Central Refrigerated Truck Stop II

Bumper I wish that I could just ride with him, because I would. But I make $16.00 per hours at my job and we just can't afford for me to ride along the side. I would need to still be bring a income in, with him only being a company driver he doesn't make that much. So I would need to get my CDL and drive with him to make up for me not having a job.

 

Thank You to Arkansa frost and lady k and everyone else who replied. I used to drive For Millis transer three years ago and i liked it just had to stop cause we were loseing our house and I needed to be home for the wife. I gave up my cdl and to this day wish i never had. I find my self looking at every Semi that goes by and i miss the road the people and places. Dont get me wrong i missed my family while i was out but i was lucky i was home every weekend and got around 2500 to 3000 a week. my wife understands the trucking life cause her dad was a truck driver so no problem there. i cant believe that i miss being out there for just the year i drove. guess i got the itch. I just to provide my family with with a good income. my current job i gross 860.00 a week and bring home 560.of that.

 

Liteangle and rpodman there is a huge family issue with this job. I have only been out a year and while it has actually improved my relationship with my wife it has been very hard on our 3 kids.
The pro that I have is a very personal one, but I will share it. I used to be a raging alcoholic and drank a lot of our extra money away, and then would drank some of the not so extra. I was an absentee father, even though I was there, I was always out of it, and often neglected my kids.
As a driver for Central Alcohol is a big no, no and besides making more money doing this than anything else I ever did, there is a large chunk not going down my gullet.
When I do get home I am present and happy to be there. I play with the kids, work around the house, and take the wife out on a date, none of which would have happened before.

That being said, my kids are 5 and 2 years, and 7 months old. I found out about the last one my first week of truck driving school. It is hard with the older two as they get upset and cry when I leave, I do not have that issue with the younger one, but there is A LOT you miss being out on the road for 6 weeks at a time.

There are ways to help with this, with technology I can still see the Christmas program, and we skype a few times a week. I also am a budding story writer, so I write them stories and then tell them to them at night before they go to bed. I think it would be impossible, for me at least, if I could not do these things.

A tip for liteangle get as much vacation time that you can scrape together and go out with your husband. You may end up at each other's necks and then you will know you are better off at home. As far as needing the job, I am sure you have already done this, look at what you could cut out if you were out there on the road. Sell the house, stay with the kids when you visit, no mortgage, taxes, insurance, cable, telephone, water, sewer, garbage, no repair bills, not to mention the addition of the interest from the equity in your house. If you are not at home and working you can also get rid of the cars and their insurance. Like I said I am sure you have already thought of this, and it is hard to uproot and live on the road, but I know there are people who do it, and if the $16/hr is the only thing holding you back, all I am saying, it really may not be as needed as you think.

Oh yah don't forget that your extra $32k/yr could bump you into a higher tax bracket, making your earning even less than expected.

 

PSUMoose, Thank you for the insight. I appreciate you so much for sharing that story because I know your story may help someone reading this. Your tips are great, and yes we have thought about some of the same things, you might have just stated what I really needed to hear and that is just take the jump. My husband calls me each and everyday to check in and mostly to make sure I am alright, so I have a very thoughtful man in my life and I have learned one thing; not to take him for granted ever again..lol.. I love him and miss him and we have a great relationship and enjoy the same things in life so I don't think being on the road with him would be a problem. I think I am about to ride with him for a couple of weeks after Thanksgiving so I should have a better idea about things. I just know being at home without him is not what I want. Thanks again for taking the time to write and share your thoughts.

 

liteangel, any concerns a woman can help with, holler. I am sure LadyK would help too. I hope your time on the road helps.

 

Another day down. Stopped for the night only ten miles from the shipper because I was running recap and ran out of time. I ate supper, grabbed a shower, got back in the truck, and... 1:30 of drive time?! Oh yeahh... I only took an eight hour break in case I had to get up early tomorrow! Lol. Woohoo. Dropped my trailer and getting to nap in a quiet yard. AND I get to sleep in now. That's a good day if I ever had one.

 

Wow 3 days and no new posts. On the winter subject I have a fun story. Going up over Donner a couple days ago I had to toss on chains. After I got mine on one of my old students happened to walk up and ask for help. Apparently he grabbed supersingle chains instead of singles and could not get them on his dually trailer. After helping him out I was walking back to my truck and a swift driver pops his head out of his window and says "Hay I'll give you $100 to put my chains on." After getting his chains on and $100 richer I hop in my truck and start thumping down the road and about 5miles in I hear on the CB "80 is open no chains!" Oh well atleast I made $100

 

Gotta love the entrepreneurial spirit. Was thinking I wasn't seeing the updates and I've been running too hard to search for the thread. I have a question. What's with all the A Hole Central drivers that can't even bother to wave. I'm use to it on the street or the interstate. Most drivers seem to have tunnel vision anyway. But when I'm getting out of my truck and you are eyeballing me like we are old drinking buddies, wave back when I acknowledge you. All week, even at shippers, sloppy looking drivers just sat there looking at me like I'm from another planet. Yes, I'm moving fast. Yes, I have no hair. But just cause I look permanently pissed doesn't mean my wave isn't real. I'm no gonna ask you for comchecks or trippaks, I just thought maybe we go through the same stuff every day so.. HI! Dang. Ok, vent over.

 

Hey upload a picture so we all know who not to wave to.

 

I really strongly dislike thieves!! Taking something that doesn't belong to you is despicable!! Our two 52oz Bubba Kegs WERE on the restroom counter waiting to be cleaned then filled, then were no longer there when I came out of the stall!! SO TICKED!! We work hard for what we have... GRRR! It was the Pilot @ Refinery on 40 in New Mexico.

LOL! That's my rant