Attention all company drivers!!!

I agree.Many make the ultimate mistake by committing a crime or DUI and don't realize it could take yrs before you're rehireable.The trucking industry is very unforgiving.

 

Not always true. Not all felonies are equal. And not all felonies go on your record.

I can't explain how it works (the blank record). I just know it's true, and it works.

 

Yep,but with time that passes. ANYTHING is possible,and all things are Possible with GOD. Again,thanks for accepting my app Howard!
Amen!

 

Some of those career OTR guys are still wonderin' the same thing after decades of roamin' the highways.

I'd venture a guess that a majority of the new Big truck truck drivers with a year or less of actual experience go through the same emotions associated with loneliness. The transition from what's considered to be a 'normal' eight hours a day, every day job, --- to the lifestyle associated with over-the-road freight relocation is a major change.

A 'normal' nine-to-five job is structured and consistent. It's the same routine every work day, --- wake to the alarm at the same time every day, hit the same on ramp to the same highway goin' in the same direction to the same location, where, upon arrival a time clock is punched and the workday begins. A thirty minute break for lunch, and two fifteen minute breaks durin' the day. Then it's time to punch the time clock and repeat the process in reverse, --- headin' home. The next day, and the days after that, --- same routine. Nothin' new that would require a thought process such as trip plannin' and/or effective time management to meet tight schedule demands.
When/If an unfamiliar situation occurs which requires a deviation from normal procedures, it's not uncommon for a supervisor or manager to be tasked with providing information and instructions on how to proceed.
Contrast that with Big truck truckin' where unfamiliar situations can occur on a daily basis with no supervisor or manager there lookin' over the shoulder, dispensing instructions on how to git-er-dun.
That's gotta be a culture shock.

Ever wonder what that guy loadin' the trailer is thinkin'?
For some folks goin' home every night isn't a perk, it's more like a punishment. The thought of bein' away from home for weeks, or months, at a time without a boss watchin' every move they make, or a wife wavin' a honey-do list and an over due credit card bill --- Where's the money, honey? --- would be a dream come true.

You make that sound like a bad thing Bowman.

If a wannaBee Big truck truck driver put some thought and research into their decision and set a goal and a plan to get from where they are to where they wanna be, chances are they'd already have friends and a relationship.
.

By golly, -- I'll drink to that.
I think, many times, when that certain point is realized it's ignored. The question is, does one work to live, or live to work? And speakin'of work, it's my opinion that those who keep the home fires burnin' have a harder job than the bread winnin' Big truck truck driver. Unfortunately that's something many find out the hard way. And when children are involved, I often wonder if they had a vote in the matter, would they choose the higher payin' gig or havin' two parents at home every night and weekends. They're only young once, --- miss those years and there's no goin' back to the past.

When away from home for extended periods and communicating by telephone becomes the only way to stay in touch, I can only imagine what goes through the mind when a call home at an agreed upon time goes unanswered, or what comes after "Hello" is bad news, --- while a driver is thousands of miles away from the home-20, hopelessly helpless to make wrong right.

How comforting would it be if the kids tell their friends that when they grow up, they wanna be just like dad?

I suspect that your happiness is shared and enjoyed by the entire family.
When it's realized that drivin' Big trucks is puttin' a strain on a relationship it's decision time. One could decide not to make a decision, --- in which case life will make those decisions, come what may. Those who decide to make necessary changes that are in the best interest for all involved have my respect. Family should come first, especially when there are kids involved. Children are products of their environment. They need guidance as they learn by example. It may be hard to admit that Big truck truckin' isn't workin' out. It can be an emotional roller coaster that creates stress that leads to health issues, and even personality changes. One has only to be aware of the divorce rate for Big truck truck drivers to realize that their chosen profession just might be detrimental to their relationship with the family.

There's no shame in admitting that drivin' Big trucks isn't the right job. Actually, it's quite the opposite. Those who won't come to grips with reality and, instead, continue down the road of destruction in spite of the warning signs, are doomed to repeat what causes their misery and spreads it to others who come into their life. Kinda hard to respect that.

 

Say what?
I thought construction is a few rungs above Big truck truckin'.

What do you think the chances, if any, are to be hired to drive a Big truck for someone with a felony conviction as a result of shooting a deputy sheriff?

