Anyone take a break from trucking?

Discussion in 'Experienced Truckers' Advice' started by Canadianhauler21, Jul 28, 2022.

  1. smokey12

    smokey12 Road Train Member

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    I ran hard for about five years. Took a few months off here and there during that time. I get a state retirement pension so a bit easier for me to take breaks. I was hospitalized with Covid in February..got very sick and about died so been off the road since. Fortunately about back to normal now and plan on hitting the road again first of the year..the break from the road has been nice but I do miss it
     
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  3. Mattflat362

    Mattflat362 Road Train Member

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    Good readin in here!
     
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  4. D.Tibbitt

    D.Tibbitt Road Train Member

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    Yes. There's more important thingss in life then trading every waking moment of family time to drive circles around the USA.
     
  5. tscottme

    tscottme Road Train Member

    You might consider signing up with a Driver Leasing/temp agency and working VERY part time. The temp agency my ling-term employer used would ask their drivers the week before what was their availability next week. If you do this you can account for the time between full-time jobs and still work as little as you like.
     
  6. Moosetek13

    Moosetek13 Road Train Member

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    I take a break from trucking every 4-5 weeks, for about 3 days.
    It's also called home time.
     
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  7. jamespmack

    jamespmack Road Train Member

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    I logged about 150 days last year. Lost all of Nov and start of Dec to covid. Bout killed me. But thats close to my yearly average. I do all my own repairs, and take on some side shop work.

    I find when I'm in the shop, I wish I was driving. When I'm driving I wish to be in the shop.

    Do not allow your personal finances dictate how hard you must run. You will enjoy trucking alot more.
     
  8. Crusader66

    Crusader66 Road Train Member

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    I was off and on from '90-'09. Had some great gigs, full time and part time. My regular job just always seemed to get in the way of my truckin jobs.

    When I was OTR full time I always felt like I was on vacation, seeing the sights, while my wife and son were home holding down the fort without me when I knew how much they enjoyed going different places also. When problems came up at home while I was OTR, I always felt guilty because she had to handle things without me. She never had a problem with me truckin, I finally just decided it was time to stop doing it on my own.

    As bad as I'd like to, I couldn't get back in a truck now anyway. I don't know how you guys do it on a daily basis. ELD's (which I never dealt with), rude drivers at the fuel islands, Covid related issues at customers and consignee's (having to wear masks, not being able to use the restroom, etc.,),the roads are busier, I never used a GPS, always a map, even running all around NYC, all of the safety crap on the trucks now, trying to find a place that pays decent while getting treated like an adult. I'm at the age where I don't take any crap anymore, I kinda speak my mind if someone gives me any crap and most companies wouldn't put up with that either. I had a great time while it lasted and always have good stories to tell when asked about what I did, it's just a different world than I was use to so I'll let it go at that and just relive the memories while hanging out here.
     
    Last edited: Jul 30, 2022
  9. Moosetek13

    Moosetek13 Road Train Member

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    That can go a couple ways.

    The truck I drive has cameras and sensors.
    They show, and alert my company, if I am driving in an unsafe manner - unsafe in the eyes of the cameras and sensors.
    If I don't come to a complete stop at a stop sign, it is reported.

    Are they treating me as less than an adult?
     
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  10. CargoWahgo

    CargoWahgo Road Train Member

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    Look into NEMT driving they need it bad all over the country. I did it during the Rona and made more than I ever did driving a truck.

    Typically before Rona I would drop 2 off at dialysis then go home or wherever to blow time. I would actually work maybe an hour or two a day but I would consistently log 60-70 hours because we got paid for all hours to answer the phone. Rarely did that phone ring. Maybe twice a month if that.

    5 grand gross a month ain't bad at all for less than 30 hours of actual work.

    Those jobs exist right now. No cdl required. And they loooovveeee hiring truck drivers.
     
  11. Crusader66

    Crusader66 Road Train Member

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    IMO, yes, but some of you accept today's company driving requirements and I get it, it's just a different world with all the technology available today that I didn't grow up with or have to put up with. I'm not being critical of today's drivers, they just don't know any different, but I do, LOL.

    The following is based on my experience today. If I was young and just starting out I'm sure it would be different.

    I wouldn't drive any vehicle with a camera in it that I didn't put in and I don't need a vehicle of any kind braking for me or beeping at me or any of the other stuff they do today. I've been driving for 45yrs and seem to have made out all right without all the crap that is put on vehicles nowadays. It's called paying attention, to everything, in front of me, behind me, beside me and inside the vehicle, constantly.

    "They" are going to give me roughly $250,000- $300,000 worth of equipment and automatically not trust me enough to take care of their equipment? If they don't trust their employee's they should be driving it themselves. If I come to them with a clean driving record why do I need some dork in an office telling me that I'm doing it wrong when I've been doing it right all these years? I've been driving long enough to know what I'm doing, I don't need a lesson from someone who has never stepped foot in a tractor with a trailer attached to it, and if they have not spent more than 10 mins driving it around a parking lot. If I screw up, I'm sure I will know why it happened and what I could have done differently, I don't need to watch a never ending string of computer based video's trying to teach me how to figure it out.

    We all drive differently, react differently (some slower, some faster), we stay aware of our surroundings differently, we all have different expectations from other drivers, we all anticipate differently. Sometimes accidents are unavoidable no matter what but most are avoidable and I can pretty much tell what a driver is going to do before he does it just by the way he is driving (is he on his phone? Texting? Talking to a passenger? Do they look scared to death?) and what traffic is doing. Anyone who has a ton of experience and miles under their belt I'm sure can do the same thing, regardless of if it has 4 wheels or 18, you can't replace road experience. What do you do with a fresh young driver? Well, I figured it out, amongst many others and spent a ton of time in all 5 boroughs of NYC and Long Island with a sleeper truck and 48ft reefer over 7yrs and made out ok.

    With all that said, I get forward facing camera's for video proof for protection in case something wasn't your fault, so I can see that part of it for accidents, just not for being used to chastise the way I drive by some office weenie when some idiot decides to cut across 4 lanes of traffic to exit at 70mph in Dallas because they weren't paying attention and I hit my brakes a little too hard to avoid them.

    Like I said. I'm not getting back in a truck anyway (as far as I know) so I don't have to worry about it, I'll leave that to you guys and gals.
     
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