OTR with a child

Your first year will be rough just get past that and find a good company to work for. Eventually with experience and a good record you'll find something better. You have to pay your dues. Later on maybe your daughter can join you sometimes.

 

I think this is a bad idea. No, a terrible idea. You are talking about entering a new career. A career where you have a lot to learn, and a lot to think about while you are working.

This is a job and a lifestyle that is different from anything else you have experienced, including living in a camper. You will, more often than not, be on strict time limits, and if you don't make your appointments you will be in trouble.

It has already been pointed out the problems you may face at shippers and consignees. But that isn't the only problems you may face. What about when the truck breaks down, and you are stuck for hours on end at either a raunchy truck stop garage, or a raunchy dealership. Perhaps even stuck for a few days, waiting for parts to be shipped in.

How about, God forbid, you are involved in a serious collision, far from home. Think about you being hurt and having to be hospitalized, and have your daughter not hurt. Then what does she do? Or you just get hurt on the job at a dock. What does she do, while daddy is in the hospital?

You say your daughter is 10 years old. This is a time when a little girl starts becoming a woman. She needs to have her privacy. She needs to have friends. She needs to have a woman figure in her life, somebody close to her, that she can trust. I believe your parents would be a much better deal, for your daughter's well being.

That is not to say you should not take her with you sometimes. It is wonderful if that can happen. But not on a full time basis.

I'm not saying that other's have not done it. They have. But does that mean you SHOULD?

Again, huge difference between going OTR for a trip or two, and doing it all the time.

For right now, she would be better off with your parents, and for the reasons already stated, you would be better off if she was there, and you didn't have to worry about her. Go ahead, get your schooling in, team up with a trainer and give it a try.

But before you make the decision to take her with you on a full time basis, at least get enough experience that you know what you are doing. Learn the ropes yourself, before you try to take on raising an adolescent in your truck.

Perhaps you will get lucky and find something local in a short time. It does happen, it just doesn't happen often.

What ever you do, you owe it to your daughter to put her welfare above your own. And that just may have to include changing your mind about driving, and getting some other job. I know that may be easier to say, than it is to do. Good luck.

OK, another added thought:

Please read the following:http://www.thetruckersreport.com/tr...rucker-reports-robbery-at-welcome-center.html THINK ABOUT IT!

 

let me throw more water on your plans.
1. you, and a host of other starry eyed newbies don't understand exactly what you are getting yourself into, and didn't do your homework first. this isn't a "lifestyle", nor is it some kind of paid vacation. it's an occupation and a business. after you overpay for your school, you are at the very bottom of the ladder. you will do what you are told, when you are told, or tomorrow another steering wheel holder will warm the same drivers seat you warm today. it's just too easy to fire a new driver and sue him or her for the cost of the school.
2. after driving all day, are you going to get up at 2 a.m. to escort her across the parking lot so she can go pee? what if she's a "good girl who doesn't want to disturb daddy at 3 a.m. so she decides to not wake you and head across the parking lot by hersef? do you have even the slightest clue what of crap goes on in some places? what will you do if you have to park in a rotten neighborhood until morning? are you going to let her out?

3. you do realize your company has to go along with you plan, right? most places don't allow a dog, let alone a 10 year old. if you get caught, you are fired. with minimal experiance and getting fired, you will have little to no chance of getting another driving job, and there's that thing about the company wanting their money back. (you WILL pay it back too. they will sue you and garnish wages for your next job).

4. the next thing are the authorities. once they find out your kid is homeless, there will be plenty of questions you will have to answer, and the burden of proof is on you. normal laws don't apply to juveniles. a wrong answer, and your kid goes to the county, and you will have to fight for custody. do you have that kind of money and time? will your company be so understanding of your situation and not decide to simply let you go?

