its not a easy job,if it was there would not be a driver shortage! But I love it( God help me). I've been in the left seat over 30 years and will be as long as I can pass the physical.I've been places and seen things I would have never had the chance at otherwise and met some very special people. I wouldn't change a second of it for Bill Gates money.
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Discussion in 'Experienced Truckers' Advice' started by bananaz, Aug 7, 2006.
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Well the person's personality has a lot to do with how well they enjoy their profession AND also why some leave. Not all people like to stay home everyday. Not all people have a wife and kids to go home to everyday and not everyone needs someone to talk to or email or show pictures to during the day...LOL
So with that being said, its all about the individual. It would be a sad world if we were all alike! -
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I am serious, I don't need to think about it. I'v been at this a long time. 13 years driving and I dispatched drivers for god five years before that. I see these guys complaining about this company and that co. Ya oe of these co
s are bad and we know who those are. Most of the companies though are just companies. They are in business to make money and they will do what they need to in order to o it. You know these are the guys who think they "deserve" a brand new pete, want to work 8 hours a day, be home 4 days a week and make $60k a year -
I got to educate my wife about the easy life of trucking years ago she was on a vacation I was working she wanted to see the beach, I needed to pick up a load, she wanted to stop for a nice dinner I had a deadline to meet, she wanted to stop at the casino I needed to deliver at 6 in the morning, she wanted to get a motel room so she could get a good shower, [she couldn't handle another nasty truck stop shower] and a good nites rest, I needed to get to the T/S for fuel and get some repairs done,ect,ect,ect!!
Needless to say she didn't get to see anything more than the highway, truck stops and a bunch of places I picked up and delivered too, the list week was pure hell for the both of us to the point I just told her to sit down, shut up,buckle up,and hold on.
she want to get her cdl at the time and "enjoy" the freedom of the open road and the "easy" money that came with it, thankfully we survived her "education" with only a few war wounds and today when I pull into the house I don't have to hear how bad her eight our a day five days a week job with weekends off are so bad that she ready to quit and take the easy life of a trucker, in fact she won't even get into a truck anymore, lol -
lol. My wife goes with me and after the fact she won't touch fast food for 6 months! lol, I hate how all the truckstops have gone to fast food
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First of all, I want to admit that I am not a veteran driver. I'm not even a novice driver yet. Instead, like many of the people who may end up reading this thread, I am just looking into the possibility of driving a truck for a living. With this in mind, I want to respectfully say that I think Bananaz - the original poster, might be the one who could get the most out of his post.
Bananaz, you did a good job expressing your opinion on many different aspects of the trucking industry, and as a novice, I appreciate your opinion. At the same time, I have to say that it sounds like it is you who should take a long look at whether or not you should be driving. Looking at the litany of things you discussed, there was not a single aspect of your job that you seemed to like. Please don't get me wrong. I mean no disrespect. Maybe you were just venting after a long, frustrating day. It is also possible that I misunderstood the gist of what you were trying to say.
Whatever is at work here, I would encourage you to try and look at the positive side of things. You have a job that has supported your family for the past nine years. In the course of doing your job, you haul products all over the country which go on to enrich the lives of the consumers that ultimately buy them. Currently, I am sitting in a leather recliner, typing this message on my computer, in the comfort of my home. The recliner, the computer, and everything I see around me would not be here unless someone like you had done the tough job of delivering these items from whichever company manufactured them.
I don't doubt that this is a very frustrating job at times. But when it starts to feel that way, maybe it will help when you think about the family you are supporting, and the thousands of other people whose lives are being made better because of the work you are doing. It may not be exciting, but it is indeed noble work that you do when you get behind the wheel of that truck. Nobody in this country would have the standard of living that they do if it weren't for truck drivers. To me, that's a great thing.
If, after taking these things into consideration, I would say that maybe it's time for you to try a different line of work. There is nothing wrong with that. Everybody needs a change from time to time. -
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I have to agree that the trucking industry has really gone for a dump in the last few years, I grew up in this industry and have been in it myself for almost 9 years. As an owner operater, this last year has been a really tough year.
Ten years ago, there was really good money in trucking, not anymore. ten, fifteen years ago my father was making a dollar a mile, wages have gone up a few cents in that time. There is not the money in it that there used to be. And the new rules make the job more stressful than before.
I also agree with the fact that truckstops have gone for a dump also. I have my few favorite independent truck stops where I go. If nobody suppports these places they will end up going out of business. I stay away from the big commercial ones, (flying J, TA, Petro, etc) they seem to have crappy service, crappy food, many have only fast food, so you can't even get something decent to eat.
I got into this job very young, I am glad about that because I don't want to be old and doing this job, I want to be off the road in a few years then I will be looking for something dedicated, where I can be home everyday or everyother day. I want to enjoy my life, I don't want to spend it in a truck.
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