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

**** I think I just giggled... Umm, football, beer, tatas! Ok, I feel better

 

I've been reading a lot of threads here trying to prepare myself I'll be done with school on Thursday! (hopefully) I see IMO way to many new guys on here that home time seems to be there major concern or at least the top two things they worry about. Some other top concerns are getting a fancy truck and wondering way to much about fridges or TV's and pay and miles are bringing up the rear. I think they are setting them selves up for failure. Then they get out there and get hung up on these issues and get home sick but don't realize it takes time to get over that were it becomes normal. Same for there wife's which I think reading some of these threads the driver's in question uses his wife as a crutch and excuse to quit. I spent 370 days straight from home once without even a break for myself so I know I can handle being gone a couple of weeks at a time and I also know my wife can handle it. I'm not saying TAH is not important but especially for a new guy it should be at the bottom of the list. Instead we ( the new guys) should be worried more about putting a 100% into are first six months learning as much about the business as we can. This will allow us to run proper and on time and maximize are pay checks so we can pay the bills. Not take crap loads making no money just to get home because we can't be without our house or wife for a week. Just my take on the subject from reading so many threads here! But even if you do it all right in the end the job may just not be right for you or me for that matter.

 

IF I were going to drive a big truck again my primary concern would be a truck that would either idle or had a GOOD APU. Many of my failures which got me canned from PAM were because I was not rested well. I am rarely ever cold. But I am warm of hot a LOT. And I did not could not sleep much during daylight hours.

Bad stuff happened in the wee hours of the morning.

 

Thanks everybody for the replies to my lengthy post. Lots of good info. that will help me with the lifestyle adjustment.I know I'm going to be on this site a lot when I get rolling. I will want to feel connected to people that know what I'm working through and this looks like the right place to make those connections. BTW - I didn't stop trucking when I stopped the OTR Gig. I ran semi dumps locally and got my T endorsement so I could run doubles. Glad I had the opportunity to run the dumps with doubles. Quite a learning experience backing up those doubles - but now I know how, and I learned to load my own trailers with a loader. Never ran a loader before then either. Bad outfit though - unsafe equipment and they didn't want to spend money to fix things properly. Quit them after 6 months (before something bad happened) Then got a job going in and out of the Chicago rail yards every day. I just lived too far from the area where I had to run and could not run legal. I was on the road driving or on duty 17 to 22 hrs a day. It was just too much stress and lack of sleep for me. Quit them. My current local job is nearly perfect - good trucks, clean work, home every night, but it's only part time and seasonal on top of that. So, I contacted the original company I started with. They were looking for someone to run a specific run / route every week. I'll be home every weekend for a 34 hr reset. The pay is a straight salary - same pay every week. I'm sure it won't all be peaches and cream. It is after all trucking. The things you mentioned - frustration, "living in a box" as someone put it, etc., etc. I am really glad that I posted on here about my first experience. I know now where I can find some good people to help me learn how to do this and do it well. I'm not by nature a quitter. Thirty one years working with that company was not an easy thing to do either. There were many, many times that most people would have told them to shove it, but I stuck it out and took the beatings so I could provide for my family. I plan to do the same with trucking. I just don't have 31 years to figure out how. I need to get up to speed as fast as possible. I'm glad you are her to help me with that.
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Which company did you lease on with?

 

Lots of great info, thanks!

 

Ok, I've started experiencing phantom bumps. Every time I go to sleep lately it sounds like somebody is messing with my truck. #### thing creaks like an old house! First 40,000 miles so I guess it's just breaking in..? Idk. The other night I could have sworn someone was pitching rocks a my trailer and it ended up being the repercussion of the yard dog slamming into fifth wheels. Once I jump out of bed feeling like a cantankerous old man, "yew boys ain't getting my load locks!" *shaking fist... It always ends up being the wind, or a cat, or just weird noises I guess I slept through before. Anybody else experience this? When I wake up ready to jump somebody it's hard to go back to sleep!

 

I know how that one goes! I'm a pretty light sleeper. Almost everything around the truck wakes me up. I just try to ignore it now and go back to sleep!

 

The ghosties were always bad when husband pulled a high value load, we would try to park in safe places, but how safe are they really. He had fuel swiped at one truckstop by a co worker no less(didn't know him) and once at a rest area, this can be esp determined when they leave the fuel cap off.

 

Good to know that it is not just me! Have a fast run tonight so hopefully I wind down soon. Gotta love 276 miles in a governed truck with 5 1/2 hours to make it!