5. and finally this. ( i was saving the best for last). it against the law.
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Prohibited practices

§392.60 Unauthorized persons not to be transported.
(a) Unless specifically authorized in writing to do so by the motor carrier under whose authority the commercial motor vehicle is being operated, no driver shall transport any person or permit any person to be transported on any commercial motor vehicle other than a bus. When such authorization is issued, it shall state the name of the person to be transported, the points where the transportation is to begin and end, and the date upon which such authority expires. No written authorization, however, shall be necessary for the transportation of:
(a)(1) Employees or other persons assigned to a commercial motor vehicle by a motor carrier;
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if you are stopped and the child is with you, the cops can force her out of the truck on the spot. with you stuck in another state and having no other source of transportation other than a commercial motor vehicle, and with no relatives close by, the police will take your child into custody.


lastly this. it's a grown up world. if you intend to work and live among adults, then be prepared to act like one. part of that is making good, sound, and well thought out decisions. looks to me like you need to work on that last part. i wish your daughter and you the best of luck. you have some thinking to do.

 

Yeah i was not on the road very long but from what i saw. Its not a place for kids. Just to much bad stuff. plus you will not always be running from 9-5. Sometime you will be running all night or stopping at 2:30 am. sometimes in the middle of know where. Plus most companies have an age limit and a season limit on child riders. It's ok to have them for a week or so as a vacation in the summer but not year round. Not to mention how small a truck can get for one person let alone more then one. Plus sometimes you can get stuck for a few days due to things you cant control. Sometime its near a bathroom and shower, sometimes not.

 

in ohio last year a woman was told she could not be in the truck, and was put out at the cumberland scales. her husband, the driver, was cited for the infraction. they had to call a cab for her, and she didn't have a cell phone so no way to call her hubby so he could come and pick her up later.

just because the driver didn't bother to check the laws first.

 

I was also home schooled by both of my parents on a truck. I would like to say that even though she says she enjoys it (I did too when I was 17), you must keep in mind that kids want to please their parents. I always had the "choice" of getting off the road, but I knew it wasn't what my parents wanted. It was ultimately their decision. Even though I enjoyed many aspects of living on a truck and homeschooling, I feel that did not properly prepare me for life in our society. I also had fantastic grades, but nevertheless had much difficulty adjusting when I went to college. Also, the ugly alternative of public school is terrifying for someone who has been isolated thier whole life.

Socialization at church isn't enough; that is one limited social sphere. It isn't friendships and relationships and all the drama teenagers need to learn to socialize normally with their peers. Kids need to be exposed to different ideas and cultures that their parents and one social sphere cannot provide.

I, for obvious reasons, feel very strongly on this subject but do not wish to type a novel here. I guess what I really want to say is that even if the child says she enjoys it, that is no reason to assume that she happy or fullfilled or that those conditions are good or healthy for her.

 

I was homeschooled from 8th to 12th grade on a truck with both of my parents; I know exactly what it is like. Overall, it is fun and enjoyable, but over long periods of time too many problems come up. The social isolation can get intense, even though she's with you and I'm sure you see other people at times. It's just not the kind of socialization that's going to prepare her for living in our society. Privacy is a big issue. Trust me, there is nothing you can do in a normal-sized cab to get enough privacy as a young lady.

Being on the road with Dad can be fun and exciting for sure, but it's really no way to live everyday. Try it out for a while, but really consider getting a home and somewhere stable for you guys. She'll almost certainly enjoy being out on the road, but it can have really negative effects on a person if they want to do something other than drive a truck.

If she wants to go to college or have a carreer in our society she will almost certainly benefit more from a more normal and less isolated environment.

 

Keeping a kid cooped up in a truck during the summer would only hasten her transformation into an obese teen.

Kids need to run wild in the streets.

Lumper loads would be good for her though.


The problem is you imagine being a leisurely tourist and getting paid to see the country. The cold reality of trucking is low salary dispatchers monitoring your time and via satellite/cell sites and keeping you under their thumb because they have their own supervisor to be accountable to..