Hanging out at truck stops for a better insight. Good idea?

I really havent encountered a lot of truckstops that smell that bad of urine in the WHOLE PLACE. theres always some part of it that smells that way, but...

But the Detroiter Travel center (originally truckstop) in Woodhaven, MI (wtf? its not in detroit? wtf??) smells the worst in the summer. WHOLE LOT smells that way. Ew. Thats' actually where i am RIGHT NOW. waiting to get a trailer inspection so i can go to canada (ugh)

Last night i was at petro in Racine, WI and there were some pee bottles on the ground. But....the pee was not a healthy color. it was dark orange. EW WTF?


And....WTF is with these idiots? One time i drove with one. He showered regularly but that was the best it got. He had crap piled on our dash to the point where the defroster did NOTHING AT ALL. He drove 11 hours straight every day, without stopping. Complained because i wouldnt eat while i was driving. Complained because I stopped to urinate. Went in a bottle while he was driving. Piss bottles in the truck. Poured them out the window while i was driving. If i was driving and stopped at a fuel island to go, he'd go in the sleeper. 10 feet from a bathroom. Lazy pig. Works at a cracker barrel now, exit 23 on i-94 in michigan. I refuse to go there after i found that out. Who knows where hes urinating.

 

Me too except my dad FORCED me to ride that roller coaster. LOL. You don't see me complaining about it though! He also forced me to ride a ride called "Chaos" at Michigan's Adventure, which wrecked a few years later, injuring a few people (nothing major) and leaving people stuck upside down for 6+ hours. THAT makes you wonder.

I don't think anyone should get into trucking right now. At all. There's a driver overage, and anyone who tells you theres a shortage is lying. Do something else. Wait.

When i say it was my only option, well....I already had my CDL.

 

Hell, you might as well, like someone said, 20 years from now you'll be kickin your own behind for not doing it. I wish I still ran ca. I wouldn't be afraid to take you for a trip around the state. ( if my dog would let you in the truck) You are getting ready to set out on the greatest adventure of your life(so far) In a year, you'll either love it or hate it, either way, at least you can say I DID IT!

 

I don't remember who this quote belongs to..YOU HAVE NUTTIN TO FEAR BUT FEAR ITSELF! Each decade of my life had a major milestone that left me quaking in fear at the onset...in my 20s I travelled the country alone on different motorcycles...in my 30s had a kid...40s got married and raced stock cars...50s learned to drive a truck.
My husband was the racer and I was like you...aching to get out on the track with the big guys. I got the car,got the gear...and puked my guts up before each and every race. I mean I was a mom,a good defensive driver who never took risks in any vehicle..but I did like you. I hung out with the other racers and got it into my blood and by my 3rd yr was rubbin' and bumpin' and flippin' and crashin' and burnin' with the best of 'em! Gives me rushes just to think about doing it again. Don't be afraid of a little fear..it's what keeps us from drivng off cliffs. You are a thinker..that's a good thing,even though nothing will take the place of experience. You'll be able to figure stuff out,figure people out..like when you JUST KNOW they are gonna pull out right in front of you! I really wish I'd started my driving career much younger,but if I never had a kid I would have always wondered what that would have been like..so I say GO FOR IT! Yeah yeah yeah..we have too many drivers. We have too many people in the world too but people keep having babies don't they?

 

I don't know how old you are,but if you're young and need to get it out of your system, give it a shot. If you decide you don't like it,there's no shame in that.

Personally though, I think your picking an awful time to enter the industry. Most companies are having trouble keeping their seasoned drivers moving these days.It's nothing like it was a few years ago when the economy was banging because most of America confused their homes for an ATM.

As you've probably figured out by now, or soon will,trucking isn't jsut a job.It's going to demand a complete change in your lifestyle.The hours (when it's busy) are very long and your expected to give away hours and hours of unpaid time..

Have an active family/social life? Not anymore you don't.While the kids are growing up,you'll be waiting on a load in East Chehunga.Get used to the reality of missing birthdays,funerals,weddings,doctors appointments, court dates, just about anything that is important to you.But, never, be late with a load.

There are some good things about driving.Especially when your getting good miles.If you're not a problem child to your dispatcher and you dont pop up on their radar screen,you'll usually be ok and get decent runs.IF they have them.There is something to be said for being left alone to do your thing,and they'll usually not bother you so long as your not late, logs jive ,and no accidents.


The money can be ok to #### good to pitiful in a matter of a month. You'll have to get used to not having a clue what your paycheck will be from one week to the next.Could be good, or, you could be getting 3 days of layover pay. You gotta be bubblegum flexible or you'll go nuts.

The food in most truckstops is notoriously unhealthy.Most of it is very high in fat,sodium and sugars.Unless your vigilant about your diet (I cooked in the truck the last few years) and stick to some kind of excercise program you will gain the obligatory 50 pounds.Some drivers are incredibly unhealthy and will most likely stroke out in thier sleeper berth.It's easy to put on weight,and you gotta get out of the truck and get excercise.You'll sleep better,improve circulation and get some fresh air.Additionally, it's a great stress reliever.

I don't know what other options you have, but I would keep them open.You may like driving,but as another poster said,OTR driving is quickly becoming a dead end gig for many reasons.That's a topic for another thread.But,if you have the option and resources to go to school for something that can't be done done by just about anybody with a pulse,it might not be a bad idea to consider that first..

Good luck to just the same.If you do decide to go trucking,well, I wish you miles of smiles..

 

Im like a couple of others and was dragged into this game by a relative.

My dad was an owner operator with a flat bed straight truck (I think you call it) and i have two real strong memories that i'll take to the grave.

Filling his log book in and camping out under the tarp on the back of the truck in between the head board and the load in the Scottish wilderness of Glasgow city centre right behind a police station.

Elusive1 at the end of the day if you decide its not for you thats great. You live the rest of your life with one less "what if" to carry around if you give it a go.

 

Whatever you do, try and get your cdl under your own terms. Dont sign one of those agreements to drive for a sorry company for 1 or 2 years because you might not make it that long. It happened to me. I signed on and founf out after 4 months I couldnt feed myself working for that company. Now they say i owe them $8k. Ha! Over my dead body.