To be a trucker or not?

Thanks for the great responses. No I do not have any children and no mortgage or things like that. My wife and I have been married three years and together for six. Thus far we have yet to have a schedule in which we actually spend time together. We work opposite shifts; when she is at home I am gone and when I am at home she is gone. We see each other very little. Without getting into particulars I will say that all of you are saying great things and they will be taken into consideration along with my personal reasons here.

I saw someone asking about being a dispatcher at 18. I was 19. I will have been a dispatcher 6 years in September this year. I overstated a little. I didn't know anyone. I literally picked up the phone book and called trucking companies in the NW Arkansas area where I was at the time and JB Hunt hired me as PT night weekend dispatch. The managers like me and my style of dealing with things so they had me do load planning for regional. I had all of the US regional to handle on night and weekends. I was pretty busy. I work hard and am good at what I do.

I moved to Chicago for 2 years with JB as dispatcher with intermodal. That was a great job. Our night crew had a great vibe and we worked well together. I did load planning there as well but with the kansas city drivers because they had no one to cover that night shift.

Dispatchers catch alot of grief for their lies and such and I can tell you alot of it is true but there a few good ones out there and I worked with a group of them in Chicago on the night shift. I currently work for a small owner op only company and I see alot of things the load planners and dispatchers do that I do not agree with. However, I am the new guy and don't have alot of pull yet except that my managers like me.

As far as pay goes any OTR driver makes more than I do. I know this because after 5 years going on 6 of doing this I have seen a lot of pay stubs. Dispatchers aren't paid very much. Thanks for your input and drive safe.