Not necessarily true.
It may close some doors, but not all will be locked.

That's true.
A conviction for theft is the hardest to overcome.

 

In my year driving a truck, I could see myself continuing to do this for 30 years, and the whole time I would be telling myself "I'm gonna quit tomorrow".

Like I was gonna quit after 2 months, but I didn't. And who knows, I might go back to driving again, and end up doing it for 20 years. But your don't plan to drive a truck for 20 years, it just happens.

Part of me could be a career driver, I tend want to drive somewhere after being in one place too long. That being said, in the last month I have been unemployed, and sometimes I won't leave the house for 2 days. Its nice to not be driving 8,000 miles per month.

OH, and nothing is wrong with living in the woods, I would do it if i had a woman with me. But not alone. What would suck is not having a woman to bed down with every night.

 

Life could be worse.

For me my life was miserable. I worked my ### off for 15 years to move up in the ranks. I was middle management and making a great income. Funny thing is, looking at my paycheck brought me no joy.

I was unhappy and my health was going south fast. This is why I chose to pick another path, something that would allow me to be responsible for my actions, no other.

I have no idea what trucking is like and that is why I am here. I am not afraid of hard or long hours. I have done that before and will do it again.

I just want to be able to go to work and do my job. I know others will have a hand in what I do, I am ok with that. But when you tell me to do this, just leave me be and let me do it. I am a big boy and can handle issues along the way.

 

the one thing that drove me away from trucking if that feeling that i'm wasting my brains. Like I'm a smart guy, and i feel under utalized just driving a truck. Like My brain is just rotting away.

 

That's why you do other things in your spare time.

I hard code HTML and work with minor graphics design/manipulation.

And I spend a HUGE amount of time reading

 

I'll bet probably 98% of the Big truck truck drivers went through the same feelings. It's a love/hate relationship, ya hate to love it but love to hate it.
That feelin' subsides dramatically for most who remain behind the wheel long enough to learn how the system really works and how to work the system to their benefit. Even Big truck truck drivers with years of experience drivin' Big trucks need time to figure out the system if they change companies. Just startin' out everything is new and unfamiliar and can be overwhelming.
Things don't stay that way.

For most newBees, the first year driving over the road is the pits, even when the truckin' company is a decent company to drive for. Those who don't throw in the towel usually discover that, with time, their attitude and outlook change for the better as they become accustomed to the routine.

Generally speakin', the starter companies send their drivers to places like grocery warehouses, which can be a pain in the buttox. Same with paper mills. Hurry up and wait, --- fingerprint the load, re-stack pallets to the receiver's specifications, then wait for the paperwork.
Repetitive boredom?

With experience, drivers get to know what to expect and plan for it. If a customer is known for makin' drivers wait, they have readin' material, computers, and television/DVD/VCR/CD --- maybe a few electronic games to keep 'em occupied. Some even use the time to clean and/or polish their Big truck, or Rain-X the windows and mirrors.
HaiL!
Get the camera out and photograph things that interest you, --- a collection of various old or strange signs, self-portrait of self's reflection in a polished trailer door or tanker, mailboxes, clouds, sun rise/set, splattered bugs on the windshield, whatever. It gets ya to focus closer to finer detail that usually goes un-noticed. A good way to escape the doldrums for awhile.

But, above all else, I suppose, it takes a desire to get past the newBee blues and into clearer sailin'.

What kind of drivin' job can you imagine yourself stayin' at for 20 years?

For some, maybe even most, "it just happens", --- but not all.
There are those who get into Big truck truckin' as a planned steppin' stone to get 'em to the next level, --- five, ten years, maybe.
Others may have grown up in a truckin' family and never doubted what they'd be doin' for a livin' for the next 20+ years.

Truck Driver.
Keep them wheels a-turnin'.
Mo Miles is Mo Money.
That's the name of the game.
If it's nice not to be drivin' eight thousand miles per month,
why even think about drivin' a Big truck?
Did a little bit of Big truck truck drivin' get into your blood?

What were you doin' with your brains before drivin' a Big truck?
What are you doin' with your brains right now?

With all due respect, .... you weren't in the industry long enough to really get a feel for it, other than dislike. Live and learn.
What would stop your brain from just rotting away?
That's what I'd put on my Things-2-Do list.