Living OTR

Thanks allnighter and cloc.
I know I've said this before, but its really encouraging and nice to have you guys with 10-30 years of experience backing me up and letting me know that my plans aren't as crazy as they seem on the surface.
@hootie- I'll definitely keep everyone updated and either here or through a blog. Maybe after I'm on the road, I can set up a YouTube channel to give more people an idea as to what life on the road is like. (Just don't hold me to that)

 

Thanks for all the replies everyone.
@road warrior- maybe someday in the not too distant future I'll be able to listen to all the great stories I'm sure you have after 40 yrs on the road. I do plan on hitting 48 states (maybe 49, or better yet, all 50?).
@gravehauler- I am a Hank fan but I actually got the name from Rob Zombie. When I was in high school, about 95% of my school was rich, stuck up suburbanite kids who got brand new Mercedes and lexus' for their 16th birthday. Well, my "click" and I were being called "Hellbilly's" for the way we dressed and the music we listened to. When creating my profile, I considered using the handle Big John since most people call me that, but I figured as a born-again Christian, I'd keep "Hellbilly" for the irony. I mean, who would expect a guy named Hellbilly to quote scripture?

 

@medic- I do appreciate your input, and I encourage the 190 people who have read this thread to also put their .02 in if they have anything else to add or comment on. I never get upset when someone trys to let me know something I might not already know. I know it seems kind of silly to spend the money, but if I have the cdl license, I won't have to spend it again. Also, if things just so happen to pan out were he is able to get me a job, I'd prefer working for a "mom and pop" carrier that owns 15 trucks as opposed to a mega-carrier that has over 1,000. Call me crazy, but I like people to to call me by my name and not my employee number. Also, even if I end up having to pay the $150 again, I see it as a small price to pay for the extra training. Not to mention, as I said in an earlier post, I'll be able to relax a little bit because I'm not learning something new, I'm polishing up what I've already learned and getting another professionals input and ideas. To me, that's well worth $150.
@Dirtroad- AMEN BROTHER! A lot of people have asked me how I'm going to handle being alone for so long and when you try to explain that you're not going to be alone, well, people tend to think you're crazy. And by the way, how is life a a Christian trucker? I'd imagine it's not a walk in the park listening to a lot crap. But I also figure, I work in a machine shop now and have to put up with all kinds of language and jokes so how much worse can trucking be? (Provided I stay off ch 19 that is)