A few basic questions..

Yeah, I suppose where ever the demand is present will be good enough for me.

 

I love driving nights, it's the absolute best. No traffic and most scales are closed.

 

1) What attracted you to the business?The sights, sounds, the people & who knows whatever else?

As a 15 yr old in the very early 70's, for me it was THE adventure to go with a family friend when I could.

I think I've had that wanderlust since birth. I've always been one of the "What's over the next hill?" kinda guys.

I think I enjoyed the comraderee between my tutor / friend & his friends & co-travelers. I never felt "alone" on the road after I met these new people. I'd see these same folks somewhere else in a few days or so.

At the time, there was still money in it & the work was relatively easy for the money.

Maybe it had to do with a sense of accomplishment when I unloaded after a hard ride.

2) What do you like about driving a truck now? Not much. I stopped being a company driver about 4 years ago. I just couldn't or wouldn't accept the "new way" of doing things & the myriad of new rules changes. I found so much wrong with the new rules, the new drivers & "that attitude" in trucking co's.

I figured it was my time to let go of a dream before all rememberances of that dream were spoiled.

3) Do you remember anything that was a disappointment to you at first? HAhaha yeah! No power steering, no jake brake, no mufflers on a two stack detroit, no air conditioning & not enough power to climb the hills across 80 & 90. Oh, & the 13 speed shifter was soo worn out & sloppy you had to "use the Force" to know where each gear was.

It was the best of times; it was the worst of times.

4) Is there anything that was/is a pleasant surprise for you? Since it was all new to me, everything was a pleasant surprise & much of it remained a pleasant experience. I never realized how big the sky was out west, how far one can see down the road, just how inspiring a sunrise or how magnificent a sunset can be in out west. There's so much more to it than I can properly give credit to here.

I still catch myself thinking how lucky I've been to see & experience people & places in this country that most folks will only see in books or magazines.

5) Do you entertain or plan to do something else in the next couple of years? Because I am the way I am, I won't put up with the ridiculousness of these new rules, the new breed of cops & drivers & the quality of companies today. I always kept a another skillset ready as a backup. I'm reinvested in that career now.

6) Do you feel the money after the first couple of years justifies the long hours? Boy! That's a loaded question. It depends so much on how you view your worth. It is so different for everyone.

If you look at the ledger strictly thru the eyes of a bookkeeper, the money used to be worth it. Now? Rarely is it worth it & probably never will be again.

If you see things less black & white, the education & experiences will carry you forever into other venues. An education is rarely free no matter in what subject.

Truckdriving lends itself readily to improving your confidence, independance & self-reliance.

Thru learning your craft, you'll become cognicent & conversant in many facets of mechanics, electronics, GIS, mapping, road construction, law, physics, medicine/health...etc. I doubt there's many things that a decent truckdriver can live without knowing something about.

7) If you could change one thing about the entire profession what would it be? Wow! That's another loaded question.

Maybe...The arrogance &/or ignorance of todays trucking companies & federal law enforcement agencies.This is the best I could come up with in terms of brievity but it's an entire subject of it's own.

How hard was it to learn to back up the truck?! It takes practice for everyone. I don't care what "knack" you have for it. Everyone's learning curve is different. I don't care how good you are, there's times when even the best will take several shots at getting in where normally they might get it in two. Poopie happens, all you can hope for is to not slip & fall in it. There's too much dry cleaning involved.

9) Do you listen to television as you drive? Not television per se'. Radio yes. CB yes. The sound of the wind thru my open window yes. The singing of my tires hitting the road for hours yes. TV is written more for visual attention & you miss too much just listening. The temptation to take your eyes off the road is too great.

10) Do you talk on a hands free phone when you drive?
I have. Before hands free I even had one up to my ear. I even thru in a little cb chatter at the same time. Personaly I don't much like talking on the phone as I'm driving. For me, the act of doing it is not so much a problem as it is the topic of conversation. Usually if I'm on the phone during driving, there's a problem at home or at work that I can't control & that just irks me to distraction. So, I leave instructions to not call me between certain hours unless there's smoke, fire, profuse bleeding or water above the ankles.

11) Do you get sleepy even when you have slept properly? There's been times that I got 8 hrs of sleep & a good breakfast & had to stop for a nap 2 hrs down the road. Other times where I only had 6 hrs of sleep & was unstoppable. There's been times that things would just get to feelin' good to me & I didn't want to stop...So ..I didn't.

12) Do you actually sleep 8 hours per day? Sometimes. Usually after about 6 I was looking to get up, go inside for a SS&S, a quick coffee & a breakfast roll & then boogie.

13) Have you ever regretted your decision to drive a truck? hahaha Yeah. Every trip out from the house. It was always "Why am I doing this?" "Why can't I just be like everyone else & get a day job in some local factory or office?" And then I'd answer my own questions. Who am I kidding? We both know you wouldn't last 6 mos in a factory & only marginally longer in an office if you couldn't get out on the road every now & again.

Let me bottom line it for you.

If you got in a truck once & hated it, you'll never go back & won't miss it.

If you got in once & liked it,
you'll never get it out of your system & it will haunt you
forever.

