Why do so many newbies disappear after they hit the road?

Most people cannot handle the life style change. While driving a truck OTR is a job it's the lifestyle most people are unable to adapt to.

This is the worst aspect, as well as being one of the worst stressors, of the lifestyle of an OTR. Comunication, understanding and empathy are keys.

 

I think once you ask all of your questions and hit the road you just move on.

 

It is hard on kids any age when they are young like that. Our daughter was 18 mo old when she realized dada was leaving and not coming home, he was a plant maintenance supervisor working on a re-opening of an old plant 5 hrs away and working 6 and 7 days a week. It is hard to explain to them what is going on. She is grown now and has kids of her own.

I hope you have a decent cell phone plan where you can at least call your wife and talk a little everyday and having a blue tooth also. The truckers hours are terrible though, I am up all hours of the night, but with kids you can't do that. I try not to call if I am not sure if he is driving or sleeping, he has a student so it is hard to tell; I can ping his location and see where they are though. I don't know if Schneider has this or not but perhaps even a map at home where your daughter can see where you are going would be nice, and then maybe they can look up a little history of the area where you are.

Wish it were better; but it could be worse.

 

Good luck to everyone on the road or with someone on the road. Family is the hardest part of this job for sure. I love what I do and I keep promising my lady we'll make it. Talk every chance you get and don't end the day mad at each other. Find ways to show her you think of her and eventually things will work out. After a year OTR, I hear the job scene opens up quite a bit. You're almost there Canada. Wish I could say te same but til then I'll run every load they give me!

 

This is the worst thing about having to work on the road and being the only person in the house with a job.
"I want you to come home so we can all sit here and starve,but at least we will be happy."

 

Driving truck is not a JOB, it is a lifestyle. Over the years it has become a very lonely lifestyle for lots of drivers. It does not have to be that way. Some people are not cut out for the hours, or the dispatchers lack of caring. Many folks don't make it because their family is more important to them then the job. Family can make your life out here real bad. Miss a birthday, an graduation, a wedding, and end up on the "you don't care list" and it does not sit well. Feeling like a stranger when you get home for that big 3 days off, does not sit well with some.
Then, their is the way drivers treat each other, newbies, have not learned to turn the CB down when they are backing up, so the insults do not defeat them, but leave it loud enough to hear that guy if you are going to hit his mirror. Truckstops at night are not like they used to be, it used to be a big party, you polished your truck, joked with folks, had bbqs, and made real friends. Not any more. We used to run together, and chat all night on the CB, now it is rare to find anyone to run with for hours. It is hard work, and some folks just think it would be great to drive a big rig, till the dispatcher picks everywhere you get to go in this big US, and tells you when to get there

 

I've been driving about 14 months and go where I want and pretty much when I want (most loads are of the type "get it there on this day, they stop unloading at 5pm"). I busted my hump to get to this point and so far have been home every weekend. I can actually finally get the big tattoo on my back finished since I can plan to be home on a certain day 2 months in advance, couldn't do that as a company driver.

As for the family, mobile internet and skype help a lot. And I just kept reminding my GF that eventually her $90k/year job staying at home taking care of her multi handicapped son will end when he gets into the nice group home (10 year waiting list) and if she wants to continue to live her current lifestyle Local jobs in our area average $25k-$35k a year...Also I can take her on my truck with me sometimes, and our 11yo daughter will get to ride with me now too.

 

Did you really READ what 3 Dog Nite actually posted? You know, the part where he said that he DROVE for five years...not that he was with CRST for 5 years.

 

I took the question as "why do they stop posting/visiting the site".
For myself, once things weren't new anymore and most of the questions were out of the way, there didn't seem to be much to post about.
But - as some have said, it's the difference between seeing trucking as a job vs. A lifestyle, and so the site/forum exists as a resource to some (when they need it), versus as a community they are a part of.
And perhaps some are in a zone where they aren't newbies anymore, but don't feel experienced enough to throw their opinions around.
Wait...a trucker that doesn't throw opinions around? Scratch that last sentence...

 

I am afraid that the following two posts pretty much say it all:

And I think it is a real shame. There is so much more to this forum than a "newbie question and answer session." You can have an ongoing exchange of ideas and information, (even those who "KNOW IT ALL," might have some information to impart to those of us "less blessed." Not to mention the satisfaction of making new friends, and the profound satisfaction of actually being able to come face to face with them on occasion.

Yes, it IS hard for the little ones to understand. But trucking is certainly not the only job, (as you pointed out,) where a parent has to be gone for an extended period. Shoot, one of my neighbors is a young (WAAAAY TOO YOUNG IMHO) mother with 4 kids. She and the kids are currently living with her parents while her husband is working a long term construction job almost 400 miles away.

And if you DON'T have such a plan, GET IT. If you are on the road and you have family at home, it is one thing that you JUST CANNOT AFFORD to be without. As for the map idea, it is one that my wife used a lot when I first started. She said she really liked being able to see where I was. And once Google Earth came along, it made it even better!

It's something that a lot of younger married couples run into. It is a very immature outlook, and if you do give in to it, then you will be the "bad guy" (or gal) for NOT bringing in enough money to live on.