Do you still enjoy driving truck after years behind the wheel?

I just recently passed my 3 yr mark ( yep still a rookie) but also a year in landed a sweet local job were I’m home daily, usually by 3:30pm drive 300 miles a day and get a nice little
Compensation for it, I don’t stress about live loads live unloads I’m 99% D&H. I may have a live load once every 2-3 months. My truck has all the safety bells and whistles that do not bother me at all. I love what I do as a 2nd career, and plan to go into full time retirement 2 months after my 48th birthday, (I just turned 45)

 

I’ve been class A for 4 1/2 years. Did class B. 50k on 3 axles local for 7 years.
I run OTR for a smaller company. Dry van. I actually love it. I go all over the country all the time. Only two states I haven’t been in; Maine and Rhode Island. I love going Deep South in the middle of winter. Or deep north in summer. I jokingly love to brag. I’ve run the GW! I’ve run Moonshine!
I do really like my life out here. Got my co driver. I take two weeks off every three months. Last time home. I got bored. Wanted to get back out early.
A lot of the nonsense. I let the office take care of it. They’re happy to keep me happy.

 

I think the love hate thing has a lot to do with how a person runs and if they’re making any real money

I wouldn’t even consider doing this for what I’ve heard others are making
I know we all have a different definition of what “good money” is but if I need to sacrifice something then the “ juice better be worth the squeeze “

I have a pretty comfortable truck so time out goes by pretty quickly
I also will have my wife fly out to a place like Vegas etc when I’m going through and we will take a week vacation then she flys home and I roll on
We also do a weeks vacation when I get home. Sometimes more local. Others we drive or fly out somewhere

You need a purpose in front of that truck like time off. Vacation. A nice house you own etc
If you’re just grinding through the motions then Yeah. It wouldn’t be fun for very long

When I lived in Minnesota we would book a Florida vacation in December and a snowmobile trip in February somewhere like Montana or Wyoming
When it would start to get cold you knew you were going south in a few weeks
Get back and have the mountain trip ahead of you and get back from that and spring is on its way

 

I was only out 16 days.

 

Most days. Some people find jobs they love. I’ve loved a lot of them for a time. Then enjoyed them. Then tolerated them. Then disliked them. Then hated them. I figured out the time to move on is when I was tolerating them. If you stay past that point other jobs start looking real good. If you jump to quick you take something that’s as bad or worse than where your at. Grass looks greener at the time. Leave a job before you hate it.

 

Also, money wise don't sell yourself short.

But yeah, it's about work and personal life balance. Not always easy..

 

I've been driving for just shy of 30 years. I felt as if I stayed an Owner op aftering leaving it in 2000' I would of been financially set and closer to retirement. I can honestly say that enjoy driving still on the open roads but not within the city or limits of. Everyone (4 wheelers) seems to be in a rush to nowhere fast. If there were Only highways alone for Trucks it might be ultimate content.

 

Been driving for 4 years. The company I work for is pretty good. I start around 10pm and back in yard usually by 6/7am. Loads are always ready on time. Just drop and hook. Good pay and benefits. Home everyday and weekends. Good equipment.

Only 1 negative thing is that I kind of hate working nights especially in winter. My sleeping schedule is all over the place on weekends.

 

I went straight to O/O at 23 coming off a line of welding. No driving experience, no nothing. Went straight into the fire. I’m 27 now and have done really well, but I feel like I’m loosing the drive on this. I plan to exclusively trade the stock market by the end of the year, sell the truck, and mess around with opening a project shop. Welding was really something I enjoyed a lot (welded all from structural construction sites, built metal casts for highway bridge cement pours, last job was for Parker hannifin welding aircraft/military parts/tig). I stand with you on the chasing money feeling. I made way more trucking, but couldn’t give no more of myself to my family even though I was home daily (14-16hr days). And every issue that comes with trucking is a lotto, even if you got the money to pay.

I’m young with a family, got three young daughters and don’t wanna choose a path that’ll render me emotionally unavailable to my babies/wife. Money don’t ever buy a strained relationship.

I’ll miss the open road in the big truck, but I’ll have a project truck that’s driven for fun someday. Family KW sleeper pulling a bunch of off-road toys.

 

Im actually surprised your Rubber Duck hood ornament is still on the truck.....