Thinking of hanging up the keys for good ( warning: long post)

My opinion, try a new career. You're a great driver, but worrying if you'll be happy with any decision you make now will still keep you happy in 10, 20, 30 years is really difficult to judge.

I myself was happy as a cow hauling milk locally home daily, had my own routes and truck. Boss knew he can come to me to get #### done.

Then my father, a long time trucker passed away last November. Come January 2019 and work started getting boring and like you said, like Forrest Gump.

I brushed it off and made it 3 more months till I got the feeling again. I said #### this, gotta change something.

So I left trucking full time and got hired at a local plumber who does new construction. Since my first day, I've been like a kid in a candy shop. Building the future plumbing of a 5 story office building. I forgot what it was like to actually enjoy working 8 hours and go home for 16 hours. Off holidays and weekends, hourly rate and overtime.

This plumbing job to start was a 20k a year hit compared to hauling milk, but in 4 years trucking went be able to touch the compensation.

Side note, I also have my va benefits that are going to put me through plumbing school starting in September. So I may have been swayed a little to use them for my benefit.

I only had a short 7 years commercially driving and an additional 4 in the service running heavy jet fuel tankers across the socal desert, I do love driving trucks still. I part time occasionally to help haul milk, but I dont see myself driving full time anytime in my future again.

I was scared leaving the security of driving, but I'm very happy with how my future is looking.

Talk with your family, what will be best for you all. Whatever you decide, will be what's right for you and the family.

 

There are schools for heavy equipment operators. Check around. You can haul them too. Nothing like a CAT in the mud

 

The equipment haul is a good job. It's also hard, dirty work. You are young enough to do another line of work but do not wait to long. Whatever you go with, get a retirement plan. Your children will be adults before you know it.

 

That exact schedule cost me my marriage, family AND home,,,just so you know, in trucking, something always has to give. Some women put up with it better than others. Good luck.

 

Yeah truckin sure is easy money aint it?

 

Except for a 9 year stint of owning a shop and a couple of years of running a dump truck local, I have worked away from home most of my life, just had my 42cnd anniversary last monday, a good woman is hard to beat.

 

I'm 31, been married and divorced twice. No kids. Trucking played a huge role in both of my divorce. I've tried to hang the keys up and be a regular employee at Lowes, Walmart, etc...

Once it gets in your blood you cant stop it. Trying to find a good woman who understands trucking and is willing to stay faithful is hard to find. Whoever has that faithful wife and drives OTR I salute you!

 

It sounds like you are a clean person doing the job that is dirty.

It sounds like you are a hard worker tha's trying to get ahead and feel confident that you can take very good care of your wife and children, and you have an employer who wants to just take it easy.

You sound like a really good guy and you have respect for your boss and you get along and that's all wonderful. The problem is that your boss is running a business. People who work for a business want to make money. Some people will want to work more than others, but it is the boss's responsibility to make sure his people can make the money that they want to make. Just because he is in a certain situation, that doesn't mean he should try to force his employees to live with in his circumstance.

There are probably other things going on you've been in this industry for a long time you probably feel a little burnt out and that's very understandable. But when you have that type of a conflict in your job and you can see where it's headed you can't stay there. Whatever you do staying there I don't see as an option, because your Vision does not match the vision of that business.

It sounds as though you have already spoken with your boss and he likes you and you like him, but he's going to do what it is that he wants to do. And it seems obvious that is not going to sit well with you.

At 38 years old I would say that you should be looking for a place that you can get a pension. You should be looking for a place that's a home until you retire and you can retire comfortably whatever you do. You need a place that you can work as much as you want and make as much as you want and feel confident that you can earn the way that you want to. As a husband and a parent that is what will give you peace of mind.

I will say this. I do not know what area of the country you are in. I am in South East Pennsylvania. There are times here did we do get a lot of rain there are times here that we get cold weather unfortunately. But of the contractors that are around here, a very busy contractor the lowboy driver will make more than everybody in the whole company. The moves never stop for a busy contractor. LTL guys can make excellent money with excellent benefits.

You sound like a good guy. Good luck in whatever you do.