Why I Decided NOT To Become A Trucker

Good decision! Let the young dumb and full of its come get the Bottom Feeders Jobs. I came back off the road for this same reason, I have 4 kiddos and I can't stand to hear them say "Daddy When are you coming home?" So I found something locally that I like and I am home everyday sleeping in my own bed. Good Luck.

 

Due to your kid,you probably made a good decision.As for me,Ive been driving for 15 years,two of that OTR,the rest local in Los Angeles and now Las Vegas.The people on here are right when they say,its not for everybody.As for me,I have no children,but have been married for 21 years now.It was tough for my wife at first.I get asked a lot about my profession,and (if its for them),and I usually ask the person if they have kids,at the start of the conversation.I explain the lonliness that comes with the job,the missing out on things at home, friends etc.To drive is almost a nomadic life.Sure you meet people, and with some you might even have a friendship,but you never really have friends as you and the people you know are more than likely to be in different places,cities etc.On the other hand,Ive seen places that I would never have seen(whether I wanted to or not....as you follow the freight)I Get a yearning some days to venture over the horizon.I find a certain tranquil peace and serenity when Ive been driving all night and the sun is just starting to come up.Thats usually my favorite time I like driving.the worst part is Ive treid to explain this to my wife,of the joys and beauty I have seen, but there are really no words to describe it.Its weird,once youve commited to this lifestyle, you wish you were at home when your out on the road, but when your home, you miss being on the road.

 

I work 70 hours a week for a $200 check. Don't become a trucker please!

 

You had me at 6 year old. Stay home with your boy, he needs you. Good decision.

 

I thought long and hard before changing careers. What may make a bit of difference in my specific situation is I drove before for a short period (B, not A) and had a job (non-trucking) that required extensive travel in the past. I didn't make this decision overnight, in a few weeks or even in a few months. I've thought about this for years and researched the heck out of exactly what I want. Like anything else in life, I am of the opinion one needs a sound business plan no matter what the career. One of the things that surprised me the most about becoming a truck driver and changing careers in mid-life is it requires a -very- sound business plan. So I rolled up my sleeves and got started. I set realistic goals and set out to achieve them. I've walked up and started conversations with drivers working in the sector for which I want to work. I followed the advice of a few SELECT drivers, some on this forum (a huge THANKS to them), of which I read for a long time before becoming a member and posting, and found several deviations to the norm regarding what can and can't be done. The quickest way to get me to do something I'm interested in or want? Tell me it can't be done.

I've made it a point to contact companies DAILY. Yes, each and every day. The majority of the companies don't even bother responding to me because I haven't finished school and/or don't have their "standard" otr experience. But guess what? There are companies out there who WILL respond. There -are- companies who have expressed an interest. There are companies/owners/managers who wrote back and told me to contact them as soon as I'm finished with school. I put all of their emails in a folder titled "Driver Position Possibilities." A good analogy: It's a little like going out cruising for chicks when you were younger. My dad always told me to start with the best looking woman in the bar/club/whatever because "you can always work your way down." That's the approach I took with trucking companies. I started with the cream (at least, in regards to what I'm looking for) of the crop, the best kind of driving positions that pay not decent, not OK, but good (which may be subjective, depending on your situation) money. It all comes down to how much do you want to REALLY work, and more importantly, how bad do you want it? Many drivers go to school, get in the field and realize it's WORK and fall backwards. C'est la vie!

That being said, I've found several companies that pay very well in the type of trucking for which I'm interested. I've learned these companies want the best so you have to not act the best but BE the best. What does that mean? For starters, a clean driving record, no criminal history, a solid job history (no job-hopping) and being over the age of 30 already puts you well ahead of the pack. If you're a non-smoker, a non-drinker and don't use drugs, then hell, you've just catapulted past another group of job seekers. Are you clean cut or do you look like some of the stereotypical images of truck drivers? If you're in the initial group, you've just leap-frogged over yet ANOTHER segment of the trucking population. Getting a job, regardless of what industry you select, is all about selling yourself and image is everything. The better your image, the more you have to sell.