Thanks so much!

Suzi

 

Hi Suzi,

The first thing that I'll tell you about the trucking industry is that there are many whiners and b/sers out there. Then again, that's true of any industry. What that said, I'll answer your questions as I had mine answered when I was looking at trucking.

1) What attracted you to the business? Being on my own, seeing the country, love driving

2) What do you like about driving a truck now? still seeing the country, having unique experiences, still enjoy driving

3) Do you remember anything that was a disappointment to you at first? The lack of common courtesy and ignorance present on the nation's highways (especially in the Northeast)

4) Is there anything that was/is a pleasant surprise for you?

5) Do you entertain or plan to do something else in the next couple of years? Dont know...could see myself getting into Operations/Management in time

6) Do you feel the money after the first couple of years justifies the long hours? Truckers in general don't get paid enough...especially when dealing with the Northeast and big cities. However, if you love the job, you take the good with the bad.

7) If you could change one thing about the entire profession what would it be? The overregulation of a trucker's working hours. While I understand the need for safety, the rules as currently constructed really cut a driver's potential down.

8) How hard was it to learn to back up the truck?! It depends. For some drivers, it makes sense immediately. For others (i.e. me), it takes a lot of practice and time. I'll never be great. the only thing I tell myself is to take my time and be sure not to hit anyone or anything. The other drivers who are mad at you for taking too much time don't have to deal with the repercussions of a rash move.

9) Do you listen to television as you drive? NO!!!

10) Do you talk on a hands free phone when you drive? Almost never...I only talk on phone if I perceive there to be little traffic and good driving conditions...shouldn't do it at all but it happens

11) Do you get sleepy even when you have slept properly? yes, at certain times of day (which is biological)

12) Do you actually sleep 8 hours per day? Almost always..I almost never cheat on my logs. It only takes one time of cheating and getting into an accident to ruin your career.

13) Have you ever regretted your decision to drive a truck? Yes, it's hard on my wife. She is patient but she wants me home. It's the concept of short term pain for long term gain. Most of the time, I love driving the truck, but there are certainly moments of regret.

I hope I have given you food for thought. Feel free to contact me with more questions, etc. In general, I don't have online access on road. So, I'll try to reply as soon as possible.

 

I can see that. There's a lot to know, and a lot of companies, and a lot of opinions...and, frankly, the only industry that contains more BS than trucking is politics.

You are correct in this. However, I would greatly question wanting to buy a truck that soon. There's a lot to know about getting into the OO side of this industry, and in many cases, you'll end up making less than a company driver. I would recommend a minimum of three years--and preferably five--before you even think about going the OO route. (And for the love of god, stay away from lease-purchase programs anywhere!!)

Possibly. On one hand, the trucking industry is still a very barbaric and macho culture. Your being female might hurt you in that regard. On the other hand, you have some commercial experience and lots of companies are screaming for female drivers to comply with the Affirmative Action stuff. I'd say it's six of one, half-dozen of another.

Yep. The bigger the company, the more likely they're talking (fecal matter). Keep studying the DAC reports on this forum, read the comments, and you'll be able to determine who's full of it and who might be a good bet. You're already asking sensible questions and seem to have a good head on your shoulders, so I think you'll do OK.

Do so. Never be afraid to ask questions, but don't believe everything you hear either. Especially from truck drivers--you know what BS artists they are.

KC has lots of freight, but not every company has freight in that area. This means your choices of employers may be limited. BTDT.

Sounds like you have it together, CM--I think you're going to keep on keepin' on no matter what. Welcome aboard, and don't be afraid to take the chance...I'd like to meet you on the road someday!

 

Freedom is never really free. In this racket you have everyone from little Podunk City cops all the way to the Fed's looking over your shoulders & thinking of ways to beat you or the company out of a few bucks. Sometimes this is warranted, many times not.

The trend today is to hold you to the letter of the law, not the intent. The letter, as interpreted by the cop or his/her immediate superior, doesn't always represent the intent of the law & sometimes is completely misconstrued by the officer. It's all about CYA for them & ultimately you.

Get used to that. Not many companies are worth the loyalty they once enjoyed. It's all about the bottom line anymore. You are a necessary expense & liability. Given any opportunity they would replace you with a lesser expense or liability. Get hurt & see how well you are taken care of. You'll fight tooth & nail for your Workmans' Comp & then come back to work just to find yourself fired shortly thereafter. Now, you're a liability on their WC insurance.

Truckdrivers are the most hopeful creatures on the planet. We/They are always saying things like "It'll be better tommorow." "The rain will stop by tommorow". "The next load will pay better".

The probability is that you would never have made the job work any better. You'd simply be miserable that much longer by holding onto that hope.

Today, companies are set in their own way of doing things & rarely if ever make a change to suit the individual..unless it's something that coincides with them making more money off you.

I know I feel so much better...now that I've given up all hope.

It's not surprising that you feel this way. If you've been looking at any of the big company recruiting ads, they're brainwashing you into thinking how glamorous a life on the road is; How you'll be making that long green & smilin' & waving at everyone you go by in your brand new shiny big truck.

