Would You...?

I agree - PHX is the mothership for Swift - I started at Swift in 2000 - never had a problem the 2 years I ran for them, good company, good benefits, no issues for me whatsoever -if my 24 y/o son said he wanted to get his cdl and drive - I'd send him to Swift... like anything else in life, it is what you make of it - take a shot, you'll be there in Phoenix anyway.

 

Let's address the first major issue, your relationship. This could possibly be a good thing because it will test the strength of your relationship and both your levels of trust. You don't have to text or skype every day all day long. It's great you're in love but there is the possibility of "smothering" while being away due to being lonely or insecure. She may be more mature than other girls her age, but she's still 21. I'm not aware of how many relationships she's had or where she's at in life but this type of stress can change a lot of things. The brain is still developing and won't be at full maturity until about age 25. That's for all humans. You'll see a huge change in your maturity level and how you see the world when you turn 25 next year. It's the strangest #### thing, and I didn't believe it until it happened to me.

Now that that's out of the way, let's talk about moving. Phoenix is not a great area. Rates are cheap, wages are low, and crime is astronomical due to the influx of illegal aliens and unemployment rates. These are all things you need to think about when you're moving a significant other some place where you won't be home to help take care of her for days or weeks at a time. If you ever wanted to become an O/O, you'd contend with very poor rates to get out of the area just to go start your time out to make money for the family. Yes, your dad lives there and it's sad for him to be alone, but... he made his choice and moved there. I'm not sure how old he is, but that is the one positive benefit I see to you being OTR is that your girlfriend would have someone close by. Why not move closer to him, but not necessarily right there? If you do, I wouldn't necessarily buy a house there for at least a year or two so you could ensure you wanted to live there before anchoring yourself to a mortgage payment.

Third would be companies. I know nothing about MCT or Swift, but I hear about Swift all the time and they do have a terminal in Phoenix. It's an opportunity. The biggest thing you have to remember is people are going to fill your head full of the dreams you have your for your life in an attempt to get you to sign on the dotted line. Don't rush into anything. Be calm, cool, and calculated in your decisions. Unless you luck into it, you're not going to just fall into that great job where you're home every single night unless you get a union gig working for a local delivery company or LTL and have been there for a while. You don't just get those, you have to do your time like everyone else and earn them.

These are just some things to think about and the way I see them. This is coming from a 27 year old who up and moved 8 hours away from his entire family a year ago and has been experiencing the very things you're likely to go through. I wish you luck! Stay safe and always remember to pray when you don't know the answer. God does, and his plan will reveal itself if you let it.

 

You would be better off going in the military. Trucking is crap today.

 

I agree with this. Trucking is like quicksand, once you get into it you're stuck. Unless you plan to do it the rest of your life I would look for something else, maybe go back to school. It is an industry unlike any other, I can promise you that.

Hard to get a job in another industry when all you have on your resume is driving for the last ten years.

 

yeah, well Nashville is 8th... : http://phoenix.about.com/od/crime/a/dangerous.htm

 

I'd like to see the statistics on it because Nashville is nothing like other major metropolitan areas... especially our redheaded step child to the southwest (Memphis). Unemployment here is at 5%.