 38 years.

I get it. Try to discourage the newbies because they will be taking loads I might get.. Driver mills pump out 100's of new drivers a week. Has that really affected your bottom line that much? Do you haul loads for these driver mills too? In 30 years of being in the I.T. field with colleges and training schools pumping out 1000's of new computer people every semester it took a major economic crash for me to be affected; furthermore, I usually had to clean up the mess caused by those newbies.

Being a volunteer Paramedic/Firefighter for 22 years in some rather busy Metro areas I can tell you my own horror stories of sleepless nights because of non-stop calls (DOT doesn't regulate ambulances) and from nightmares ( what you saw with two calls pales to what I have seen). Running a rig in terrific downpours or white-out snowfalls. The dead, the dying and fires can't wait for the weather to clear. Eating on the run because today EVERYBODY wants an ambulance ride. Picking up patients at one hospital to bring them 100's of miles to another and keeping them alive while you do, regardless of the weather.

Add to that all the middle of the night calls I got as a network/system engineer because somebody's network is down or their PC died and getting there to find out they forgot to pay their provider, or they did something stupid kike unplug the computer.. In either case yelling at me as if it was my fault.

I really do get it.. EVERY Job has it's bad times, because the CEO/Owner/Stock Holders demand more money; therefore, the people actually driving the revenue home have to work harder.

However, tell me in 38 years you have only gone through hell and back?? Isn't there anything good for you to say?

In answer to your question: With my Saviors help and my own experiences I can not only handle it, but I WILL push through it and leave the hole for you to follow..

Yep I really do get it and I thank you for confirm my theory that at some point all jobs suck..

 

I have been out for my first 5 weeks with no home time missing my family. This is a tough job. have been runnin 3000 a week so far. Not easy to get your butt up at 3 in the morn to get that load into some rude receiver. I think krooser is saying this is a job. working men or women need only to apply you don,t get to see the world just traffic and dotted line coming at you. Not much relaxing unless it's a shipper or reciver holding you up on your 14 hr clock. Yes I am questioning my choice but the bills are getting paid again.

 

As a recent grad from cdl school I for one appreciate what Krooser has said. I have never expected this to be a cake walk from the start. I to have worked those 22 hour straight days only to see someone else benefit from it. But I choose this career path because I have always wanted to drive.
The road doesnt bother me nor do the attitudes of people that will never be happy. I see them even now while I still have my own company that I will be closing to start driving.
But its nice to see perspectives from all drivers not just otr or locals.
And yes, alot of jobs suck, but it still our choice to quit or deal with the crap.

 

"Trucking is what you make it.......no more.......no less...."

Just my 2 cents...but that is what my dad said several years ago. A former flatbedder himself, he occupied his spare time by playing cards, bar-b-queing, taking pics, on the phone or just shooting the sh!!!!t with other truckers.

I would be shocked if he was lonely, depressed or hated his job or the road, he never showed, in fact, just the opposite, he loved his job and loved the road.

I plan to work and have a little fun while on the road. I encourage all rookies to love the road, have fun, keep positive and you'll be fine.

YES!! There are a-hole negative truckers out there that hate their jobs, the truck stops are full of them. I don't deal with them and they don't cross my path. There are tough jobs out there, but am I supposed to let it kick my #$$$ and say "..whoa is me..." and drown myself in self-pity, meds and doubt??

Yes, trucking is what YOU make of it - I will see the sunrise on the atlantic side and the coolest sunsets on the west coast. The windshield of the tractor will be my office window. I will have the best views of the newly fallen snow on the Rocky Mountains or the pillars of Monument Valley. Every day will be an adventure that will never get old. I will talk to people that I may never see again and I will drive the parts of America kids read about on the internet.

Dotted lines and traffic? Only if you have tunnel-vision...

Why should I be depressed or upset when I have the once in a lifetime chance to see and explore every part of the greatest country in the world? Many of our veterans, our heros, have fought for this country....but sadly.....many of these same veterans have only seen maybe 10-25% of the United States, if even that.

I feel privileged to do this, to get to the point that I worked so hard for.....to have the sense of responsibility and the respect of many good Americans who understand the importance of this industry.

I haven't met one person in or out of this board who thought trucking was "glamourous"....it's what you make it.

If you are a tired old veteran that really hates the job or can't hack it, then don't b!ch or post about how bad it is........just GO HOME!!

Is trucking Glamourous??? I don't know if trucking is glamourous, but I'd say rollin in with a new Kenworth T700 is pretty dammm close!

 

I would love to learn how Krooser does his logs to make that all legal. Seems like it "may" require a bit of cooking to make everything wash out.