And then you wake up to realize that while you were escaping reality being on the road, the world passed you by. You no longer have friends in the neighborhood, your kids outgrew you, your spouse who said he/she could handle your being gone a bunch wasn't kidding.

You ask yourself "Was it worth it?" Maybe it is for some. Maybe some can actually put away enough money to be happily out of a truck early enough in life to enjoy those things that a real life offers?

Personally, I found some worth in it. I discoverd early on that my wife & I got along a whole lot better...when one of us wasn't there. That pretty well took care of the relationship hassles anyway.

If there's kids involved & you can't get a local run to be home every night or every other, you'll become strangers sooner than usual. It's a given that kids turning teenagers all too quickly want less to do with their parents. Everyone becomes a stranger. Since you aren't home much, kids get to that point sooner.

You brought up the aspect of internet & such for keeping in contact with or meeting new people. Yeah, it's ok but it's a lot like masterbating. It's ok in a pinch but compares miserably to having someone else there.

You're not generally going to be in a position of being able to just kick your feet up & wasting time on yourself. Most often you'll be looking for that hot shower, a hot meal & bed. Sure, there's going to be some time in between for messing around on a computer or whatever but it's not likely to be much more time than you have now.

I know. Homemaking is the bain of every housewife's existence.

Perhaps you should think of getting that vacation you need without throwing away a perfectly good marriage & kids. Loosing these will likely come soon enough if you go on the road.

If I had any constructive advice to offer you, it might run along the lines of get better organized around the house so you didn't have to do all the chores.

You shouldn't have any trouble teaching teenagers how to do things, the least of which is washing the clothes & vacuuming. Get them to do it now while they still know everything.

Get your finances better organized so that your daycare business is not co-mingled with the household expenses. Treat it like a business & make a real business plan. This way you can see if the business is paying off or if it's time to just cut your losses & run. In treating it like a business you may find money or at least the way to find some money that allows you to hire someone to give you some time off.

If nothing else, your more exacting bookkeeping will tell you if it's time to bail on the business & go for something in the workplace where you can actually make a profit with less responsibility.

Don't let my tainted view of regs blur your vision. I started out at a time when this adversarial "us vs them" mentality hardly existed. It was not uncommon to find drivers & cops breaking bread together, at the same table even. There was considerably more mutual respect between cops & drivers then. They knew we'd be trying to get away with some stuff because they probably drove truck at some point in their lives too. We knew they knew & we had a good idea how much we could fudge before a ticket was issued. If you got a ticket back then, you probably earned it for disregarding the warning you got from trying the same stuff last week.

This goes back to what I said about running the daycare more professionally. You don't know if you could save some money at tax time by letting the business carry your taxes instead of your hubby's check. An accountant would be in order here.

Speaking of which, you'll want one for your trucking job too. These people are hard to find because not many acountants know trucking tax regs & you will end up paying much more in taxes.

You may only gross $30-$35k the first yr. Out of that comes your on the road expenses. Persnally I've never gotten away with less than an average of about $125 a week. Some get by with less, but not that much less. Those people shop heavily before hitting the road & never get a hot sit down meal on the road. Also, you'll be looking for all those entertainment devices in the first yr.

It doesn't get much better in trucking. You're always going to be on the wrong end of someone's stick.

Yes, this is a possibility after a few yrs. It'll take you that long to find a company to settle in with. Presently, there's a dwindling supply of companies that remain decent to work for. I cannot vouche for those companies in the future when you join.

I read in another more recent post of yours that you have a toddler & you think there's a company out there that will let you bring that little person with you. I think you can pretty well forget that unless you own the truck & even then it might still be impossible.

I'm finding it most difficult to prevent myself from laying my morality on you regarding the toddler. So I won't stop myself.

To make the career & money you want, you'll need to be gone most of the time. Don't do this to the kid. It's one thing for Dad to be gone but not Mom. I realize this conflicts with Today's Women's magazines but...

Some companies do just this. Some are larger & some not so large.

It's generally a lack of researching the company beforehand. There's myriad trucking web sites that have topics designed to make you aware of the shady tricks these companies use. This site has such a topic heading.

Trucking is dog eat dog anymore. Companies fight over pennies. They'll swear they would go out of business if they threw you an extra few cents per mile. Meanwhile, the price of fuel has doubled & yet they're still in business. Go figger.

Good thinking. Best of luck on that one though. The better companies will only take experienced drivers. You'll have to eat some poop before you get in there.

Generally, your union shops are best for money, benefits, working hours etc. But that's a long shot because someone has to die or retire to make an opening there. Plus, union shops are slowly going away.

I see your dilemma. Most marriages don't survive what I think you're attempting. Some do. I think the kids suffer most no matter what.

I'm thinking you might need to consider a really good vacation before taking this plunge. Then, a good look at your present & future economic conditions & plans with a decent accountant or tax pro.

I get the feeling there is a way to make the daycare profitable & get yourself some deserved time off. At the very least, you may find dumping the daycare for a local job more rewarding & profitable.

These are only my observations which I realize I shouldn't impose on you but...Hey! It's your lucky day! You won the bonus plan.