Why trucking?

My father drove a truck of some sort for 35yrs, and I was lucky anough to be raised by him... My mother was the one that took off in my life..

Anyway, I decided a long time ago, when I was a kid, that I was not going to ever drive a big truck..because I want to be home with family. My wife and I raised 5 kids and now have 3 grandkids.. I

A friend of mine and I were working for the same company as Field Service Techs for a drug store chain. In 2006 he called me up and said he was quitting his job and going to school to drive a truck. I told him he was crazy! I told him he was throwing his 14yrs and credentials away. He laughed....

We stayed in touch and he would tell me how it was going,,,bla bla bla
I started thinking about it and by then, had realized my 14yrs were up and I was going no where in my current field. I started doing research and decided to attend school where my friend had already gone. It was an easy choice and by May 9th 2008 I was officially a "professional truck driver". I do have regrets but the main one is; "I wish I would have started 2 years prior"!

I love driving truck, I love all there is to driving truck and see me doing this for a long, long time. I am totally engrossed into the whole lifestyle of "trucking". I am ready to sell everything, buy my own truck and live completely on the road for 10 years... I love it that much.

I pray that eveyone can feel this way about a "JOB"....

 

I started this thing called truckin because,really,it was all I had left;(or so I thought)at 41 years old.I was working for a flat-roofing company,and at 40,questioned if I could do that for another 20 years,it IS very demanding physical labor,not to mention working in the Mn winters,and although one friend of mine did indeed make it to the age of 63,I decided I would not;and so,because we had our CDL's to haul trailers of insulation,I found a OTR flatbed company who took me with no experience and here I am currently in Tx.. Although I DO NOT have this love affair with trucking as some of you have,I have to say,if one does not know themselves before trucking,you certainly will as time goes on in the truck.. It has been,(still is) a learning experience,but when I find something better,I am outta here..No regrets on doing it,-but,OUTTA HERE.!

 

i got fired from mcdonalds--so i had no place left to go See what happens when you ABANDON the DEEP FRIER at BURGER KING

 

I'll be officially retired from the Military come August 1st, so I needed to find work. I drove tractor/trailers for a few years in the Military, not as a specialty, just moving our equipment back and forth from our storage area and the other bases in central jersey. I liked doing it and thought it would be a good choice of career paths. Now I do have a bunch of other experience gained in the Military (Avionics, Radios, Computers, Instruction), but that type of job sector is not good around here. I love Wyoming and want to stay here so I am trying to get into a job sector that will allow me to do that.

Hopefully I have good news after my road test tomorrow, and can get started hauling water to the well sites. Graduated Sage trucking school last Monday, and have applied to a few Oilfield trucking companies around town. A couple have sounded promissing, but only one (Small Wyoming based) has scheduled me for a test drive. I think the "Big" company I applied with is pushing my application through since their background investigators called friday asking me if I had my DD-214 yet, and wanted to verify employer contact info.

The thing that has had me concerned is the whole "two year" experience thing. Sure I drove trucks for a few years in the Military but there is no record of that other than my word and my Gov drivers license with the endorsements on it. The small company said no problem, the big one said they would have to work it out with their insurance folks.

 

Honestly I've always had the desire to be underpaid, underappreciated, unnoticed, unaccomplished, misunderstood, driven to unimaginable appt times, harassed on the cb and by DOT, and mostly because the showers are free after fueling. That pretty much sums it up lol!

Seriously though, it's the open country and the times I actually get to help rookies on the road and change the perception that we are old grumpy, overweight, disgruntled sloths that cruise the country....oh wait ####, nevermind-lol!

 

You'll do fine. Once you get your foot in the door, you can go anywhere. From what I've read, the oilfield will be a good starting point and pay isn't half bad. Good luck and keep us posted.

 

I have always loved cars, trucks, go-karts, quads, if it has an engine I would drive the heck out of it. I have always felt free when I'm driving. Like I'm on top of the world. I can't explain it and to most it sounds stupid but there is something about just turning up the tunes rolling down the window and enjoying life.

A quick recap of my job fields:

My senior year on high school a mechanic trade school rep gave a presentation. That was it I signed up and went. My roommate was arrested while I was gone on vacation. I became homeless because I couldn't swing the rent myself and the school kicked me out when they found out I was camping in the woods behind the school to maintain attendance.

At this time my best friend was getting into law enforcement and I thought I would try that. Got my degree in administration of justice. During that time I learned how corrupt the system was where I lived and decided full blown law enforcement was not for me but I stayed in the security sector even had my own business for a while. I was slammed in the papers by the local cops when I made a high profile arrest that they couldn't pull off and after that if I called 911 I would get hung up on. They felt I made them look bad. So that ended.

I was working as a McDonald's maintenance man trying to figure out what to do next when a good friend moved "to find a new life" a year later he calls and says you'll never believe what I'm doing; I'm driving truck. Over the next couple months he would call to tell me he was driving here and there. It sounded so cool. after a few months he told me I needed to get out on the road. I was scared to make another big jump but I live in a small town so there was nothing else for a carrier that I could really do.

So I packed up my apartment and stored everything I'm my dads shop and off I went. My first drive shift my trainer I switched seats in Sacramento at the 49er and I headed east on I-80. He went to bed shortly after that (a garbage trainer with 6mo exp and i was his first student). It was a night shift going over Donner Pass with a full moon lighting up the road, light snow falling and then I headed across NV. That was it, I was hooked. I felt I was truly on my own. Make it or break it. Having never really left northern CA in my life it gave me a feeling that I can't describe.

I got out of a truck for a little while and am going back to it now. I love it and miss the hell out of it. I have never been the marring type, I don't like the idea of raising kids and I love the traveling. I've seen things I never thought I would ever get to see. Every day is different. I'm a work-a-holic so it fits me good. I'm working a 9-5 now and I can't take it anymore; too much down time I could be making money. Also where else can you work where you get a free place to live? I save on rent and I don't need to commute so my bills are nothing and all my money goes to what I really want.

This is the first job I have ever had where I felt like I belonged. Once I get back behind the wheel I don't for see any reason why I'll give it up again. It truly is a performance based job. If you fail its because you messed up if you succeed its because you busted ###. No one else can take responsibility for your success. I feel more pride in a truck then I have before.

Sorry for being long winded, chalk it up to passion.