Central Refrigerated Truck Stop

Yes you can have inverters you buy them and best to pay central install it. That way if it catches fire it's their fault. Just my 2 cents of course. Most if not all Company drivers get an 07 or newer volvo with the occasional prostar to older company drivers. NO idea how they compare to Stevens this is the only place my hubby has driven for. I'm sure someone else will chime in on that part of your post.

 

Glad to hear you got a great early Christmas! Merry Christmas to you!

 

Good to hear! I myself ran into problems with the family and came home, Mom's health went south and my boys really had a hard time with me being gone, so I had to leave and now looking for something local (not working out so good with no OTR experience) the only thing I have going my way is 15 years driving class B. If we went out for two weeks then home my kids might have made it, but 6-8 weeks for training was to much for all of us. Glad to hear you guys are doing good, wish I could have made it, I loved driving even though my trainer wasn't that great.
Best of luck to you all and I will be checking in from time to time, hope to see ya on the road soon........Be safe and god bless all of you. Happy Holidays

 

So spinner2jammer OTH didn't work out for you? I sure hate to hear that because I might be in the same shoes as you ( as much as I tell myself it's going to work, it might not). In my case I had a family before I tried becoming a truck driver something I've wanted to do since I was 5. All that said and done now I must live for my family. I've tried my hand as sales, security, and even warehouse jobs. None of which I was able to make more then 12 dollars an hour. Not much to raise a large family on. I hate to leave my family too but, at times I see no ther way. Since you've been there and done that I hope you can give me some advice as to how I might can make it work. I have a wife and 6 kids which are 2,4,6,7,8,and 14. My plan is to spend the next six months preparing them for this. Thanks to anyone who can provide some advice. . .

 

Bigowl, Best of luck brother !! That many kids today, has to be tough. I wish you well.

 

Any central drivers in FL? I see a black 670 from my hotel in orlando.

KH

 

As someone who just got back in the seat after having an office job for the last 26 years, Let me offer these pearls. Take the next six months and look at your family life and think about being away from them 24/7 for weeks and months at a time, I was lucky in that I had a relative that introduced me to the company I work for, and I do a combo of short haul and local work, However I drove OTR for a while back when things were a lot different. That being said, I missed most of the baseball games that my boys played, birthdays, you name it, only things I didn't miss were the Christmas days (missed a few xmas eves tho), I won't bother you with most of the other arguments except for one, Do this ONLY if your wife works and can feed your family, or you have set aside enough cash to see you thru at least 6 to 8 months, you as a newbee will not make enough to support them for quite a few months.
Good Luck with your decision

 

Thanks sw1241,
That is so true. You have got to gain the experience in order to get the better runs and pay. I feel in two to three years if I keep myself out of trouble it should pay off. Thanks for the advice. . .

 

Spinner2jammer-Best of luck to you! It just all has to be weighed and balanced. You sure can't go back in time, and it sounds like you made the best decision for your family. Family is what it's all about; they grow-up so fast. Sometimes (most times,) I think that things just go how they're going to go. We try to control and plan, but things just go where they're meant to; maybe a "pre-set?"

Bigowl, you are blessed. Sure hope that it all goes easy for you too. What a wonderful family. If it is too much for your wife, ("grass widow with 6 kids,) then don't forget, my husband just started driving because he was laid off. Our kids are raised, and he is 55 years old. We miss him but not like when the kids were so young. It would have killed him not to enjoy the baseball, softball, ballet recitals, chicken pox, and the whole ball of wax.

SW1241- You did what you needed to do and that makes you a great dad and man. Your boys weren't hungry, and no doubt knew who their daddy was. You are so right about needing money to live on in the beginning! I started wondering what baked Chinchilla with garlic would taste like. Chicken maybe?? (Not really!) GW

 

Hope your Mother's health improves, amiego. I'm sure that both she and your boys will benifit by having you home and about more.
I live in the Phx area too, and since getting the CDL at SWTDT 5 or 6 wks ago, have been looking for something OTR. However I have come accross several local jobs that may be of interest to you. 1.) Papa John's; southwestern area, Volvo VN670's from what I've seen, and good home time. 2.) Iron Mountain Storage; mostly straight trucks that collect paperwork and other valuable data from local co.'s for secure storage or disposal 3.) I also have a phone number for a fellow looking for someone with haz-mat and tanker endorsements to collect used oil from Checker, Auto-Zone and the like. Home everyday.
Send me a private message if you like and I'll give you the phone numbers and contact person for each of these.
Best of luck to you, and each of us who are trying to get a foot-hold in this challenging economic enviroment.