Complainers...

Interesting post. I'm a newbie with a cdl and will start my first otr job soon. One of the reasons why I chose this industry was because I'm a loner and I don't have an active social life anymore. I have lots of family but I rarely go out of my way to see them even during holidays. I'm an introvert and I'm not that outgoing. I consider myself quite smart and if certain circumstances and finances weren't a problem I would have a career in the IT field or accounting.

 

Changeoflife has a really good point then again he is one of the lucky few to be picked up by a o-o right out of school. Our experiences will never be the same but maybe similar, I was picked by a o-o also right out of school and I owe him a lot. I didnt realize it until we took separate ways because of two unpaid trips. So I left but I said to my self...self let him keep the 600 bucks you know how to shift and drive now go get another job and let it go. And tthats what I did. But this industry will have you complaining sooner or later trust me you will scratch your dome and say WTF!!! Thats just the nature of the beast.

 

well, though i agree with change's sentiment personally, i also see a huge reason for a lot of the complaining. what he leaves out of the mix is that some have less choices than others. "most men lead lives of quiet desperation".... many people make bad life choices, and later down the road they are left with few options to make a decent living. how many times have you seen a 40 year old working the cash register at walmart or mcdonalds? im not trying to put anyone down, just laying out the reality of life down in the lower/lower middle class. truck driving attract these people like ants to a picnic. the promise of 40k a year may seem like a pittance to someone with a degree, but if you are making 15-20k at a dead end job, it sounds like a fortune. and after all, "how bad could it possibly be?"... then you find out what a huge life change youve signed up for. now what do you do? go back to wondering if you can make rent next month? or try to stick it out in a job youve come to loathe because youre away from everyone who cares about you. and if youre not single, its even more complicated, having to consider the welfare of the 2 kids at home who NOW have decent clothes and no worries about the free lunch program at school, and they actually got christmas presents this year.

lots of people hate their jobs, but its overly simplistic to say they should quit and find one they like. some people like me have fewer options. either no degree, or as in my case, a stupid degree like music/theater performance. thankfully, i LIKE truck driving...but there are days when i like it less. but i try to always be cognizant of my choice limitations as well. wife wont move, and has some extensive medical issues, and we live in burnt-out industrial wasteland hell. my options while remaining in this area are pretty much this or go back to debt collection (unless i want to be one of those 15-20k per year guys). and i dunno if anyone has DONE debt collection, but let me tell you....you love just about ANY job after doing that for awhile. truck drivers get no respect? at least we dont make our living having people scream at us 8-10 hours a day. made 45k one year, but i woulda hated it if they paid me 200k.

 

I have a "friend", not so much anymore, cause I don't mince words. But he was pretty much screwed, nobody would touch him. I felt bad and got in touch with a company that has nice trucks, decent runs and I know them as well. They took a chance on him. Before he even turned the key to their truck, he was ready to quit. Too much paperwork, this is BS, yadda yadda yadda. I talk him off the ledge and he stayed on. 2 months he's been there, and you'd think that the company was run by nazis. They " inconvenience" him. He should be able to do what he wants, he's nobody's b----. He wanted to be home for the football game this coming Monday in Indiana. He was in Houston and they sent him to Los Angeles on Monday. Well this was unacceptable to him. He whined, yelled, etc. Guess what, dummy is on his way to Indy, just as they promised. Now he's gonna quit and go work the Texas oilfields. If he thinks this is hard work, Texas has one hell of a surprise for him. Some people feel entitled and he's one of them, and the sooner he's off the road, the better. Moral of the story? If someone is good enough to give you a job, shut the hell up and do your job. If you find stuff to complain about constantly, its gonna suck.

 

Me, too. That's why they call it "Work". LOL

 

oh yea and then theres these guys.....

 

Don't they have the game on XM/Sirius or even regular radio? Seems to me that someone driving a truck could make arrangements to not miss the game and still be at work.... LOL, i'm looking at a challenge to get myself trained to go OTR yet alone even consider the oil fields...wow.

On another note, I have stepped in to help friends with jobs before and got burned by their inability to do what they say they can or want. It's one thing for someone to be honest and say they are not cut out for it, but I think its wrong for them to try half butt and make the person who referred them look or feel bad.

 

There isn't any 'freedom' on this job, as it is one of the most highly regulated industries out there to get into. If you meant 'freedom' by not having anyone standing on your shoulders breathing down your neck, then that much is true. But there will always be people watching you.

[video=youtube_share;7bQwin3Vv0k]http://youtu.be/7bQwin3Vv0k[/video]

 

I used to haul freight. Now I'm a log truck driver. Like it 100x better. Home nightly, little bs. Just haul the #### wood.