A glaring but (sometimes not-so) obvious point-of-sale for drivers: Put all your queries through a spell AND grammar check. Put yourself in a recruiter or manager's position. If you are a recruiter/manager/owner of a company seeking talent and received an email inquiry from someone (who hasn't even finished driving school yet) full of spelling and grammatical errors, would you reply? However, a well-written and intelligent but BRIEF inquiry, stating exactly what you're seeking in a company, can and does elicit responses. No one says you have to have the queen's English but it has to be legible, make sense and be free of simple mistakes. Now, before I get flamed regarding this approach, let me explain why this is true. If someone doesn't take the time to make sure their inquiry is not sloppily put together, a recruiter, owner or manager may think, "Well, if he doesn't give a #### about how he comes across, he probably doesn't give a #### about (fill-in-the-blank-here)." This simple approach can and does serve as a weeding process in the corporate world.

I've talked with companies about positions that some on this forum say only hire with x amount of years experience. Well, I'm here to tell you EVERYTHING is negotiable. The only exceptions to this could be from your driving record, criminal record or age. If all this checks out, nothing is holding you back from going after exactly what you want. I've found GOOD companies willing to train me fresh out of school, get me home (how does 5 a.m. to 6 p.m., 4 days per week sound?) AND make the green. Sure, you may have to relocate (yet again, putting you ahead of another segment of drivers) but that takes us back to ... how bad do you really want it and what are you willing to do to get it?

Many new drivers will settle for less than they deserve and others will leave the field completely as has been the norm in this profession because they will come out of school and knock on all the usual doors. Ah, but the cream will rise to the top. Ask those making the bucks. Wherever you end up is in YOUR hands, nobody else is responsible for your decisions. Some jaded drivers on this forum will tell you, "Yea, you're right, you can't have a life and drive a big truck." Nothing could be further from the truth. Don't let others dictate your future. There are some on here who will accuse others of inflating their earnings, which is probably also true. BUT, there are those who do earn great money. Some no doubt have paid their dues and earned the position. Others may have "lucked out" and snagged a great position via word-of-mouth or referral. Whatever. The gist is ... you CAN make good money, you CAN have a family and you CAN be home many nights or on weekends or whatever. Are these jobs advertised? Nope. Are these jobs plentiful? Nope. Do the majority of drivers have these jobs? Nope. Can the majority of drivers "qualify" for these jobs? Nope. Do these jobs exist? You betcha! But that job ain't gonna drop in your lap. YOU have to do the leg work YOURSELF and seek them out and make your contacts. No one is gonna do it for you. Most are not gonna come out of school, get on this forum, scroll through the companies that hire newbies and land on the sweet spot. But some will. I know where I'm going and no one is going to tell me it can't be done because I've already learned otherwise and verified it with the drivers who have the position I want and with company managers and owners. I try to avoid the recruiters and you can too (sometimes), IF you do the leg work and needed research. Several times I've been told by owners/managers "contact my recruiter" and I've done just that but I still cc the boss with my inquiry.

In any event, good luck to you and your family and may you have many great years of prosperity. It sounds as if you made the right choice for yourself and family.

 

Yeah, I hear you. The economy blows right now. It would take time to save that up, and then AT LEAST a year of sacrifice away from home and your family before you could even be considered for a job that gets you home every night. Maybe when your son gets older you can make the move over to driving.

 

Good choice.....don't overlook getting some training for a different profession that will pay more than you are making now, and preferably something you even like, sometimes.

This is a dead end industry.....which doesn't mean you will have no job eventually, you struggle to keep the SAME job if you stay a trucker. Essentially same pay for years, or less.....same piss ant treatment by your employer, and many customers...... Dead end.

 

Hmmm, why are you even talking to wives while their husbands are gone OTR. JK

 

When they talk about a lack of qualified or quality applicants this is exactly why.
I'll add physical health to the list as well; BMI, BP, blood sugar, etc...screens out many otherwise viable candidates. The industry standards for drivers versus those that are most likely to apply, is why there is a "shortage". Then of course the OTR turn-over rate after that.