March 11~ Slight Freakout

Hi Matt, just finished RDTC Friday and will tell you that the school and training is top notch. All six in our class were on 2nd careers and it just seemed to fit like a glove.

As far as the road experience I can't help you on that one yet. From my brief experience with Roehl as a company, I can say that it seems they are really straight forward on how they operate and they do expect a fair days work. Things generally also seem to be reasonable and respectful there. I am very happy so far.

Best of luck with your family/home time situation.

 

Matt39 I don't work for ur company but if u have a family its gonna be hard. You will miss them like crazy. I would suggest doing something else. You will miss a lot of ur kids growing up. I missed mines first word. His first steps (3) before he falls down lol. Everytime I call home he screams dadda n says hi dadda but this is what I need to do make ends meet I also love what I do. It's not an easy choice. When u are home u just wanna be lazy but u need to spend that time with ur loved ones..

 

Where do you live? There are companies that get you home which is why I ask. As for your freak out, we have to make tough decisions for our kids. I had to drive to give mine a better life. They were a lot younger than yours, but if it wasn't for driving they would not have had the opportunities they did. I was fortunate to have a company where I was home weekly and could still be in for school events. My youngest daughter was into band and I was able to afford private flute lessons, which paid off for a partial scholarship to college. Also I found because I was gone, when I was home we had more quality time than a normal family and because we talked on the phone daily, I knew my kids better than stay at home moms. I also hate to tell you, but because of the age of your kids soon they will want to be with friends more than you and it won't matter as much if your there...lol however, finding a company that gets you home weekly is key, but they are out there.

 

Roehl so far has been very good with home time. I've gotten home on time or at least within a day when I've asked. And when I had an appt or something needed on a specific day, haven't missed any. They got me there when needed. My experience anyway.

 

One thing that helps a LOT:

Get video Skype working. That typically means a smart phone (Android or iPhone) on your end, and a webcam on the home end. A ten minute video call every day goes a LONG way.

Side note: If you run Skype while driving, make sure that the home end is NOT sending video. Your camera can be running if you like; either pointing at you, or maybe showing them the view out the windshield as you talk.

Also, I believe that the 11/3 hometime does apply during those six weeks, so you can get home for a long "weekend" every other week.

 

Getting home should not be a problem, I get home within a day or so of when I ask to be home, and never get strung out. If they have a nice run, they will ask if I want it if it will delay home time, but then it is soley my decision whether I take it or not. I find that now when I get home, I have more quality time with my family, and being on the home time fleet I would think you will get a decent balance of work and family time. Trucking can be tough when you have a family, but once you adjust to it, it's not so bad. It's the easiest job I've ever had.

 

I was on the 7/7 fleet for over 9 years. The first two years I was solo the other seven I was a trainer. I very rarely got back late. If anything I got back early because I ran low on hours as a solo driver. This was back on paper logs and Roehl was not as strict on fudging log books. Then later I was a trainer and had a student and his log book to get me back on time. Anyways my old man worked at Roehl too and did 7/7 and usually got back on time too. The reason is someone else is waiting for the truck to leave out on their trip. With your background as a teacher you might think about being a trainer. I made some pretty good money as a 7/7 trainer and had enough home time to actually have a life. You might be able to substitute teach on your off weeks. They changed the training program after I left though so the 7/7 trainer deal might not be like it was. Keep plugging away at the teaching thing though. Three of my best friends are teachers and all though they don't make a ton of money it is a better life style than trucking.

 

Glad to see a father with concerns for his daughters. My concern is for your wife. I am a widow now but was an OTR wife for many years. How is your wife doing with the fact that she will not have you there for periods of time? Raising teens can be trying. Is she going to be able to manage the household alone? Do you have good communication and have you discussed ways to deal with problems at home while you are out? Some women do well moving into the postion of being the only adult at home while others just can't move into it. I took care of everything from finances down to home repair. Trying to manage your job on the road with home problems running around your head makes for miserable time on the road. Have some family discussions now and set some guidelines.

 

I've said it b4 and say it again. 7/4 7/3 hometime fleet works for people. I did 14/7 myself. Only thing it's a set rotation. Minus Christmas doesn't matter what holiday or occasion comes up you go out. I personally missed out on thanksgiving last year. I went 11/3 national. Pretty close to 14/7 but I can plan for events and holidays and have my own truck. Slip seating sucks, plus I drove 1 1/2 hrs to the truck and back home. Maybe you live closer to a terminal. I have a 3 yr old so she's so far ok with me being gone. My girl though is a different story. So like Texas said make sure you both are well aware of that you'll be gone more than being home. This year I stayed out longer for more days off for thanksgiving and Christmas and was home for both. I made my daughters birthday as well. Went out for 14 and got 4 days off. So really depends. Driving the truck and learning all that with trucking can be learned and will be clock work. It's nerve racking in the beginning. The personal sacrifice is the biggest. The hardest part for me is leaving.